2000 years ago, the Anasazi Indians inhabited the cliffs of
the Southwest. They were the ancestors of the Pueblo Indians who live there
today. There are 20 pueblo villages left; at one time there were 200! These
ancient villages are built from adobe bricks. These natural homes are warm in
winter and cool in summer; it rarely rains in the Southwest, so they won't
melt.
The Anasazi Indians left Petroglyph drawings on rocks and
cliffs. Some were chiseled into the rock with animal antlers, some were etched
with the acid juices from cactus plants. They are pictures of Indian symbols.
Symbols are pictures drawn very simply of things in nature, such as animals,
plants, stars, people, etc.
The Indians were very spiritual people. They respected the
earth, never wasted resources, and were ingenious at using the things in nature
around them.
Students created these buffalo hides over three classes. We
began by drawing a narrative using Native American symbols. After the drawing,
students covered the paper with a light brown watercolor and cut the paper to
look like a real buffalo hide.
The next class, students used fluorescent tempera paint to
paint in all of their symbols. For the last class, students outlined all their
symbols and also created a pattern around the edge of the hide.
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