Rediscovering Coyote and Raven
The ancient art of spirit masks moves into the digital age
Healy, Alaska—Around campfires, generations of masked dancers have reenacted legends of a long-ago world. They've told stories of Coyote the trickster and of clever Raven, fabled to have stolen the sun and brought light to the skies. Today, one small-town school in the Alaskan wilderness is bridging these tales of the ancients with modern technology as students take the study of spirit masks high-tech.
At Tri-Valley School near the northeast edge of Denali National Park, middle school students are researching animal symbolism on the Web, designing three-dimensional masks with computer graphics programs, and making and editing digital movies of their mask-making endeavors. Along the way, they learn about differences in world cultures, practice their writing skills, and gain exposure to the fine arts.
This 10-week interdisciplinary project is the brainchild of Tri-Valley technology teacher Sheila Craig. She came up with the idea after participating in an intensive professional development program called ARCTIC (Alaska Reform in the Classroom through Technology Integration and Collaboration) two years ago. This effort, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, helps teachers learn to weave technology into instruction in relevant and useful ways and to design effective learning environments that incorporate technology.
"ARCTIC introduced me to project-based teaching and made me think about using technology tools in a different way," Craig says. "I used to teach computer applications courses," where technology skills were separated from other academic disciplines. "Now," she says, "I teach academic content using technology as a tool" to support learning.
The difference for students is clear. Craig reports that lessons are "more meaningful and more relevant" to them—"things make a lot more sense." In short, she says, "It's a more holistic way of learning."
During the ARCTIC training, Craig spent a semester team-teaching in Columbus, Ohio, with another Alaska participant, Marilyn McKinley, a fine arts specialist. Because Craig's school had no art teacher, McKinley helped her develop the spirit mask unit and figure out how to integrate art with technology.
The state's ethnic diversity—which includes people of Inupiaq, Yup'ik, Alutiiq, Athabaskan, Tlinkit, and Tsimshian heritage—motivated Craig, as well. She hoped to give her mostly Caucasian students a deeper appreciation for these rich and varied cultures. It's important," she says, "that kids have tolerance for people whose ideas are different than their own."
During the project, Craig's students study animal symbolism in indigenous cultures around the world. They examine values and beliefs regarding issues such as the passage of time, the treatment of the elderly, and child-rearing practices. The exploration eventually brings students to the study of Northwest Coast and Yup'ik spirit masks, used for telling stories about daily life, such as the hunt. They were also employed for teaching lessons through cautionary tales, not unlike such European American classics as "The Tortoise and the Hare" and "The Ant and the Grasshopper." Finally, students choose an animal that intrigues them—their "spirit animal"—one whose characteristics and qualities they admire, feel they possess, or hope to develop. They design their mask on the computer first, and then build a three-dimensional plaster version.
Sam, an eighth-grader, is moved by native legends of Raven. In his journal, he writes that he has chosen the raven because it is intelligent and sometimes tricky, and also because it is "a leader," a trait he hopes to attain. His mask, painted black with highlights of blue, features a prominent orange beak. At each temple, he incorporates a traditional Native American element by attaching a feather on a beaded leather string.
Another student, Jessie, selects the clever and discrete fox as her inspiration. To mimic the texture of fur on her mask, she attaches red and white feathers.
Throughout the mask-making process, students work collaboratively, documenting the experience with digital photographs and videos, and helping each other with technical challenges. They then create their own iMovies and multimedia HyperStudio stacks. The students keep an online journal throughout the project and write a variety of essays. Finally, they present their work to their classmates.
A number of state standards are braided into project goals. For example, students:
- Gain an understanding of the historical and contemporary role of the arts both inside and outside Alaska
- Use technology to explore ideas, solve problems, and derive meaning
- Organize and use information to create a product
- Apply elements of effective writing and speaking
- Learn to create and perform in the arts
This project reaches students who might otherwise be left behind. It has been especially effective with troubled and learning-disabled students. "Adults sometimes have misconceptions that these students won't be successful at technology," Craig says, "but that isn't the case." Often, in fact, "they pick it up and blow people away. Technology is one area where kids who don't experience success in other areas can experience success."
