The kids started their Native American History/Art class this week. The teacher dropped us parents a note about the first class. I took "Native American Religions" at UNC Chapel Hill. This sounds about as rich. Wonder if I can get in on this? Nope. Just for kids:

"Each week I will introduce the class to Native American tribes from different geographical regions. We began with the Kwakiutl, Tlingit and Haida, Indians of the Northwest Coast. We looked at the geography of the region, and talked about how it effected the kind of food they ate and the materials they had to build houses and create their art. I showed them many examples of the masks created by the peoples of this area and we tried to identify the animals they represented (ask your child about the Kwakiutl mosquito mask and the Thunderbird transformation mask). Then the kids set about designing their own masks, using recycled objects in all kinds of creative ways. Next week we will plaster them so that they become hard and durable.I read Creation myths from the tribes of the Pacific Coast, and Raven, the trickster was a major character. We learned how he stole the sun, moon and stars and put them in the sky, how he tricked and defeated the Halibut monster and filled the sea with fish for the animal people, how Bear and Ant decided the length of a day, how the mask and song of Poogweese brought good fishing to the first humans."