Exploring Hair

Exploring Hair

The purpose of this activity would be to appreciate the beauty and value of others and learn about similarities as well as differences.


Supplies: mirror, pictures of people with different hair, wigs, scarves, rubber bands, turbans, hair clips, old hair dryers, and old curling irons.

For this activity ask children to touch their hair and to look at it in the mirror. Then, ask children to describe what they see and feel to the rest of the class. Show pictures to the students from around the world of how hair is used by people to express themselves in many different cultures. 

                                                         

There are many different colors and textures to hair. 

I decided to chose this particular activity because hair always fascinated me as a child but I felt like it would be wrong to ask questions so I never did. This would be a good opportunity for children to ask any questions they may have. 

The appropriate age for this activity would be between 3 and 8 years old. Page 210 Roots &Wings. 

Three concepts related to this activity are:

Recognize appreciate and respect uniqueness, beauty, value and contribution of each child. 

Foster positive self-esteem and positive self-concept in children.

Provide children with a positive experience exploring similarities and differences.  

Pocahontas

Pocahontas 
Disney 1995



Pocahontas was the 33rd film released by Walt Disney Pictures and was made during the period known as the Disney Renaissance. The movie gives a fictionalized account of Native American woman Pocahontas and her encounter with an Englishman named John Smith. The movie was released to mixed reviews. There was praise for the film's animation and soundtrack however much criticism for the poor historical accuracy of the story.

These side by side images provide examples of what Pocahontas looked like and the image Disney portrayed her with in the animated film. 

These are the comparison images of what John Smith looked like, and how Disney chose to make him look. Disney portrayed him as the epitome of our ideal traditional Prince Charming.


I watched this film many times as a child. I remember rewinding the VHS to play the songs over and over again. After watching the movie again I believe many things are missed by children while watching, because I don't remember Pocahontas being so racy. Clearly Disney sexualized the image of Pocahontas.


Positives
There are a few good points for children to absorb from this film. First, the movie does a good job of emphasizing the importance of taking care of the Earth we live on. Another point that was highlighted for me was acceptance of others comes from understanding. There is however a lot of violence in the movie.

Negatives 

• very sexualized
• men lack emotion/ depth 
• stereotypical portrayal of Native Americans 
• racist
• historically inaccurate

These negatives that I noticed in the film are mentioned in both the article in the New York Times and the Journal of Navajo Education. I agree that this film has many issues that may be overlooked unless the viewer is looking for them. Everything from my research confirms the issues of stereotype and racism in the film. Dr. Pewewardy wrote about the significance on the viewers of the lack of accuracy of the film. Many people take the film as a historical recollection of the story of Pocahontas without the knowledge that Disney just created the storyline.

Lyrics from the song "Savages" 

What can you expect
From filthy little heathens?
Here's what you get when races are diverse
Their skin's a hellish red
They're only good when dead
They're vermin, as I said
And worse.
They're savages! Savages!
Barely even human. Savages! Savages!
Drive them from our shore!
They're not like you and me
Which means they must be evil.
We must sound the drums of war!

Works Cited 

Maslin, Janet. "Pocahontas (1995) FILM REVIEW; History as Buckskin-Clad Fairy Tale." The New York Times. 11 June 1995. 

Pewewardy, Ph.D, Cornel. "The Pocahontas Paradox: A Cautionary Tale For Educators." Journal of Navajo Education. December 1996. 

Brother Eagle, Sister Sky by Susan Jeffers

Brother Eagle, Sister Sky

Written and Illustrated by Susan Jeffers

Published 1991

This book was written to be based on a speech given by Chief Seattle at treaty negotiations in 1854.

The author however took liberties with the speech and misinterpreted the speech. 

The story is about Native Americans and portrays the people in a very stereotypical way. The author writes things like: 

"My father said to me, I know the sap that courses through the trees as I know the blood that flows in my veins, We are part of the earth and it is part of us. The perfumed flowers are our sisters."
(Jeffers, 9)

Chief Seattle was a well respected and peaceful leader of one of the Northwest Indian Nations there is much controversy about whether his speech was actually a speech or a letter. 

The earth does not belong to us Chief Seattle said, we belong to the earth and we must respect the earth. The books comes off as having a good message but to a Native American is the epitome of a stereotype of an Indian.

This books goes by the stereotype of what a Native American is. Page nine in the book depicts the Indians all dressed in standard buckskin and feathers and on the same page is a white family wearing modern day clothing. Another example is the book uses the term Red man when referring to the Native Americans.

Native Americans are always thought to be all natural and in tune with the earth this book focuses on that aspect.

In my opinion there are better books out that show a better, more well rounded portrayal of what being a Native American really is. Susan Jeffers the author is not of Native American descent.




Jeffers, Susan. Brother Eagle, Sister Sky. New York. Dial Books. 1991