Anasazi Workshop and Freedom Quilt, by Charron Mason

Charron Mason

History 2700

Service Learning Project

November 29, 2001

Title of Project: Anasazi Workshop

The Anasazi tribe used to occupy the lands of the four corners. Most people have heard of the Anasazi, but they don’t really know what kind of lives they lived. The Anasazi, a navajo word meaning "ancient ones," were cliff dwellers, living high in the mountains where present day Mesa Verde National Park is located. My objective for this Service Learning Project was to provide a fun experience in order for teenagers to learn about interesting facts.

The Anasazi were Native American people who occupied the southwest of Colorado and the northwest of New Mexico. They hunted and grew items such as corn, squash, and beans. The developed dams and irrigation systems. They developed a form of masonry where they made bricks and stone. They built kivas in which they reserved for meetings and as religious sites. Kivas were circular rooms going down below the walking level of the ground. In 1300 A.D. the Anasazi people disappeared without a trace. They left all their belongings including clothes and pottery as if they were soon coming back. No one knows exactly what happened to the Anasazi people, but they left a legacy we can still learn about today.

Intended Audiences: On October 19, 2001 I substituted at Oquirrh Hills Middle School in Riverton, Utah. I used this as my opportunity to talk to the students about the Anasazi and ask if there were any more interested. I taught a ninth grade geography class for 6 periods. At the end of each class for about 10 minutes I told them the story of the Anasazi Indians. I told the students if there was any questions or if anyone was more interested then to come and see me after class. In second, fourth, fifth, and sixth periods a few students came to talk to me. By the end of the day I had about 12 wanting to go on a Learning Adventure to Mesa Verde National Park. I also cornered my brother and told him about the Anasazi Indians. He didn’t seem all that enthused until I mention a trip to Mesa Verde. He rounded up his friends and they were all excited to go. All together we had almost 25 people ready to go on the biggest adventure I had yet to tackle.

Local contact persons or agencies: After gathering together the interested students to embark on this trip I talked to my dad to make sure I was telling the kids the right information. My dad was a forest fighter in the summers of 1968,69,70, and 71 in this awesome national park. He knows Mesa Verde like the back of his hand. His dad was also a forest ranger there for 25 years of his life. This became a family event as well. My family wanted to come on our field trip because of our ties with Mesa Verde. After conversing with my dad on the facts of the Anasazi and Mesa Verde I was ready to make the trip. We were going to stay in the backyard of my uncle who lived in Monticello, about an hour away from the entrance to Mesa Verde.

Workload and tasks to fulfill the project: We decided to make the attempt to Mesa Verde on the first weekend of November. I was afraid the weather might be bad by then, but we were going to risk it. My mom graciously donated snacks and food to provide for the students as we traveled and while we were there. As the day grew nearer my numbers started to dwindle. The students I had recruited over at the school one by one called to say that something had come up. My brother however was not that lucky. He couldn’t get out of it now. Actually he and his friends were still very excited to go. I was highly disappointed when the others cancelled. This was not turning out at all how I wanted it to or how I had planned.

When we got to Monticello we went to bed early to be ready for the next day. The final number that ended up coming were 4 girls from the school, Brittany, Teddi, Leslie, and Chelsea. My brother Richard and his four friends were there, Nick, Carson, Weston, and Paul. My mom and dad were also there, as were my two roommates Shaylin and Synthia. We arrived at the park entrance at about ten and decided to start out on the Spruce Tree Trail. It was not too strenuous of a hike and we had an excellent tour guide, my dad. The boys said we were too slow so they walked ahead of us. I asked the girls questions and told them we’d have a quiz after, although I was kidding. The ruins were spectacular. I had forgotten how amazing those cliff dwellings are. I was quite impressed yet again, as were the four girls. The boys too were impressed, but they were more impressed by how high up in the cliffs we actually were instead of realizing that people once actually live there.

After that we going to go on a hike where there was a 32 foot ladder you had to climb, but Brittany was afraid of heights and didn’t want to do it. Then all of "my" students decided they were through looking and wanted to leave. Beings I wasn’t their mom I couldn’t force them to stay. I tried to convince them to keep learning and to walk on a few more hikes, but they refused. This was where I lost my motivation. We went back to my Uncle’s house and returned home the next day.

Overall this project was fun, but it didn’t turn out at all like I wanted it too. I wish I could have found a way to keep the students motivated. I failed in that aspect. I am sure they did grasp a little better understanding of the Anasazi people, but I feel they could have used a better appreciation. I thought that the ruins and the history speak for themselves.

Connections to other service-learning projects in history:

Another possible project would be to visit other Indian Ruins and studying their culture and way of life. Or you could plan a trip to another national park to appreciate what Theodore Roosevelt did when he made forest reserves into National Forests.

People:

Rick Mason - teacher at East High School, Salt Lake City, UT

# (801) 583-1661 ext 3220

Dr. James Vlasich - Professor of Indian History Southern Utah University

# (435) 586-5456

Websites:

1. http://odur.let.rug.nl/`usa

2. http://sipapu.gsu.edu

3. www.swcolo.org/tourism/archaeology/MesaVerde.html

4. www.nps.gov.meve/ppjtm/camping.html

5. www.nps.gov.meve/mvnp/smvf/pl.htm

6. www.seanet.com/`devans/mesaverde/html

Title of Project: The Freedom Quilt

The antebellum South was a hard life for black slaves. They were forced to work in the rudest conditions. "Sweet Clara" was one of these slaves. Sweet Clara is a story about how black Americans made quilts and used them as maps in order to find their way to freedom. Although fictional, Sweet Clara is based on the oral histories that have existed since that time period. Clara lives on the Home Plantation. She was separated from her mother before she was twelve years old. Her mother lived on the North plantation. Clara’s aunt (though not by blood) Rachel taught her to become a seamstress. Clara moved from working out in the fields to being in the "big house." She wanted to find a way to the Ohio River where she would be able to find the Underground Railroad that would lead her to Canada and to her freedom. Clara didn’t know how to get there, she needed a map.

Clara discovered that if she took pieces of cloth and stitched them together in a precise pattern they would become landmarks giving her a map. She gathered all the information she could from travelers and drivers without giving away what she was doing. Every time she received new information she was able to sew it onto her quilt. After months, even years of working on her quilt it was finally complete. She told her aunt Rachel she was leaving. Rachel was too sick and weak to make the journey. Clara left with her friend Young Jack. Clara had the map memorized so she left the quilt with her aunt Rachel so she could share it with other slaves who wanted to make their way to freedom.

Clara and Jack head for the North plantation to get her mother and her sister she didn’t know she had. They joined the journey and eventually made it to the Ohio River. Clara followed the path that others had told her about. She said it was like walking through a dream she had already had. She watched for landmarks and kept on the trail. When they reached the Ohio River they crossed on a small boat left there by the Underground Railroad. They made their way to Canada and they were free.

Other black Americans were then able to use this quilt to make their way to the Underground Railroad and to their freedom. Some told Clara about their journey and how they had used the map on the quilt that she had left. Most that Clara knew were too scared to leave their plantation out of fear of what would happen if they were caught.

This is one story of a girl who gained her freedom. There are others like those of Linda Brent and Frederick Douglas who gained freedom. These were actual people and you can read their auto-biographies to hear their whole story from their own mouths. They are the stories that tell a history prior to the Civil War. Stories like those of "Sweet Clara" are the ones that often go untold. These stories are those of heroism and courage.

Intended audience: Every Thanksgiving and Christmas I hold a neighborhood daycare activity. I used to be known as the "neighborhood babysitter" up until I came to college. I love little kids and I love to teach them. Since I have been away at college I have missed these kids so we started a tradition of a neighborhood daycare activity. This year as I was debating what activity I would be able to do with the kids I came across a book called Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson. I thought it would be great to teach these children about slave life and what these Americans went through. That is what I decided to do. Then as the idea developed I realized the possibilities it held. We could make a quilt and donate it to the homeless.

The children in my neighborhood consisted eight children of whom would be joining in with me. Their names and ages are as follows: Libby 7, Summer 6, Dallin 3, Hannah 3, Michael 9, Roger 9, Kayla 7, Scott 8. Also there were my two roommates Shay 22, and Synth 18, and my brother Adam 13.

I received more information on the Freedom quilts from a teacher at Monte Vista Elementary School in South Jordan, UT named Jennifer Edwards.

Explanation of workload and tasks required to fulfill project:

On Friday November 23, 2001 these children came to my house at 10:00 for what I hoped to be an interesting, fun, and knowledge filled activity. I was excited to teach these young kids about the way slaves lived back in the 1850's. I started off by telling them about what slavery was. There is always a controversy if a child is too young to learn information regarding any violence, but I feel confident I didn’t offend any parents and told them the truth about life as a slave to the best of my ability. I didn’t place blame on white Americans I just told these children what slaves did in their daily lives.

We then read the picture book story of Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt. The children were intrigued and I was feeling great about their excitement to learn. After the story we talked about what Clara did in order to find her freedom. I gave them each pieces of cloth and material and told them to arrange them into a picture. They could arrange it as a picture of themselves or of their house or their dog or whatever they wanted to do.

Our next activity in connection with this subject was building a map. Dallin and Hannah were the only ones too young to understand what a map really was, but they enjoyed the activity just the same. I gave each child a bowl of candy. There was pull and peel licorice, m&m’s, twix, starbursts, sour patch kids, and green laffy taffy. They were also given a piece of wax paper that become their map. They were to construct their map with different land marks around their house. It was like making a Gingerbread House, only better! They giggled and laughed as they made licorice into roads, starbursts into bushes, and sourpatch kids into themselves. It was a great learning experience. While they were doing this I reminded them that this is what Clara did with her pieces of cloth in order to build her map into a quilt.

I then told the kids were going to be able to make our own quilt and then give it to someone who needed to use it. For practice we were going to make our own quilt squares on pieces of cardboard. I passed out the cardboard and markers. They marked away at what they wanted their quilt square to be. This was a fun activity to be able to create something of their own using a unique medium. I kept the cardboard squares to turn in with this project.

Next I gave each child a 10 inches by 12 inches squar piece of white fabric. This was to be their final quilt piece that would be stitched into the quilt. I gave each child a permanent ink marker and they began their masterful work. When each child was done I gathered the markers and the fabric.

Next we all sat down in a circle on the carpet in the living room. I asked them specific questions about Clara and her quilt. We talked about life as a slave. We talked about how they would sing in the fields as they worked. I then talked to them briefly about racism. I didn’t tell them what it was or why it happened. I just stressed the importance that it doesn’t matter what someone looks like on the outside it is what is on the inside that counts. I told them to never dislike someone or treat someone horribly because of the way they look. I then filled them in on my plans to donate the quilt we were making to someone who was less fortunate than us.

I taught them all a song called "Chicken" that I had learned at girls camp. We sang it while we clean up the markers, the cardboard, and the rest of the candy. This gave them the opportunity for real life application, although not implying that they will ever know what it is like to live as a slave.

At 2:00 the children all went home and I began work to stitch the creatively made quilt blocks together. I stitched blue and yellow pieces in between the blocks. It made a very interesting blanket. My mom then helped me to tie the quilt with orange yarn to give it a little flare. My mom finished binding it (since I had no clue how to do that part).

We are now going to take the quilt to a homeless shelter closer to Christmas time. Although this quilt may not have the same meaning to who receives it, it will always have meaning to us. It taught us a small bit of what some slaves went through. We were able to learn about their life and the contribution that "Sweet Clara" made to her family, her fellow slaves, and herself. I am sure that the person who gets this piece of history will appreciate it. We were also able to learn the great feeling of giving to someone else. I asked the children what they thought of the idea of being able to help someone. They all said it made them happy, although they didn’t understand the full meaning. It did make us happy; to learn and to give.

This was one of the best experiences of my life. I had so much fun preparing, reading, and anticipating this project. It turned out the be exactly what I had expected. I was able to teach young kids which is a dream of mine and together we were all able to learn new things and acquire new knowledge. We were able to give of ourselves. Not to mention it was a whole lot of fun. I would recommend this activity to any teacher or daycare provider any day.

Connections to other service learning projects in history: Any school teacher would be able to do this activity. Instead of giving children pieces of quilting blocks they could make a one piece quilt, have it tied, and bound and then let each of the children sign their name in order to leave their mark. Then it could be donated to any shelter. All of the same principles still apply and the lessons would still work.

With older aged children you could go into more detail about the Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman. This would make the project even more intriguing.

Technology-related sources or applications:

There are videos from PBS about the civil war that would applicable to this project. (For example the one we watched in class would be applicable.)

People:

Jennifer Edwards: 3^rd grade ALPS teacher; Monte Vista Elementary School, South Jordan, UT.

#254-8040

Joy Ellen Mason: 3^rd grade teacher Monte Vista Elementary

# 254-8040

Jeanie Mulliner

Service Learning Coordinator and Prevention Advisor

Jordan School District, Sandy, UT

David Leahy

dleahy@connectingstudents.com