I have some great Navajo crafts for kids for you starting with a tutorial on how to make a medicine bag. You’ll also love my page Native American Unit Study for Kids Who Love Hands-on Learning.
Medicine bags were made from leather. For example, they used buckskin from deer, elk, or buffalo and stitched together with sinew or rawhide lace.
However, we are going to modify it a bit for simplicity and to keep our craft affordable.
Also called a medicine bundle, a medicine pouch is a traditional Native American bag for various items that have totemic, spiritual, or supernatural power.
The Navajo word for medicine pouch is- jish.
Additionally, the Navajo Indians, also known as the Diné, are the largest Native American tribe in the United States.
They live on the Navajo Nation, a vast reservation that spans parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.
Besides, the Navajo people have a rich culture and history that dates back centuries.
Next, look at some of these fun books.
BOOKS ABOUT THE NAVAJO FOR KIDS
8 Books about the Navajo Past and Present for Kids
Add one or two of these books to your reading day or home library.
Coyote encounters Rabbit, Fawn's Stars, Crow, Snake, Skunk Woman, and Horned Toad in these 6 delightful, English-language adaptations of traditional Navajo Coyote stories collected by anthropologist William Morgan and translated by him and linguist Robert W. Young.
In this powerful novel based on historical events, the Navajo tribe's forced march from their homeland to Fort Sumner is dramatically and courageously narrated by young Bright Morning.
Like the author's Newbery Medal-winning classic Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O'Dell's Sing Down the Moon is a gripping tale of survival, strength, and courage.
Describes the simple life among Navajo's today-caring for sheep, weaving blankets and making jewelry and an Indian child passionately rejects white society and its ways and wants to belong only to her own tribal group.
Throughout World War II, in the conflict fought against Japan, Navajo code talkers were a crucial part of the U.S. effort, sending messages back and forth in an unbreakable code that used their native language. They braved some of the heaviest fighting of the war, and with their code, they saved countless American lives. Yet their story remained classified for more than twenty years. But now Joseph Bruchac brings their stories to life for young adults through the riveting fictional tale of Ned Begay, a sixteen-year-old Navajo boy who becomes a code talker. His grueling journey is eye-opening and inspiring.
Underneath the New Mexico sky, a Navajo boy named Cody finds that his family's barrels of water are empty. He checks the chicken coop-- nothing. He walks down the road to the horses' watering hole. Dry. Meanwhile, a few miles away, Darlene Arviso drives a school bus and picks up students for school. After dropping them off, she heads to another job: she drives her big yellow tanker truck to the water tower, fills it with three thousand gallons of water, and returns to the reservation, bringing water to Cody's family, and many, many others. Here is the incredible and inspiring true story of a Native American woman who continuously gives back to her community and celebrates her people.
Native American Studies, Cultural Studies
Jaclyn Roessel live in Kayenta, Arizona, on the Navajo reservation. Like most young girls, Jaclyn has many interests. She likes her math class, she plays basketball and volleyball, and she loves in-line skating. She is also interested in rug weaving, and she has asked her grandmother to teach her how to weave. For the Navajos, weaving is more than a craft or hobby. It is an important part of the culture and history of the Dine―the people. Jaclyn's grandmother has explained that she wants Jaclyn to learn not just the technique of weaving but the stories and songs that go along with it. These stories about Spider Woman and Changing Woman have been passed down from generation to generation. In Songs from the Loom, photographer and writer Monty Roessel accompanies Jaclyn and her grandmother as they shear sheep, gather plants to dye wool, and weave a rug. Navajo rugs are highly valued and hang in museums around the world. This book looks at what the beautiful rugs mean to the Navajos.
As one of the latest editions to the Dear America series, this tale provides the first-hand account of a Navajo girl who, along with her family and friends, endured the hardships of the Long Walk in an effort to survive and reach her final destination.
But before we get onto our crafts and resources here is some good information to share about the past and present-day Navajo people.
ALL ABOUT THE NAVAJO PEOPLE OF PAST AND PRESENT
Navajo History
The Navajo people are believed to have originated in the Southwest around 1,500 years ago.
They were originally nomadic people who hunted, gathered, and farmed.
Over time, they developed a complex society with a strong oral tradition and a deep connection to the land.
They were believed to have settled in the Four Corners region of the southwestern United States, which includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado.
Another idea is to have your child locate this area on a map.
Navajo Culture
The Navajo people have a rich culture that is based on their traditions and beliefs.
They are known for their beautiful arts and crafts, including weaving, pottery, and jewelry making.
They also have a strong oral tradition, and their stories and legends have been passed down from generation to generation.
The Long Walk
In the 1860s, the Navajo people were forced to leave their homeland.
They walked over 300 miles to a reservation in New Mexico.
This journey, known as the Long Walk, was a difficult time for the Navajo people. Many died along the way. Those who survived were forced to live in harsh conditions on the reservation.
The Navajo Nation Today
Today, the Navajo Nation is a thriving community with over 170,000 members. The Navajo people have worked hard to preserve their culture and traditions, and they have also made great strides in education and economic development.
The Navajo people have a strong oral tradition.
And their stories and legends have been passed down from generation to generation.
They have overcome many challenges, and they continue to thrive today. The Navajo people are an important part of the American story, and their contributions to our country are immeasurable.
FUN FACTS ABOUT THE NAVAJO INDIANS
The Navajo Code Talkers were a group of Navajo soldiers who used their native language to send secret messages during World War II.
- The Navajo call their traditional homelands Dinétah, which means “among the People”.
- The Navajo Nation is the largest Native American reservation in the United States today.
- They primarily made their home in a Hogan. It was built from wooden poles, tree bark, and mud. They were typically octagonal or hexagonal in shape, with a conical roof made from mud or clay. The door faced east towards the sun.
- The Navajo language is the most spoken Native American language in the United States.
- The Navajo people are known for their beautiful arts and crafts, including weaving, pottery, and jewelry making.
EXCITING NAVAJO CRAFTS FOR KIDS
- Make this Navajo Fry Bread recipe and have a taste of a staple menu item of their traditional diet.
- Check out my Free Navajo Code Talkers Worksheet and How to Make Dog Tags Activity.
- Navajo Ribbon Weaving
- To go along with your crafts use this Native American Unit Study to cover many different areas and tribes.
- Try Navajo Sand Painting for kids as a unique history/art lesson.
HOW TO MAKE A MEDICINE BAG
You will need:
- Felt
- Twine or cording
- beads
- Scissors
- Hot glue gun/sticks
- needle and thread
First, fold a piece of brown felt in half and cut out a large pocket shape from both pieces at the same time so that they match up.
Cut small openings along the top edge of both pocket halves, this is where you will thread your drawstring.
Cut a strip off the scraps (or use a new piece) the same length as the base of your bag, cut strips all the way across not quite cutting through to create a fringe.
Hot glue the fringe across the bottom of one side of the pocket and set aside.
Take the other half of the pocket and run a needle that has been threaded and knotted through one side of the pocket.
Knot it wherever you would like your beading to start.
Run it through and slide beads in any pattern you like over the needle.
When you are satisfied with your design run the needle back through to the first side.
Drop down and repeat as many lines as you like.
Hot glue the two sides together, stopping the glue just before the top edge where your cording will go.
Start threading your cording at the ‘back’ of the bag going both ways, in and out all the way around to the front.
Cut off excess cord, leaving enough to tighten the bag and cinch it.
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