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Hilltop students get unique history lesson
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Three Feathers explained to the students at Hilltop Elementary School the importance of the white buffalo to Native Americans. He brought a white buffalo skull from his personal collection.
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Three Feathers, otherwise known as Bob Wilson and his wife Talking Woman, otherwise known as Patty, used Shawnee drums to demonstrate a healing ceremony with Hilltop Elementary School kindergarten teacher Julie Foutty.
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Three Feathers brought a large portion of his Native American artifact collection to Hilltop Elementary School Nov. 23.
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Three Feathers, otherwise known as Bob Wilson and his wife Talking Woman, otherwise known as Patty, shared their collection of Native American artifacts and knowledge of Native American history, myths, beliefs and customs with the students at Hilltop Elementary School Nov. 23.
By ABBY SLANKER
Just in time for Thanksgiving, students at Hilltop Elementary School got a lesson in Native American history, customs, myths and beliefs Nov. 23 from Three Feathers, otherwise known as Bob Wilson and his wife Talking Woman, otherwise known as Patty.
Their Indian names were given to them from their elders. Bob is of Cherokee and Shawnee descent and Patty is of Potawatomi descent.
Clad in the dress of Native Americans, called regalia, which is different from tribe to tribe, band to band and group to group, Three Feathers was dressed in a traditional ribbon shirt like the Woodland Indian. He also had a small pouch of tobacco around his neck, as it was sacred and was to be worn close to his heart. He also carried a medicine bag, which contained personal items and seeds he could plant so he would not go hungry.
Talking Woman was dressed in the Plains Indian regalia, which included a dress with geometric designs on it, bead work in specific designs and a shawl. She also carried a prayer feather.
Three Feathers brought with him a large display of animal pelts such as deer, rabbit, buffalo, bobcat, mink and beaver; animal skulls such as deer, muskrat, opossum, turtle, black bear, coyote, raccoon, fox and mule deer; deer antlers; Native American tools; musical instruments and a Mayan calendar, all from his personal collection.
He explained to the children that Native Americans used some of these items, mostly pelts and skin, to trade.
“I have been collecting Native American artifacts for close to 50 years. I have brought much of it here to share with the students, but I also have more items at home,” Three Feathers said.
Three Feathers explained to the students that Native Americans hold animals in the highest respect and believe the animals have spirits. The animal held in the absolute highest esteem is the buffalo, or tatanka. He showed the students a skull of a white buffalo that he had acquired for his collection.
Three Feathers told the students that Native Americans believe if you saw a white buffalo, you would never go hungry.
“The Native Americans had due respect for the buffalo and worshipped it and honored it by using every part of it,” he said.
In his collection, Three Feathers also had a dream catcher. He explained to the children that Native Americans believed if they hung a dream catcher in their abode, the small hole in the middle would let the good dreams through and the net around the hole caught all the bad dreams.
He also showed the students a traditional talking stick that Native Americans used to keep people quiet at a powwow.
“Teachers try to get this off of me when I speak at schools so they can use it in their classrooms,” Three Feathers said.
At the end of the assembly, Three Feathers and Talking Woman invited the students to get an up-close view of their Native American artifacts collection. As the children filed past the tables, Three Feathers provided some more detail about some of his items and answered questions.