Teen FilmmakerLesson: Objective 3 (5.10) (E) use the text’s structure or

progression of ideas such as cause and effect or

chronology to locate and recall information Grade: 5 (TX)

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Camille Manybeads Tso, a young Navajo, made a film when she was just 13 as her 8th grade project.

Today’s lesson is about this teen marvel, which you will enjoy reading. The lesson also contains useful information about Navajos

and a Navajo legend.

The lesson will teach you to use the text’s structure or

progression of ideas such as cause and effect or chronology to locate and recall information.

Introduction

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1. Camille had grown up listening to the stories about her family's history; but she did not always pay attention. She heard about the story of her great-great-great-grandmother; but she didn't realize that it was that close to her. She thought, it had happened a long time ago, so it didn’t really matter. It all seemed very distant from her life.

2. Camille was home-schooled for eighth grade. Her mother gave her an assignment to interview her grandmother—an oral-history report. Her grandmother told her the story, and it just stuck with her. It was about Camille's great-great-great-grandmother, a Navajo warrior known as Yellow Woman.

3. In the 1860s, Yellow Woman was one of the many Navajos who were forced to leave their land in Arizona. They traveled hundreds of miles on foot to New Mexico. Yellow Woman survived, but many people did not. She was able to return home. She raised her kids to be prepared in case that happened again.

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4. Camille was 13, when something about the story sparked an interest in her life. She decided to make a movie about it. She convinced her family members to help by acting, singing and making costumes.

5. First she did many interviews to learn about what happened. Her dad translated all of the things that she didn't know in Navajo. (Her grandmother speaks mainly Navajo.) She started writing a script. After seven drafts of the script, she started trying to get her cousins to help her out with the film.

6. She also took a lot of interest in choosing the wardrobe items for the film. She did a lot of research on that era. She looked through pictures of the Long Walk. She saw dresses with flowers and paint, and feathered headdresses.  For the dresses for the main character and her sister, she went to a fabric store, found burlap* sacks, painted them and put them on.

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7. The film shows how young Navajo women, with their babies, were constantly on the run from the Calvary in the 1860s, hiding in the caves and rocks of Black Mesa. They were driven at gunpoint across the swift Rio Grande. Babies and elderly were swept away.

8. The film is titled "In the Footsteps of Yellow Woman" and is a 26 minute documentary film. The first screening was at the Infoshop, which is the community center where she lived. They had to do two screenings because the room was so packed. They showed it to 60 or 70 people that night. Then it started going to film festivals. It has been shown in more than 30 film festivals. It won nine awards.

9. She really was surprised by the response. She had hoped that people would like it. After film festivals people started wanting to show it at their school. Camille, who is now 15, feels very close to Yellow Woman even though she has never met her.

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Check Your Understanding1. What was the reason Camille was not interested in the stories

of her great-great-great-grandmother earlier?

a. she was much too youngb. she did not understand the Navajo language c. it had happened a long time ago, so it seemed very distant d. she thought it was a waste of time

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Check Your Understanding2. How old was Camille when she developed an interest in the

stories?

a. she was 15b. she was 13c. she was 12d. she was 9

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Check Your Understanding3. What was it that led Camille to develop an interest in the

stories of Yellow Woman?

a. a particular incident that proved Yellow Woman could tame horses

b. a battle that proved Yellow Woman was a skilled fighterc. an incident in which she fought off a wolf d. just something in the story that clicked and stuck on

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Check Your Understanding4. Recall the steps Camille took towards making the film and put

them in their correct order.

a. her dad translated all the things that she didn’t know b. she started writing the script; seven drafts were required c. she did many interviews to learn what had happened

d. she started trying to get her cousins to help her out with the film

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Check Your Understanding5. Camille did a lot of research on dresses; she saw dresses with

flowers and paint, and feathered headdresses. What did she do to match these?

a. she went to a fabric store, found burlap sacks, and painted them b. she found some old silk cloth, and stitched them c. she found yards and yards of cotton cloth, and designed them d. she purchased some old gowns and decorated them with lace and

ribbon flowers

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Check Your Understanding6. What was the reason for the film being screened twice at

their community center?

Because: a. people could not understand it the first timeb. people were really keen for more information and kept

interrupting with questions c. the projector broke down the first time

d. the room was packed to capacity

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Check Your Understanding7. The initial screening of the film was held at the community

center. At which two of these places also was the film shown afterwards?

a. at many film festivalsb. on all the television channels c. in all the schoolsd. in horse riding academies

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Feature # 2 – Navajo Indians1. Navajo, or Dine—as they call themselves—is the largest tribe

of North American Indians.  Long ago, their ancestors lived in Northwestern Canada and Alaska.  Over 1,000 years ago they began to travel south and reached the southwestern United States. 

2. They met farmers who are known as Pueblo Indians, and the Navajo began to settle near them and learn from them.  The Navajo learned how to plant corn, beans, squash, and melons.  The Navajo also began to learn a similar style of weaving, making clothing and art from the Pueblo Indians.

3. The Navajo Indians lived in homes called hogans.  They are made from wooden poles, tree bark, and mud.  The doorway opened to the east so they could welcome the sun. After the Spanish settled in the 1600’s, the Navajo began to steal sheep and horses from them.  The Navajo started to use the animals in their daily life. 

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Feature # 2 – Navajo Indians 4. They used the sheep for its wool to make clothes, blankets,

and rugs.  They also used the sheep for food.  They used the horses to travel longer distances and also used them to begin trading. The Navajo began making items to trade in towns.  There were also trading posts for selling their handmade crafts, such as pottery and blankets.

5. Their pottery was very pretty. It had symbols and signs to represent their ideas, beliefs, dreams, and visions.  Pottery was made for everyday use, including cooking, storage, bathing, and religious ceremonies.  They were painted and carved with designs that told a story.

6. All of these items mentioned above were ways for the Southwestern Native Americans to communicate their dreams, visions, and beliefs to each other or to people today.

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Check Your Understanding8. Why did the Navajo Indians have the doorway of their houses

open on the east?

a. it was the shortest and easiest routeb. so they could welcome the sunc. so they could spy the enemy comingd. they could keep a watch on their fields

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Check Your Understanding9. Navajo began to steal sheep and horses from them. To what

use did they put the sheep?

a. sheep hooves were used for medicineb. sheep horns were used for carrying water c. sheep were used for blankets, clothing and foodd. sheep liver was used to extract oil

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Check Your Understanding10. Fill in the blanks.

i. horses were used for…………………………………………………… (a) traveling longer distances and for trading / (b) stealing and

escaping.

ii. from the Peublo Indians, the Navajo learned…………………….

…………………………………………….. (a) jewelry making / (b)

similar ways of weaving and cloth making.

iii. their pottery was painted and designed ………………………….

………………………………………………..(a) to tell a story / (b) to indicate their caste and status.

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Feature # 3 – Coyote Creates Man: A Navajo Legend

1. In the beginning Great Grandfather Spirit had just finished creating the earth and all the animals, and he felt pleased with his creations.

After some time the animals began fighting with each other over which of them will be the leader of all the other animals.

2. Coyote was not into fighting. He asked Grandfather Spirit to make a man and a woman to rule over all the animals of the Earth. Grandfather Spirit loved the idea and went to work on the man and woman right away.

3. Grandfather Spirit was having a hard time coming up with an image to make man and woman. Coyote came to him to see how the creations were coming. When he saw Grandfather Spirit having trouble with man and woman, Coyote with all his magic, turned himself into a man. When the Creator saw this, he thanked Coyote and went to work on the man. He kept in mind the image Coyote showed him.

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Feature # 3 – Coyote Creates Man: A Navajo Legend4. Once he created man out of the earth, he blew life into man,

and man came to life. Grandfather Spirit told man that he will make man a mate. Grandfather Spirit started making an image that looked exactly like the man.

5. Coyote said, “No, no, no. Grandfather Man won't like a woman who looks like this. It looks like a man. Here is how a woman should look like." Then Coyote again changed himself into an image of a woman.

6. Grandfather Spirit studied this image and went to work on creating woman out of the earth. When done, the woman looked just like the image of the woman that Coyote showed the creator.

7. Grandfather Spirit then blew life into the woman; man and creator both said this was good. The Creator told man and woman that they were now the new leaders of the land and all the animals.

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Feature # 3 – Coyote Creates Man: A Navajo Legend8. The Creator also told them to treat the earth and all who dwell

on it like family because they all come from Mother Earth.

9. Grandfather Spirit thanked Coyote for his help. To show his thanks he gave Coyote more magical powers than any other animal.

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Check Your Understanding11. Fill in the blanks.

i. according to the legend, the earth and all the animals were created by …………………………………………………………… (a) Grandfather Spirit / (b) Great Grandfather Spirit / © God.

ii. the animals began fighting with each other because they all ..

………………………………………………………………………….. (a) wanted to be the leader of the animals / (b) wanted to be chosen as the most intelligent among them all / © wanted

to know who was the strongest among them.

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Check Your Understanding12. Coyote asked Grandfather Spirit to make a man and a

woman to rule over all the animals of the earth. What was the reason?

a. because Coyote thought he would be the chosen one to become

their leader b. because Coyote was not into fighting

c. because Coyote had magical powersd. because Coyote was the cleverest among them all

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Check Your Understanding13. According to the legend, which of the below represents the

order in which the creation cycle was done?

a. man; woman; earth; animals b. earth; animals; woman; manc. animals; earth; man; womand. earth; animals; man; woman

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Check Your Understanding14. When Grandfather Spirit was having trouble with the images

of man and woman, how did Coyote help out?

a. Coyote drew the images for him in the sand b. Coyote dressed up as a man and and then as a womanc. Coyote used his magic to turn himself into a man and a womand. Coyote carved and created the figures out of wood, grass and

leaves

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15. Put these sentences in their corrct order.

a. Grandfather Spirit created a woman, and blew life into herb. Grandfather Spirit told them to treat all the members who

dwelt on earth as familyc. Grandfather Spirit told them they were now leaders of the land

and all the animals d. Grandfather Spirit created a man, and blew life into him

Check Your Understanding

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16. Given below are a few effects. Choose the right causes.

i. the Creator was thankful because Coyote had been very …. ……………………………………….. (a) crafty / (b) helpful / © patient.

ii. Coyote said: Grandfather Man won't like a woman who looks

like this, because …………………………………………………… (a) it looked like a man / (b) it looked too frail / © it looked

ugly.

iii. the man and the woman had to treat all those who dwelt on the

earth like family because………………………………………………

(a) they were brothers and sisters / (b) they all came from Mother

Earth © they were weaker than them.

Check Your Understanding

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17. Given below are a few causes. Choose the right effects.

i. Great Grandfather Spirit was pleased in the beginning; he had

just finished creating ………………………………………………… (a) earth and all the animals / (b) man and woman

ii. Coyote was helpful; hence he was given …………………………

(a) extra brains /(b) extra magical powers.

Check Your Understanding

Summary

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Now you know, why, in many stories Coyote has the brains and can trick other animals.

This lesson will help you use the text’s structure or progression of ideas such as cause and effect or chronology to locate and recall information.

GREAT JOB TODAY!