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March 25, 2004Students try living life like it's 1625 Record-Eagle/John L. Russell Elementary students from Lake Leelanau St. Mary’s learned about American Indian life in the year 1625 at the Leelanau Historical Museum, where they built a birch bark wigwam. They make a wigwam and rope using barkBY IAN C. STOREYRecord-Eagle staff writer LELAND - Grant Smith couldn't have been happier tying himself into knots at the Leelanau Historical Museum. The third-grader from St. Mary's School in Lake Leelanau spent part of Wednesday afternoon learning to make rope from cedar bark during a school field trip at the museum for Woodland Heritage Days, a walk back in time to life in the area during 1625. "It is easy," said Grant, holding up his nearly finished foot-long bark braid. "I am going to use this for the pot I made in class. I am going to make holes in it and this is going to be a handle." The third- through fifth-grade students had a hands on experience of building a wigwam, making rope from bark, and learning about the use of plants and animals for food and medicine. The field trip is the final stage in a winter learning program conducted by the Leelanau Historical Society and director John Mitchell. He's teaching school children about Michigan history and American Indian traditions. During Mitchell's visits to St. Mary's, Glen Lake, Northport and Interlochen Pathfinder School, students were required to write short stories about historical topics of 1625 that were collected for each school. "This is the final day that we are now presenting in reality what we have been talking to the kids about, to put images in their head in real life as to how these things were done," Mitchell said. The children heard from Traverse City resident John Bailey, an Odawa Indian and member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. Adorned in American Indian winter clothing of the time, including an otter pelt hat, Bailey discussed what American Indian life was like during 1625. "We talked about how each day began and what each of the young children their age had for responsibilities," he said. "Often, they did all of the 'gopher' type work and as they grew up learned other skills from those older than them, like making rope." Christina Rennie, 9, used a sharpened deer antler to punch holes in the highly-waterproof birch bark that serves as the skin of the winter wigwam students worked on with Mitchell. With a little urging for "muscle" power from Mitchell, Christina was able to make a perfect punch through bark and string through the rope made from black ash. From there, classmate Hendrix Kohler tied the bark to the structure's ribs. The wigwam, a small winter version just 6 feet, 8 inches in diameter that could house up to a family of four, will be part of the museum's display for the next two years.
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