1a. To whom is "Song of the Sky Loom" addressed? How do the speakers name themselves?
2a. What elements of nature are described in the poem?
3a. What relationship does the song suggest exists between humans and the divine?
4a. Based on this song, what attitude do you think the Tewa people had toward their gods?
1b. What is the speakers' message? What do "we" offer, and what do "we" ask in return?
2b. What role does each element of nature play in the tapestry woven by Mother Earth and Father Sky? How are the elements linked to one another?
3b. What is the central comparison in "Song of the Sky Loom"?
4b. How do you think the Tewa people expected their gods to respond to this prayer song?
Metaphor. What are the tenor and vehicle of the central metaphor in the "Song of the Sky Loom"? What is the "garment of brightness"?
Myth. What mythical elements appear in "Song of the Sky Loom"? What can you infer about Tewa religious beliefs and practices based on this poem?
1. Imagine that you are helping a friend to understand "Song of the Sky Loom." Rewrite a prose retelling of the song using informal language.
2. Write this prayer song in the form of a personal letter addressed to Mother Earth and Father Sky.
3. A hymn is a song of praise or thanksgiving. Imagine that you have been invited to speak at an Earth Day celebration in your community. Write a brief hymn praising or offering thanks for some aspect of the natural world. Model your hymn on "Song of the Sky Loom," using parallelism and unrhymed lines to express your thoughts and feelings. To gather ideas, try creating a cluster chart or sensory detail chart. Refer to the Language Arts Survey 2.13, "Clustering," and 2.18, "Sensory Details Charts."
1. What interjections are used in the first and last lines of this poem? What nouns of direct address do you find in the same lines?
2. Identify the nouns in lines 5-8.
3. Identify the verbs throughout the poem. Which verbs express state of being? Which verbs express action? (For more information, see the Language Arts Survey 3.60, "Action Verbs and State of Being Verbs.")
4. Identify the modifiers throughout the poem. What words do these modifiers modify? Are the modifiers adjectives or adverbs?
5. Which prepositions serve as linkers? Where do they occur in the poem?
Early Native American Art and Architecture. Research the early Native American art and architecture of one of the following cultural groups of North, Central, or South America: • the Penobscot, Algonquin, Iroquois, Ojibway, or Delaware (eastern North America) • the Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Alabama, Choctaw, Apalachee, Timucua, or Catawba (southeastern United States) • the Blackfoot, Crow, Sioux, Cheyenne, Pawnee, Arapaho, Kiowa, or Comanche (western plains of North America) • the Anasazi, Hopi, Navaho, Apache, Zuni, or Pima (southwestern North America) • the Coast Salish or Wenatchee (northwestern coast of North America) • the Olmec, Aztec, or Maya (Mexico and Central America) • the Inca, Chimœ, or Nazca (South America)
Early Native American Art and Architecture
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