DISTRICT 64 Teachings of the tribe
January 30, 2012 5:06PM
John Low of Park Ridge holds a container, left, made of birch bark and a piece of actual birch bark while speaking to Field School students about the Potawatomi Indians Jan. 27. Low is a member of the Potawatomi tribe. | Buzz Orr~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: January 31, 2012 1:19PM
Third-grade classes at Field School in Park Ridge learned about Native American history and culture first-hand when they were visited by Park Ridge resident John Low.
Low, who holds a doctorate in Native American studies and is an active member of the Potawatomi Indian Nation, was invited Jan. 27 to Field School, where he visited five classrooms to share pieces of Potawatomi artifacts and describe the tribe’s hunting history.
Low also shared the meaning behind the shirt of ribbons that he wore (the colors symbolized north, south, east and west) and he related a traditional folk tale told to him by his grandmother about how the birch tree got its bold, black stripes.
Low, a member of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indian Nation, holds a doctorate in Native American studies and is a professor at Northwestern University.
Each year Field’s third-grade classes study Native American history and customs, and Low’s visit supplemented the curriculum, said Assistant Principal Katie Kelly.
“We wanted them to learn about his tribe, the Potawatomi Indians, but in addition to that we wanted them to see how the Native Americans today still respect the traditions of their tribe while they live in a modern world,” Kelly said.
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