Wintercount: The First Americans

Young Audiences of New Jersey storyteller and historian, Les Genser will be providing his Native American workshop at Schuyler School on Thursday, February 28, 1997. This special presentation is be sponsored by the Schuyler School PTA.

Les Genser, who is of Native American descent, teaches young people about the First Americans. Inside his 23 foot tipi is a world of centuries away from today, where students can learn lore and life skills, hear stories and examine artifacts of the tribes of the Northern Plains and our own Northeastern Woodlands. Les begins his program with an introduction to the tipi: how it evolved;materials and construction;its suitability to nomadic culture. Les then relates life in the tipi to the life of Indian society; etiquette, and customs, the importance of family and the life of children; how tribal groups were organized and led. Les also teaches about the art and technology of the American Indians, stressing the use of art in utilitarian objects through the story of "How the Pipe Came to the People." Students visit the artifacts in Les' extensive collection of clothing, weapons, tools, ceremonial implements, musical instruments, and toys, as he answers their questions about the First Americans.