AUDIENCE
PARTICIPATION
Little Bear And The Wolf
Viking
Council
Divide the group into four
smaller groups. Assign each group one of the names below. Read the story
pausing at each key word to allow the appropriate group to make the proper
response.
Little Bear - "Life's rough"
Wolf – Howl
Beaver – Slap thighs with hands to simulate the beaver
slapping his tail on the ground.
Little Bear lived
with his tribe of Apache Indians in eastern Arizona. He had grown up on
the reservation and was the son of the Chief. However, Little Bear was
the youngest son. And among the Indians this did not mean much.
Little Bear would still have to prove himself.
When Little Bear
turned six years old he was old enough to go to Fort Thomas with the other
Indian children to attend school. This meant getting up early to catch the
school bus and riding for almost an hour with the other Indian children
to reach the school. This was usually when the trouble started. Because
Little Bear was small for his age some of the bigger Indian
children would tease him. It was all Little Bear could do to keep the
tears from falling. At school it wasn't much better and Little Bear
often found himself gazing out the school window to the east at Mt. Graham.
One day during morning
recess the Indians were especially rough on him, calling him Little
Geek and laughing. Little Bear had had enough. He left the school and
started running, running toward the mountain. It took some time to reach the
foothills, but Little Bear kept on going, climbing higher and higher.
It was then that he realized that something was following him in the woods. He
began to watch more closely. There it was! It was a wolf. The wolf
followed Little Bear all the way to the top. Little Bear
sat down on the edge of Laurel Lake by the beaver lodge. The wolf
sat off a little ways in the woods. Little Bear did not know
what to think about that wolf. Just then, a beaver poked his head out
of the lake. "You must be an Indian of high station," said the
beaver. "Why is that?" asked Little Bear "Because," the beaver
replied, "you are guarded by the wolf!"
It was well past dark when
Little Bear made it back to the school. The wolf had come with
him as far as the foothills. His parents were there to meet him. They were
busy organizing a search party. But from then on Little Bear was
different. He was no fun to tease and the other Indians soon gave it
up. And every time Little Bear started to lose his confidence he would
think of the beaver and the wolf and know he was special.
A Frontier Thanksgiving
Heart of America Council
Assign sections of the audience to stand
and shout the appropriate words and to pantomime the action as the leader
reads the story.
Settler:
Davy Crockett (Stand and Salute)
Gun:
Bang, Bang
(Two Parts - stand up and sit down)
Dog:
Mans Best Friend (Wag Arm)
Turkey:
Yum, Yum (Flap arms)
Cabin:
Shut the Door! (Slam door)
Frontier:
Way Out West (Spread arms)
Indian:
Geronimo (Pull Bow)
Thanksgiving: (Everyone pats Tummy)
Early one
THANKSGIVING morning many years ago on the old FRONTIER a
SETTLER stood before his lonely CABIN with his trusty GUN
and faithful DOG ready to hunt the TURKEY he needed for dinner
and hoping no INDIANS would spoil his feast. Whistling to his DOG,
the SETTLER shouldered his GUN and started down the forest
trail. Meantime an INDIAN also with a DOG approached down the
forest trail from the other direction. Just at that moment a fat TURKEY
flew between them. Off went the GUNS down fell the TURKEY in
bounded the DOGS up rushed the Indian... and the SETTLER. "It's
mine", claimed the SETTLER "Ugh - him mine", said the INDIAN. "Grr..
snarled the DOGS The noise of the argument shook the CABIN and
awoke the whole FRONTIER. But the TURKEY which was only stunned
by the blast of the GUNS took off unsteadily and flew in the open door
of the cabin where it was promptly captured by the INDIAN, the
SETTLER, and the DOGS. And thus, THANKSGIVING came to a
lonely cabin on the old FRONTIER.
