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Paleontology & Indigenous Science

6-8th Grade Social Studies, Indigenous Studies, Geography, Earth Science

Content Topics

  • Montana History 
  • Native American Studies
  • Paleontology
  • Indigenous Science

Duration ~1.5 hours

Objective: 

Students will gain a better insight into the tribal nations of Montana and their relationships with the fossils on their land.

Overview and Purpose:

The Indigenous perspective has continuously been disregarded and even mocked. Despite these tribes having profound relationships with the lands they live on, many paleontologists of the early 20th century saw their own perspectives of the North American landscape as the zenith of scientific understanding. Native American people have interacted with and understood fossil’s importance for hundreds of years. Learning from these Indigenous stories will enrich the collective appreciation and understanding of paleontology.

Guiding Questions: 

  • What types of fossils can be found in Montana?
  • Why are there so many aquatic fossils in Montana?
  • How did Indigenous peoples interact with fossils?
  • What can we learn from Indigenous fossil stories?

Education Standards:

  • MS-LS4-1: Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumption that natural laws operate today as in the past.
  • MS-LS2-2: Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms
  • across multiple ecosystems.
  • MS-LS2-1: Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations or organisms in an ecosystem and analyze scientific concepts used by American Indians to maintain healthy relationships with environmental sources.
  • MS-LS2-3: Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.
  • MS-ESS2-2: Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth’s surface at varying time scales and spatial scales.
  • MS-ESS2-3: Analyze and interpret data on the distribution of fossils and rocks, continental shapes, and seafloor structures to provide evidence of the past plate motions.
  • SS.G.6-8.4: Explain how the environment and geographic features have affected people and how people have affected the environment throughout Montana, the United States, and the world
  • SS.H.6-8.5: Explain how Montana has changed over time and how this history impacts the present

Materials and Resources:

Local Resources:

Part 1 (45 Min)

Introduction/ Hook:

We may have heard of the emergence of paleontology as a respected field of science in the 1800 and 1900s but there were people interacting with fossils for hundreds of years before the term ‘paleontology’ was coined. 

Montana boasts an impressive fossil record with many charismatic species including Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, Mosasaurs, Pterosaurs and others. 

A question not too frequently asked is: what did the indigenous people of Montana think of the fossils they surely came across?

Presentation:

Begin slideshow and discuss the Montana maps

Montana tribes and names

  • This would be a good opportunity to focus on your local area and the tribes that live there

Montana geologic map

  • Again you can highlight your local area and the formations found there

Montana fossils map

Activity/Discussion: 

Montana fossil map with bright blue circles

  • Point out how many aquatic creatures there are in Montana
  • How does that make sense? 
  • Have students come up with as many hypotheses as possible to explain this phenomenon. (This can be done in groups or solo.)
  • Encourage students to write many ideas down even if they seem silly

Introduce the Western Interior Seaway

  • This is why there are so many aquatic fossils in Montana. There was a vast inland sea during the mid to late Cretaceous. 
  • Because of tectonic plate movement, land masses and seas will form and recede over millions of years. 
  • The geography of the past directly influences where we find fossils today

When we look at other maps of Montana, we can keep these paleontological maps in mind.

Tribal map overlaid with geologic map

  • What fossils might the local tribes have interacted with?

Indigenous Science

  • Examples of different types of relationships with fossils: Spiritual relationship (Medicine Pouch and Effigy), and Practical/Utilitarian relationship (Fossils made into tools), and Scientific relationship (which will be better addressed later in the lesson)

George Gaylord Simpson

  • How Indigenous people were treated in the world of paleontology

Discussion: 

  • Analyze Simpson’s quotes (This can be done in small groups or as a class)

Part 2 (40 Min)

Presentation:

  • Introduction of Lame Deer
  • Where he is from and the fossils he may have interacted with in South Dakota 
  • This may be a good time to quickly discuss Lame Deer’s name. Sometimes students may find the name funny because of western connotations of the word “Lame”. Indigenous names in English often lack cultural context and are often mistranslated. 

Activity:

Lame Deer Stories

Discussion:

  • Students can share their main take-aways
  • A large part of science is finding explanations for the world around us. How can we see this practice in the Lame Deer stories?
  • Where do we see Indigenous Science in the stories? (Direct observations, Making connections, Perceived patterns across vast cycles of space and time)
  • What established paleontological theories are Lame Deer confirming in these stories? (His landscape used to be covered by water - Western Interior Seaway, Ants collect fossils and paleontologists still utilize ant hills to find fossils, These large aquatic organisms lived and went extinct BEFORE humans appeared.)
  • How are fossils and rocks used in Lame Deer's spiritual practices?

Part 3 (Min 45)

Presentation:

  • Introduction of the Blackfeet Tribe geographically
  • Iniskim, Buffalo Stones: Baculites can be found in Cretaceous rock (Which makes up a lot of Blackfeet territory), Explanation of the iniskim stones (Uses, hunting, etc.)
  • Humans have been into decorating for thousands of years, we can't seem to help ourselves. Whether for spiritual, practical, or purely aesthetic reasons, humans can look at a rock and see something more. 

Activity:

  • Print out Baculites outlines (Iniskim (1), Iniskim (2))
  • Hand out outlines and coloring utensils 
  • Prompt students to use their imaginations to make the baculites fossil into something else.