http://www.indigenouspeople.net/poetry1.htm
This website has links to a a variety of poetry from different Indigenous people and tribes. One of the links is called a teacher cyberguide. There you can find information about how you could use the poems and resources to structure a lesson or unit. I think poetry is a very important form of literature. It is subtle and thought provoking. It is often written much more methodically, instilling a great deal of passion and heart. Challenging students to create poetry is a great way to have them express deep and meaningful feelings. There is something inherent to poetry that makes those messages come out. This is also a great resource because it contains traditional poems form a variety of Indigenous peoples. Oral traditions are beautiful but sadly fleeting. As we have learned, there are many Indigenous students who are taught lessons from their elders. They may share poems such as the ones archived here, so it is good that they are preserved. This is one way to see how traditions and the digital age mesh together.