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Worksheets"Museum Indians"
Total questions: 22
Worksheet time: 13mins
How is the woman in the painting similar & different from the author's mother? (2)
The woman in the painting is the author's mother.
Both are Native, proud, and maybe sad.
The author's mother wears modern clothes.
The author's mother belongs in Chicago now, not on the Plains.
What does the author's mother do every day?
Cleans
Tells stories
Cooks
Goes to the library
Which word means "essential?"
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petrified
shrouded
intrigues
disconcerting
Which word means "paralyzed with fear?"
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petrified
shrouded
intrigues
disconcerting
Which word means "wrapped?"
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petrified
shrouded
intrigues
disconcerting
Which word means "secrets?"
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shrouded
intrigues
disconcerting
Which word means "upsetting?"
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shrouded
intrigues
disconcerting
What do the author and her mother always do before leaving the museum?
Visit her great-grandmother's dress.
Pay respect to the little buffalo.
Talk about how the man playing guitar in the painting feels.
Protest the racist statue of the threatening Indian.
What is the snake in the dresser drawer?
One of the braids her mother cut off.
An actual snake that came off the Plains.
Her grandmother's braid, as a rememberance.
The whip that a white teacher used on her mother.
Why is the snake in the drawer?
Her mother keeps it to remind herself of who she used to be.
She believes her grandmother's spirit watches out for her.
It's quiet and dark in there.
To remind herself of what she overcame.
What complaint does Power's mother make about the statue of the Indian man at the Historical Society?
It only shows the White side of events.
It shows things that never happened.
She thinks the statues capture part of their spirits.
It doesn't belong in the history museum, because it still happens.
How does the statue contrast with the dress exhibit at the Art Institute?
It's treated with respect, along with recognized artists like Picasso.
It's just as racist because none of the mannequins have heads.
The information on the side downplays what the Native women designed.
It's just as one-sided, because it doesn't show White designers.
What is unique about Power's relationship to the buckskin dress?
Her great-grandmother made it.
Her mother made it as an alternative exhibit.
It's from an enemy tribe.
When she grows up, she gets to wear it.
How does her mother feel seeing the dress there?
She wishes the family would have kept it.
She's happy for this connection back to her family.
She wishes she could wear it.
It brings up bad memories from her past.
In what ways does her mother identify with the buffalo?
Neither of them belong in the city.
Both of them have been killed.
Neither of them look like they belong in Chicago.
Both of them were deeply respected before they came here.
What is the effect of her mother's complaints to the Historical Society?
The museum takes the racist exhibit down.
She gets banned from the museum.
They add more information on the side so that at least the description is fair.
They add another exhibit that shows the Native perspective.
How is Power different from her mother?
their love of stories
their comfort with the city
their respect for the past
their rage against injustice
What does the final paragraph tell you about the relationship between the writer and her mother and their relationship with the city?
In spite of their differences, home is wherever they both are.
They will never both feel at home in the city, although they love each other.
Their differences are too big, and eventually will drive them apart.
Susan Power resents her mom now, for being so much stronger.
How did Power's mother influence her as a writer? (2)
She learned to love stories and connect with the past.
She learned that stubborn words can change injustice.
She only talks about things that make her angry.
She only talks about the past because she doesn't like modern times.
Why does Power say she isn't a traditional storyteller?
She was too shy.
She doesn't have the same kind of audience.
Traditional storytellers can't make a living.
She doesn't like even listening to old storytellers.
What life experiences contributed to her decision to become a writer? (3)
Hearing traditional Native American stories
Reading children's books & Shakespeare
She didn't see someone like herself in books
She won a writing competition
How do the dual influences of her childhood show up in her writing?
She talks about Native themes in English words.
She writes her people's myths in books.
She has Dakota and Christian religious beliefs in her stories.
Her stories are set on the reservation and show modern American Indian life.
