56 Ancestors' Stories Book 2 was designed for 2nd-3rd grade students, but can be used for other ages. It lays the first foundation for being healthy equally physically, emotionally, spiritually, and the importance of developing life skills tools to develop their young minds and healthy self-esteem. One of the purposes of this Book 2 resource for teachers is to develop the vocabulary for these young ones as we have found they don't have the language to talk about or understand their spiritual and emotional bodies. We do this through lessons read to them (for the most part) and through stories, art, and other activities. But an important aspect of health for our young people is to have a strong healthy Lakota identity. We want them to start to understand the values and virtues of their ancestors and that they are as timeless and as valuable today as 200 years ago. This has been orally done for hundreds of years but few of our children get these cultural stories in today’s world. That's why we put together this collection of 56 Ancestors’ Stories, Resource for Teachers Book 2. We matched each lesson with one of their ancestors’ stories to help lay the foundation of their people. This book is an invaluable resource for teachers.
Oceti Wakan is a non profit organization on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.