Thunder Rolling in the Mountains  Language Arts Unit Chapter 10 & 11 (Pages 52 - 65)

Lesson 8: Battle of the Big Hole and The Great Escape By Karen Peterson, Hellgate Elementary

Summary This lesson focuses around the Battle of the Big Hole of the Nez Perce War of 1877. Students will learn how the characters and their relationships in the story weave the events of history. The importance of Sound of Running Feet as the story is told from her perspective. Students will read about the Battle of the Big Hole and discover how the relationship between the chiefs caused a great mistake in their strategies to escape. Students will understand the cause of no rear guards and how that affected the five bands in this important episode of their flight. The students will watch a video of the battlefield and then illustrate a scene that their character would have experienced in the Battle of the Big Hole.  

Lesson Objectives and Montana Core Curriculum Standards for English Language Arts

Reading Standards for Literature

Reading Standards

Foundational Skills

Phonics and Word Recognition

T his lesson addresses the following objectives. 

Students will: 3.  Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.a. Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.(Standard 3)

Fluency

This lesson addresses the following unit objectives.  

Students will:  4.  Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding.b. Read on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

Craft and Structure

This lesson addresses the following unit objectives.  Students will: 6.  Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described, including perspectives of American Indians

Reading Standards for Informational  Text

Key Ideas and Details

This lesson addresses the following unit objectives.  Students will: 3.  Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text. Include texts by and about American Indians.

Writing Standards:

Text Types and Purposes

This lesson addresses the following unit objectives.  

Students will: 3.  Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details,and clear event sequences. a.  Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally

Resources/Materials/Teacher Preparation:  Thunder Rolling in the Mountain,  Battle of Big Hole Video Footage,Smartboard Battle of Big Hole, Google Document- Student Online Assignment for  Thunder Rolling in the Mountain  Chapter 10 & 11 (Pages 52 - 62)

Background Information Thunder Rolling in the Mountains;  Chapter 10 - The Nimi’ipuu people came to a second vast valley and they camped for 3 suns, it was a spot to collect poles for the tipees and travois. The camp allowed them to gather needed materials and stock up on food supplies. Lone Bird and Wah-lit-its worried about the Blue Coats and insisted that everyone stay on the trail. Wah-lit-its had a dream of his death and was not afraid of dying but knew it was a sign of the trouble to come. White Bird and Ollokot ignored his dream and his warnings. The people had a time at the camp with a wonderful meal of fish, camas roots and huckleberries and enjoyed a break from their fast pace. Swan Necklace, now almost a chieftain was getting full of himself and made Sound of Running Feet a little unsure. Children made ugly masks to represent the enemy and buried them. The night was peaceful and normal. By daybreak shots were fired at close range into the camp and into the tents of the sleeping Nimi’ipuu. Wah-lit-its was fatally shot, but he managed to crawl to the river where his wife who held him in her arms . His attacker continued to fire on Wah-lit-it’s wife who was pregnant, but she grabbed his rifle and fired back and shot him dead. At nightfall Chief Joseph surveyed the camp and found 31 on his people dead and 26 wounded and most of the damage came while they slept. Lean Elk gladly joined the Nimi’ipuu in the fight for freedom. Springtime was also shot and died that night. Chief Joseph was greatly saddened and said “ Will this hatred ever end? It sickens my heart. All men were made by the same Great Spirit Chief. Yet we shoot one another down like animals.

" Thunder Rolling in the Mountains ;  Chapter 11 - With sick hearts the Nimi’ipuu people packed their things and buried their dead to move along their course to meet up with the Crows.  Four of their best warrior laid dead, Wah-lit-its, Red Moccasin Tops, Rainbow and Five Wounds. Many were grieving for their lost loved one and preparing shallow graves so the rest of the people could escape. Chief Joseph was in charge of the escape, many wounded were put on a  travois for the next part of the journey. Several warriors kept fighting the soldiers so the remaining people could escape. The Nimi’ipuu people travelled toward the low rolling hills then swung south toward the mountains. They travelled as far as they could but that had to make frequent stops for the wounded. Bending Willow, Springtime’s baby cried for her mother’s milk and Deer Woman who had lost her baby let her drink her milk. The night brought little comfort to anyone as the wounded kept the healthy busy. The next morning as they were packing up camp, Swan Necklace rode into camp to let Sound of Running Feet know she should not fear for him, he had his war whistle that protected him during battle. He also explained that is why Wah-lit-its was killed because he couldn’t put on his charm of the weasel skin or the raven feather in time for protection. Before they left camp the War Council met and Looking Glass was disgraced by the morning attack and no guards. The Council decided to make Lean Elk the new leader.

  Battle of the Big Hole  (Chapter 10)    After the Fort Fizzle encounter the Nimi’ipuu believed that Montana offered them security and peace. At this time Governor Potts of Montana issued a second proclamation calling for volunteers to aid in the subjugation of the Nimi’ipuu. The War Department however denied request as it needed congressional authority.The people of the Bitterroot were used to the tribesmen travelling through in the past.  On the evening after the passage through the Bitterroot Valley a council was convened and  leaders were in disagreement about what direction to go. They could go back north to Missoula and into the Flathead area and then into Canada, or up through the Blackfoot River to Canada, or follow the the Big Hole River to Yellowstone River and into  Crow territory. Chief Joseph did not have an opinion only that they were far from their original country so it did not matter. Whitebird urged unity among the leaders that they must all go. Looking Glass was the war chief at the time and he selected the Big Hole River to the Yellowstone and up into the Crow Territory. The other chiefs respected his decisions and followed suit. #  As they travelled toward the Big Hole Valley the Nimi’ipuu stopped at the sacred Medicine Tree in present day Darby to offer prayers and gifts in a traditional homage.# Further up the valley Toohoolhoolzote and some young men ransacked a rancher home taking coffee and flour and other lesser items. Looking Glass demanded that they leave seven horses in payment. The area surrounding the Big Hole Valley is like an oasis, lots of ravines and the rivers winding through the valley which was great for grazing. The area had few settlers as it was known as the Valley of Big Snows. The elevation is 6,800 ft. The Nimi’ipuu camped at the Iskumtselalik Pah (Place of Buffalo Calf) Big Hole Basin  Gibbons dispatched Bradley and his troops to move ahead of the tribesmen. Captain Rawn and his troops were close behind the Nimi’ipuu people, however Looking Glass did not have rear guards to keep an eye on their last paths.#  The Nimi’ipuu also with their strong code of ethics convinced them that nobody would attack a hungry and unprotected village. The daytime was used to collect wood for travois and hunting.  They had 98 lodges set up in a V- shape near the river. That night the Nimi’ipuu held a ceremonial dance. The surrounding of the camp had willow patches and sloughs. The tribesman seen one of Bradley men but were not alarmed. All through the night Gibbons, Woodruff and Bradley moved closer in on the Nimi’ipuu camp. At 4:00 am Gibbons ordered the advance to the camp. The advance quickened and Bradley, Comb and Sanno forged through the underbrush.  At dawn the troops rode into the camp and open fired on helpless Nimi’ipuu warriors sleeping with their families. Many Nimi’ipuu woke and attacked with what means they could. The shooting escalated, the horse herds were scattered and then seemed to join the warrior is battle. The Nimi’ipuu counter attacked from every direction.An synergy with the Nimi’ipuu allowed them to continue the fight with equal force. Many of the Nimi’ipuu raced for cover in the willows, brush and trees and continued to fight. Some climbed into trees  managed to aloft the troops. About 21/2 hours after the battle began and under the rain the tribespeople and the firing abandoned the village. Rawn headed up a skirmish in the brush and once again the men grew skittish and wanted to run until Gibbons restored order. Rawn withdraws from the battle yet the tribesmen do not know as they continue firing. Gibbons and Woodruff are both wounded and Gibbons horse killed. White Bird  and Looking Glass who rallied  the warriors into turning face on the troops to drive  them back to the village. Looking Glass called upon Red Moccasin Top and Swan Necklace that it was time to show their courage and fight. The Howitzer fired several rounds above Gibbons defensive position. The warriors moved in to take the howitzer and the five soldiers. They were successful at taking over the crew and the equipment. Bird Alighting managed to dismantle the howitzer and save the gun which he stored in a cache. The Nimi’ipuu set the grass on fire to smoke the troops out.#The fighting continued throughout the day and into the evening. So many Nimi’ipuu dead and the people were crying, wailing and horrified at the massacre before them. The warriors with sporadic shooting, stayed to bury the dead while the people moved east. The ammunition on both sides was running low and the troops as well as the bands were thirsty and hungry. Gibbon’s dead horse was offered to the soldiers but there were not many takers. Within 24 hours with the arrival of more troops with Sutherland the Nimi’ipuu felt fighting was a futile attempt so on August 10, the  Nimi’ipuu fired a two-volley salvo and withdrew from the battle to meet up with their tribe.  The attack was devastating to five bands as every member lost a member of their family. There were 123 dead and many wounded. The U.S. Troop never expected such  a fight  from an early moring attack but  also suffered,  they  had 29 dead and 40 wounded therefore earned the victory of the Battle of Big Hole. # Procedures1. Review the Chapters 8 & 9 and clarify why The Nimi’ipuu were attacked and how it could have been prevented. 2. Review the Nimi’ipuu Flight from Wallowa to present location and the miles covered and the terrain.3. Students read  Thunder Rolling in the Mountain;  Chapters 10 & 114. Discuss and describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described, including perspectives of American Indians. Would the story be the same from a settler’s point of view? 4. Discuss how relationships and interactions help readers to understand complicated topics. Sound of Running Feet and Swan Necklace’s romance helps develop story.5. Students mark their battle maps with appropriate military marks.6. Students listen and look for landscape features in the Battle of Big Hole Video (8 mins)7.  Students watch and listen intently to the Reenactment of the Battle of the Big Hole.8. Discuss different perspectives on the Battle and students illustrate one scene that their character is in from the battle and include another person that they had a relationship with. Students whose character is in the Battle of Camas Meadows practice for the reenactment on the following day.

Formative Assessment  Battle Notes and questions

Summative Assessment  Illustrated scene with their character in the battle