Chapter Three: Nina
Learning Activities

2 Handouts

Activity 1 - Vocabulary

Learners look these words up in a dictionary and use them in sentences to show the meaning of the word (Handout 1).

Activity 2 – Chapter Questions

Learners answer questions about the chapter. The questions are listed on Handout 2. Below are the questions and answers for the instructor.

Questions: p.36-37

1. How many children did David and Martha have? 6
2. What did the preacher think of Shamanism? People who practised it would be punished.
3. What epidemics came to that region? Measles, smallpox, diphtheria, typhoid, tuberculosis, and influenza.
4. What did epidemics do to Native people? Wiped out thousands of Native Alaskans.
5. What belief did Aunt Nina follow which her sisters Minnie and Ethel didn't? She sat in a tent alone during her first menses, a tradition to not jinx the man's hunt.
6. Why did Aunt Nina believe that she survived the epidemics and her sisters didn't? Because she followed tradition.
7. Who did Aunt Nina have a sibling rivalry with? Velma's father.
8. What did Aunt Nina wear on her head? A doilie. Coloured ones to match her clothes. Why? Velma's mother said she was balding and felt self-conscious.
9. How old was Velma when she became Aunt Nina's companion? 17.