WELCOME to the teacher's companion to the book Pacific Voices - Keeping Our Cultures Alive, by Miriam Kahn and Erin Younger (2005, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in association with University of Washington Press). Grade levels: 7-12.

In this unit, students will explore the connections between objects, people, and cultural identity by retracing some of the steps that go into creating a museum exhibit like the Burke’s Pacific Voices. Students will supplement their reading of selected chapters from the book Pacific Voices – Keeping Our Cultures Alive by thinking about their own lived experiences, and also by playing the role of researchers.

Through a series of activities, students will examine their own individual and group identities by telling their stories, interviewing themselves and others, and looking closely at their own traditions and ceremonies. Students will consider the voices of community members presented in the book in a way that connects to their own lives. Ultimately, they will ask themselves the question, How do you represent yourself?