Hajigul's Story:
A Creative Drama

Introduction:

The goals of this unit are for students to understand, through story and artistic and written representation, the essential aspects of a young Uighur child’s life, customs, and beliefs and to contrast that understanding with their own cultural heritage.

National Standards

Behavioral Studies
Standard 1. Group and cultural influences contribute to human development, identity, and behavior.
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=20&StandardID=1

Standard 2. Understands various meanings of social group, general implications of group membership, and different ways that groups function.
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=20&StandardID=2

History
Standard 1. Living and working together in families and communities, now and long ago
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=4&StandardID=1

Language Arts: Writing
Standard 1. Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process.
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=7&StandardID=1

Language Arts: Listening and Speaking
Standard 8. Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes.
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/Benchmark.asp?SubjectID=7&StandardID=8

Connecticut State Language Arts Program Goals
Read, write, speak, listen, and view to construct meaning of written, visual, and oral texts
http://www.state.ct.us/sde/dtl/curriculum/frlanga.pdf

Objectives:

As a result of participating in this unit, students will be able to:

A. Cognitive Domain

1. Describe some aspects of a Uyghur child’s life and the geography and environment of the Turpan oasis in Xinjiang
2. Contrast life for a Uyghur child with their own lives
3. Categorize items that satisfy basic human needs such as food, clothing, shelter

B. Affective Domain

1. Listen attentively to stories about a Uyghur child and the family stories of classmates
2. Locate Xinjian province and Turpan on a map of China and their family’s country of origin on a world map
3. Participate in storytelling and in a group discussion to plan a mural representation of their knowledge

C. Psychomotor Domain

1. Complete drawings on a mural and other representations of a Uyghur child’s life
2. Label drawings and/or write stories to go with their mural drawings (older children)

Materials:
(It is important for teachers to read over the required materials well in advance of starting this unit in order to assure that they have the necessary materials at hand. For example, the video The Silk Road, would be very useful at the outset of Hajigul’s story. A library may need some time to obtain it if it is not already in the collection.)

Original documents

1. Background Information for Teachers
2. Hajigul’s Story: A Creative Drama
3. Vocabulary to Introduce to Students
4. A Letter to Parents and Caregivers
5. Directions for Making a Doppa

Materials for the Unit:

1. Background information (original document)
2. Computer for research (1 for teacher – children can gather around the computer to see pictures, but several computers for clusters of children or a large screen projector would be more ideal
3. Books (See Resources)
4. A long roll of paper about two feet wide and long enough for every child to have a space to work.
5. Crayons, markers and other drawing materials for work on mural.

Materials for the Introduction (first day):

1. world map or, preferably, a globe (1)
2. map of China (1)
3. map of Xinjiang (1)
4. computer(s) for viewing maps
5. Pictures of deserts and oases (see Resources)
6. chart paper and marker

Materials for the First Story (second day):

1. The Silk Road video (see Resources)
2. Story for first day of the trip (See Original Documents: Hajigul’s Story)
3. chairs for all students
4. doppas (1 for each boy) made from stiff paper such as file folders and tape or glue; markers, crayons for the children to draw grape flowers (see Original Documents)
5. thin material to cut squares for head scarves for the girls and hairpins
6. picture of a donkey cart (See Resources)
7. picture of sellers at a market (See Resources)
8. picture of a Uyghur mud brick house in Turpan (See Resources)
9. you may wish to have signs up around the room such as the name of the airport; D21 (gate number at the airport); Xian; Xian train station; Urumqi bus station; Xinjiang; Turpan. This will encourage the students to read for real reasons.
10. Cloths to serve as mats for sleeping on the roof
11. Bowels, pitcher with water, and towels for hand washing if you wish.

Materials for the Second Story (third day):

1. Story for the second day of the trip (See Original Documents: Hajigul’s Story)
2. pulley (1)
3. rope
4. several baskets
5. trellis (1)
6. grape vine or wreath (1)
7. chairs for all the children

Materials for the Third Story (fourth day):

1. Story for the third day of the trip (See Original Documents: Hajigul’s Story)
2. Pictures of Uighur instruments from the Internet (See Resources)
3. Tape recorder (1), blank tape (1) and computer with sound to record Uighur music (see Resources)
4. Nan bread (available in Indian restaurants- or pita bread will do) two small loaves
5. Sugared tea
6. bowls and towels for hand washing (2 each)
7. VCD Minority Dances (See Resources)

Materials for the Fourth Story (fifth day):

1. Story for the fourth day of the trip (See Original Documents: Hajigul’s Story)
2. Picture of a duttar (See Resources)
3. Chairs for each child

Materials for Students’ Sustained Involvement in Uighur Life and Customs:

1. Fine mud
2. Sand
3. Straw (optional, but would make stronger bricks)
4. Empty can for measuring

Form for molding bricks – the shoebox suggested in the website below is probably too large for classroom use and will require a long drying time. Use a smaller box or make a simple mold of wood or heavy cardboard.

5. Heavy cardboard or poster board to use as base upon which to build a mud brick house
6. Area of the room set up as a Turpan village: students’ mural as the backdrop; pulley; mud brick house, raisin drying shelf, etc.

Materials for a Celebration with Parents:

1. Pictures of the children taken throughout their involvement in the Uighur study. Mount the pictures with captions or short descriptions and display them in the room.
2. Uighur foods such as tea, nan bread, rice, and raisins (the raisins previous made by the children)
3. Letter of invitation (see original documents)
4. Poster board or other material and glue for mounting pictures.

A. TEACHER PREPARATION

1. Read the original documents (click on letters a-e) at the end of this lesson.

a) INFORMATION FOR TEACHERS
b) HAJIGUL’S STORY: A CREATIVE DRAMA EXPERIENCE
c) VOCABULARY TO INTRODUCE TO STUDENTS
d) A LETTER TO PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS
e) DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING A DOPPA
f) LETTER OF INVITATION FOR A CELEBRATION WITH PARENTS

Having read the original documents provided, you will note that there is provision for family participation in the lesson. Parents and caregivers are given several options as ways to participate and are also invited to a culminating celebration. While we try to make every effort to accommodate to parents’ schedules and needs, it is inevitable that a few will not take part in any of the activities. It is then incumbent upon the teacher to make sure the children of these parents do not feel badly or left out. Make sure to give these children special roles during the lesson: special greeter welcoming parents to the celebration; the person who explains some aspect of the study: the mural, an extension activity; the person who organizes space on the mural or helps with a special bulletin board; the person who sits near the bus driver on the bus, etc. etc.

2. Read information about the Uighur on the websites listed under history and background information on the Uighur and in the books listed in that section. Books marked with an * are especially valuable to have in the classroom for young children to view throughout the study. They are also a wonderful source of pictures as you proceed through the unit. Should you require additional information, the following site provides a bibliography of books on the Uighurs: http://coombs.anu.edu.au/Biblio/biblio_chineseuyghurs.html

How lovely it would be to actually have a Uighur from Turpan visit your students. If you cant arrange for such a visit, by all means do so. Precluding such a precious opportunity, the teacher is cautioned that this lesson has focused on only a very small subset of the Uighur group, and, hence, undoubtedly, many young Uighurs from Turpan may well respond very differently to various social situations. The goal of this lesson is to introduce the students to the life and culture of a young Uighur, albeit in broad-brush strokes.

3. Read the description of creative dramatics on the website in Resources. Should you require additional information about this teaching method, there is a bibliography of excellent books on the subject at: http://creativedrama.com/book.htm.

4. View the Silk Road video (See Resources) and decide which portions you will show the children at the beginning of the unit.

5. Obtain a map of the world or a globe, a map of China, and a map of Xinjiang that includes Turpan. You may view these maps with the children online (See Resources) or print them out from the websites.

6. Cut squares of sheer material for a head veil for the girls participating in the unit and have hairpins available for attaching the veils to hair.

7. Make doppas for each of the boys participating in the lesson. (You may decide to have the boys do this and to decorate their doppas with grape blossoms). See http://mtngrv.smsu.edu/MS-18/GrapeBlossom.htm for a picture of a grape blossom.

8. Decide on a start date for your unit, talk to the children about it, and send home to parents/caregivers the letter provided in original documents.

9. Gather the materials for the unit and those you will need for each of the four days during which you will be telling the story of Hajigul. See materials list above.

10. View Minority Dances (See Resources) and select a portion for viewing during the story for the third day of travel. There is a section on Xinjiang.

B. PROCEDURE
(The story sessions for each day should take about 20-30 minutes, depending upon the age of the children)

Day One

1. Begin by asking the children what they already know about China. If there are Chinese children in the room, draw on their experience. Make a chart entitled: "What We Know about China and Its People". Keep the chart up during the course of the study.

2. Announce that the class is going to take a pretend trip to China to meet a special group of people called the Uighurs.  When they get there, they will stay with a girl named Hajigul, who will tell them about her family. Explain that there are many different groups of people living in China just like there are different groups of people living in the United States. Ask the children what they would like to learn about Hajigul and her people. Make a chart together entitled: "What We Would Like to Find Out About Hajigul". Encourage each child to come up with a question. Give them time to think about this. Record the children’s questions on the chart and keep the chart up in the room during the course of the study.

3. View a world map (a globe would really work best for young children), showing the distance between the United States and China. Talk about how long it will take to get there, how you would travel, etc. Then show a map of China,     locating Xinjiang, and finally, a map of Xinjiang, locating Turpan.) Have the children come up and locate these  places as well. (Older children can locate other things on the map such as bordering countries, land forms, etc.  Discuss the physical characteristics of the area, defining such terms as desert and oasis. Show pictures. The  websites under geography and information about Turpan (See Resources) will be most helpful here. Discuss the kinds of clothing and supplies the children will need to bring with them on this trip. Ask them to be sure to bring their pretend backpack and clothing to school tomorrow.

Day Two

1. Take some time to help the children get into character. For the duration of this study, they are really travelers to Turpan in Xinjiang, China. If there is silliness or other "unconvincing" behavior, stop and begin again until everyone is truly "in" the drama.

2. Read the story for the first day of your journey (See original document: Hajigul’s Story: A Creative Drama Experience) following the directives given. View sections of the video The Silk Road as children embark on the bus to Turpan.

Day Three

Read the story for the second day of your journey (See original document: Hajigul’s Story: A Creative Drama Experience) following the directives given. Engage in the activities suggested such as working a pulley.

Day Four

Read the story for the third day of your journey (See original document: Hajigul’s Story: A Creative Drama Experience) following the directives given. Engage in the activities suggested such as dipping nan in sugared tea and washing hands.

Day Five

Read the story for the fourth day of your journey ((See original document: Hajigul’s Story: A Creative Drama Experience) following the directives given. Engage in the children in listening to the story of Crow. If they are still able to listen, tell some other Uyghur tales. "The Enchanted Garden", pp. 40-47 in Stories from the Silk Road (See Resources) is one right from the area you are studying, but it may be a bit long for very young children. Uighur Stories from Along the Silk Road would be very helpful.

Day Six

1. "Debrief" your trip. Encourage the children to talk about the experience, what they have learned, their favorite part of the trip, etc. Make a chart with the children entitled, "What We Have Learned about the Uighurs" and write each child’s contributions. In another two-column chart, ask the students to contrast their lives with the lives of the Uighurs in Turpan in regard to:

- food
- clothing
- housing
- transportation
- climate

2. Refer to the two charts previously made. In the chart "What We Know about China and Its People", is there information the group would like to change? Why? Look at the chart entitled "What We Would Like to Find Out About Hajigul". Did the children find out everything they wanted to know? If not, how could they find the additional information they desire?

3. Create a mural depicting the class visit to Turpan. Refer to the chart "What We Have Learned about the Uighurs". Engage the children in planning this mural. Based on what they say in discussion and what they have learned, give each child a task to do on the mural. For example, draw the desert; draw Hajigul’s house; draw the vineyard; draw the market and vendors; draw the bride and groom; etc. Depending on the age and skill level of the children, they may wish to label their drawings or attach a story they have written about their scene on a separate piece of paper. Teachers may label pictures and/or take a dictated story from younger children. You may need to continue the mural activity for a second or third day.

Sustained Classroom Involvement

1. Set up a Turpan environment in the classroom. Use the students’ mural as a backdrop, creasing it so that it continues onto two walls if necessary. Place some of the artifacts from the study in the environment: pulley and rope; recipes for Uyghur foods; materials for building a mud brick house, etc.

2. Encourage the children to use the environment as long as their interest is evident. They can play at cleaning the irrigation wells with the pulley; serve food; contribute to the making of a mud brick house, etc.

A Classroom Celebration of the Uighur Study with Parents

1. Send home the invitation letter to parents/caregivers

2. Mount pictures of children, captions and descriptions on poster paper or other material and display around room.

3. Decide on and prepare food to be served

Family Involvement Days

1. Move from a study of Hajigul and her people to a discussion of the children and their families represented in the room. Just as Hajigul’s people contribute grapes and raisins; carpets; music, and much more to the world community, so do each of the students and their families. Talk about some of these contributions and connect the discussion to the invitation previously issued to families to share their stories and contributions.

2. If families have responded to the letter you sent home and wish to share stories or any other family activities with the class, schedule these for the remaining days of your study. The amount of days needed will vary with the number of positive responses you receive. Gather the children for storytelling, singing a song, making an ethnic dish, etc., depending on the way in which each family member wishes to contribute. Encourage the students to tell stories as well.

3. Write thank you notes to those families who have shared their heritage in some way with the class.

C. ASSESSMENT

Assessment for the young students who participate in this unit of study consists of whether they can participate in the various aspects of the lesson:

- Locating areas on maps and a globe
- Contributing to the content of class charts as a way of demonstrating what they have learned
- Listening to and entering into the drama of the stories
- Summarizing learning by creating a mural
- Sharing their own culture, family stories and ethnic tales

Because the unit can be used with children within a wide age span by adjusting the content up or down and adding extension activities, it is difficult to arrive at a rubric that would hold for all. But the one below may give teachers an idea of the kinds of skills and knowledge that should be assessed. They may need to adjust the expectations depending upon the age and skill levels of their students. An additional rubric is offered for older children.

ADDITIONAL EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES THREE AND FOUR

D. EXTENSION ACTIVITIES

Science
Talk about how grapes turn into raisins – they lose their moisture as they dry out in the air. Go to the following website for information: http://www.reachoutmichigan.org/funexperiments/quick/raisins.html Make raisins with the children.

Literature
Talk about folklore as the traditional literature of a people. Enjoy a unit on Chinese folktales using some of the books in the Resources section under Folktales. The article listed in the same section provides ways teachers can help their students understand what folktales have to teach us.

Music
Listen to more Uighur music from the website in the Resources. Discuss the differences in the four kinds of music available there.

Geography
Make a desert habitat in the classroom or outdoors. Using a fan, blow the sand to create dunes and a sandstorm.

Zoology
Many Uighurs raise sheep. Study how sheep are raised. Participate in a sheep-shearing event at a local sheep farm or nature center. What needs to be done to wool after it is shorn from the sheep before it is ready to be made into warm sweaters and other clothing? Have a knitting class and knit simple wool squares.

Farming
Cotton is an important crop on Uighur oases. How does cotton grow? How is it picked? What uses do we have for cotton?

Food
What kinds of foods do Uighurs eat? How do they obtain these foods? Cook some Uighur dishes. The websites in the food section of the Resources will be helpful. Also, the food section of this site is wonderful: http://www.freehomepages.com/xinjiang/The%20uyghur.htm

Carpets
Talk about the importance of carpets to the Uighurs, not just for floors but as wall coverings. How are they made? Out of what materials? Visit an oriental rug store. The following website should be helpful: http://www.rugreview.com/6easturk.htm

Geology
Study the different ways mountains are formed. There is a wonderful activity that enables students to "form" a mountain. Go to this website:
http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/380.html

Calligraphy
Practice writing the alphabet in Uighur. See the websites under Uighur Language in the Resources for a Uighur alphabet to print out for the students.

Writing
Make a class Big Book about Uighurs, with children contributing the content of each page as the teacher writes it down. Students can work in groups to illustrate the pages. Bind and keep in the class library. Older students can engage in research using some of the websites and printed material in the resources and synthesize the information they obtain into reports, alphabet books, poems, and other written forms.

Build a Mud Brick House

1. The children can build a mud brick house as an ongoing project if they are interested. The first step would be to make the bricks. For directions, see either of these two sites: http://www.nps.gov/tuma/AdobeBricks.html - very simple; http://schools.sd68.bc.ca/ed611/mosdell/Brick.htm - more complicated.

2. Leave the bricks outdoors, on a windowsill or in another warm place to dry. This will take several days.

3. Leave a supply of bricks near a large piece of cardboard or poster board on a table in the classroom Turpan village and discuss with the students how a mud brick house might be constructed. Children who are interested will contribute to the building of the house over a period of days.

Raise Silkworms

Turpan was an oasis on the ancient silk rout. Marco Polo traveled this route and brought back the exotic silks Europeans craved. The Chinese kept their method of silk making a secret for centuries. Students might enjoy being let in on this secret and raising their own silkworms. See Resources for the necessary materials.

E. RESOURCES

HISTORY OF THE UYGHURS AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Websites:
http://www.freehomepages.com/xinjiang/The%20uyghur.htm (this is a really wonderful site filled with information. There are special Uyghur greetings, a more detailed description of the inside and outside of Uyghur homes and clothing. Information from this site could certainly be used to extend some of the stories for older children.)
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/1730/buh.html (history)
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6807/UIGHUR.html (history of the Uighurs)
http://www.uyghuramerican.org/ (history)
http://www.usembassy-china.org.cn/english/sandt/chimin.htm (history)
http://www.uygur.org/enorg/history/uygurlar_kim.htm (Uyghur history)
http://www.chinatown-online.co.uk/pages/culture/ethnic/uygur.html (history)
http://www.ishipress.com/uyghurs.htm (pictures and history)
http://www.taklamakan.org/erkin/Byuyghur/ganjiakou.htm (human rights issues)
http://www.uyghuramerican.org/HumanRights/index.html (human rights issues)
http://www.uyghurs.org/who.htm (human rights issues)
http://coombs.anu.edu.au/Biblio/biblio_chineseuyghurs.html (bibliography)
http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/X/Xinjiang.asp (geography, history of the land and people)

Books:
* (1992) Ashabranner, B. Land of Yesterday, Land of Tomorrow: Discovering Chinese Central Asia. Photographs by Paul, David and Peter Conklin. New York: Cobblehill Books/Dutton.

(1989) Major, J.S. The Land and People of China. New York: J. B. Lippincott.

* (1995) Major, J.S. The Silk Route. Illustrated by Stephen Fieser. New York: HarperCollins.

(1997) Rudelson, J. J. Oasis Identities: Uighur Nationalism Along China’s Silk Road. New York: Columbia University Press.

* (1995) Zhang, S.N. The Children of China. Tundra Books.
(This book is filled with large, gorgeous paintings. There is a section on Uighur children, and although the children are somewhat different from the Uighurs who live in Turpan, it is an interesting look at the people. In fact, the entire book, with its variety of Chinese ethnic groups, can help your students realize not all Chinese people are the same.

CREATIVE DRAMATICS
Website: http://creativedrama.com/creative.htm (description of this teaching method)

VIDEO:
The Silk Road. Ambrose Video Publishing, Inc.1290 Avenue of the Americas Suite 2245 New York, NY 10104 (212) 265-7272.

MAPS
Websites:
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/province/xinjiang.html (map)
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ch.html (map of China, includes Turpan)
http://www.maps-of-china.com/xinjiang-s-ow.shtml (map of Xinjiang)
http://uk.multimap.com/index/CH56.htm (many maps)
http://www.taklamakan.org/uighur-l/toops_pop_map.jpg (best map of Xinjiang - has Turpan)

Book:
(1999). Benewick, R. and S. Donald. The State of China Atlas. New York: The Penguin Group.

GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION AND INFORMATION ABOUT TURPAN
Websites:
http://www.synaptic.bc.ca/gallery/gaoch002.htm (pictures of Xinjiang)
http://china.muzi.net/travel/region/xinjiang.htm (statistics about land)
http://www.edenroth.com/printerTurpan.htm ( information about the city of Turpan)
http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/99sep/9909wildchina.htm (Interesting magazine article that has specific information on Turpan – wind storm)
http://www.world66.com/page.asp?loc=951 (Brief information on Turpan and picture)
http://www.alumni.caltech.edu/~pamlogan/srart.html (trip through the northern Silk Road – Turpan scene)
http://www.taklamakan.org/uighur-l/et_faq_p1.html (Eastern Turkistan FAQ)
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/xinjiang/turpan/grape.htm (information about Grape Valley)
http://www.markandmichelle.com/almakash.htm (wonderful pictures of the desert, among other things)
http://www.bootsnall.com/cgi-bin/gt/asiatravelguides/urumqi/turpan.shtml (nine scenic places in Turpan)

VCD:
Trav’s Geography – China. An introduction to the geography of China including Xinjiang. 20 minutes. $19.95. Available at http://www.chinasprout.com, 1-800-644-2611

PICTURES
There are some fine pictures in the books listed above, especially the Ashabranner. In addition, the following websites have wonderful pictures that the children can view on the computer. You can also print these pictures for one-time use during the lesson.

http://www.synaptic.bc.ca/gallery/xinjiang.htm (a huge selection of pictures)
http://www.paulnoll.com/China/Minorities/min-Uygur.html (pictures)
http://www.bowkera.com/turpan_faces.htm (pictures)
http://www.traveldoug.com/01cbread.html (1 picture)
http://www.traveldoug.com/01cmosque.html (picture of mosque)
http://uyghuramerican.org/ET/milletler/uyghur/uyghur.html (many pictures)
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200207/11/photo.html (picture and text about Uighur children playing in water in Turpan
http://www.bowkera.com/turpan_transport.htm (picture of getting around Turpan in a donkey cart)
http://www.oqya.5u.com/photo5.html (delightful pictures of Uighurs)
http://www.bigpiepics.com/html/china/chn432b.html (a steady gaze from a Uighur)
http://www.tribaleye.co.uk/htm/sitecaptionlist.htm (although the majority of these pictures are of Kashgar, the images are useful – many pictures of the market, donkey cart, etc.)
http://www.utoledo.edu/~nlight/uyghpg.htm#diss (includes some pictures of Turpan and Urumqi)
http://www.thescreamonline.com/photo/photo2-3/nye/xinjiangcolor.html (a wonderful gallery of colored photographs)
http://www.merechina.com/sitemap/sitemapchinaphotos.shtml (contains a few pictures of Xinjiang terrain)
http://www.agpix.com/view_caption.php?image_id=8863&photog=1 (donkey cart against a magnificent mountain backdrop – Turpan)

MUSIC AND DANCE
Websites:
http://homepages.utoledo.edu/nlight/dissch6.htm (music and art)
http://www.uyghuramerican.org/ET/musicc/index.html (four kinds of Uyghur music complete with sound – use this page to make a music tape)
http://www.oqya.5u.com/catalog.html (Uyghur dances)
http://www.oqya.5u.com/photo.html (fantastic page - pictures of Uyghur instruments)
http://iias.leidenuniv.nl/iiasn/26/theme/26T3.html (Uyghur pop music)

Audiovisual Materials:
Minority Dances – a collection of 13 minority dances performed by a Chinese dance company. This is in VCD format.
Children’s Dance Collection – This VCD teaches some of the most popular and best known Chinese children’s dances
Both are available from Chinasprout, http:// www.chinasprout.com, 1-800-644-2611

FOLKTALES
Books:
(1965) Chang. I. C. Chinese Fairy Tales. Illustrated by S. Errickson. Barre, MA: Barre Publishers.
(1999) Gilchrist, C. (retel.) Stories from the Silk Road. Illustrated by Nilesh Mistry. New York: Barefoot Books.
(1998) Wei, C. and K. W. Luckert. Uighur Stories from along the Silk Road. New York: Oxford.
(2001) Young, E. The Monkey King. New York: HarperCollins.

Article:
(2002). Giskin, H. "Using Chinese folktales in the classroom". Education About Asia. Vol. 7 (2).

UIGHUR LANGUAGE
http://www.uighurlanguage.com/ (many pages, complete with sound for pronunciation)
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/uyghur.htm (Uighur alphabet)

UYGHUR FOOD
http://www.chinavista.com/experience/xinjiang/cuisine.html (food)
http://www.wiu.edu/users/mua/food.htm (wonderful page filled with pictures of Uighur foods)

SCIENCE – MAKING RAISINS
http://www.reachoutmichigan.org/funexperiments/quick/raisins.html (a science experiment about making raisins and what happens to grapes in this process)

UYGHUR PROVERBS
http://www.geocities.com/uighurlanguage/Uighur_proverb.htm Older students would enjoy this site. They can make a list of the proverbs they know as well and compare them with Uighur proverbs.

UYGHUR CARPETS
http://www.rugreview.com/6easturk.htm (good pictures of carpets and people at work on them)

MAKING SILKWORMS
Silkworm City. With this silkworm life cycle kit, students can watch three silkworm larvae eat, grow, spin cocoons and emerge as adult moths.. Comes with food, a silkworm city habitat, and guide. Keep paper and writing instruments close by so that children can write/draw their observations. Suitable for ages 4 and up. $14.95. Available from http://www.insectlore.com, 1-800-livebug.

Poster:
Silkworm Lifecycle Poster – Colored illustrations of each stage of a silkworm’s life cycle. Available http://www.insectlore.com, 1-800-livebug.

Books:
Silkworms
Details many facts about silkworms
The Empress and the Silkworm by Lily Toy Hong. An illustrated retelling of an ancient Chinese legend.

Both books are available from http://www.insectlore.com, 1-800-livebug.

INFORMATION FOR TEACHERS

Rationale:
In the wake of the events of September 11, 2001 and the ensuing climate of distrust of those who are not "us", it is especially important that children learn about different peoples of the world, their similarities and differences, and the contributions they make to the world community. The area studied in this lesson borders on some of the very countries that, until now, have been largely unknown or ignored by most people in the United States: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Now there is a need to know, and, increasingly since 9/11, librarians are being asked for books about the "stans". In addition, the people studied in this unit are Muslims, a religion that some in the United States might consider "suspect". While not becoming involved in the volatile political issues in this region, your young students will come away with an appreciation of the terrain and some of its peoples. Through story, they will learn about a Chinese ethnic group called the Uyghurs, ( pronounced wee-gur) (Uyghur is also spelled Uighur) and by listening to the voice of a Uyghur child, will discover that while that child’s life and surroundings may be very different, there are may things the students share with their Uyghur counterpart: a desire to belong, to be free, to grow and to prosper. By listening to a Uyghur child’s voice, they may find their own voices and tell the story of the ways in which their own families have evolved to find their place on the world stage.

A Brief Look at the Land and Its People

The Uyghur child who is the focus of this lesson lives in Turpan, an oasis town in Xinjiang, (pronounced shin-je-ang) one of several areas in China known as autonomous regions. Xinjiang was formerly known as East Turkistan until the Manchu invasion of 1876 when it was annexed and renamed Xinjiang, or "New Territory". Located in western China, Xinjiang is huge, almost twice the size of California, Oregon, and Washington combined. (1989, Major, p. 34). It is populated by over 7 million Uyghrs, a Turkic ethnic group that traces its ancestry to the Huns, as well as by several other groups including Kazaks, Tajiks, and Kurgrz. In recent years, the Chinese government has relocated scores of the Han (dominant group comprising 95% of the Chinese people) population to work in government offices and on farms. In addition, thousands of Han Chinese have begun coming into the eastern regions of Xinjiang on their own to work for the Uyghurs in building, irrigation, and other projects. The Uyghurs’ new role as "employers" of Han Chinese has done much to bolster their self-esteem and has disposed Uyghurs in the eastern part of Xinjiang to look more favorably upon the Chinese government and its infusion of funds into the area.
The Uyghurs have a long and colorful history dating back thousands of years. Once mainly a nomadic group, many now have settled into farming, trading, office work, and other occupations. The Uyghurs have their own written and spoken language, and it was they who first taught the Mongols to write. "The term Uyghur has had vastly differing meanings throughout its history. It was first (744-840 C.E.) used to refer to a Turkic, steppe, nomadic, shamanistic, and Manichaean society in Mongolia. Later (844-932) it became the name for a sedentary, oasis, Buddhist, Manichaean, and Nestorian Christian society centered in Turpan. Finally (932-1450), it became the referent for an elite, primarily Buddhist, Turkic society centered in the Turpan oasis, which during this period was known as ‘Uyghuristan’. The term fell into disuse for 500 years after the Buddhist Uyghurs converted to Islam in the fifteenth century." (Rudelson, pp. 5-6) But Uyghurs continued to live in the area and in 1933, and again in 1944, succeeded in setting up a short-lived independent East Turkistan Republic. Now under Chinese rule and in varying degrees of unrest, especially in the southern and western sections, Xinjiang is called The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. However, the Uyghurs still call the region Eastern Turkistan.

Xinjiang, once part of the ancient Silk Road network linking Asia and Europe in the transport of goods over 7,000 miles of desert and mountain passes, is remote from the heartland of China. But the Chinese government is anxious to maintain control of the region for several reasons. Its geographical features make access by foreign nations extremely difficult. Xinjiang "consists of three major subregions: the Zhungarian Basin in the north, which is divided from the Tarim Basin in the south by the Tianshan Mountains, and the Turpan Depression in the east." (Rudelsman, p. 18) The Tarim Basin contains the Taklimakan Desert, the second largest desert in the world. "Most of the Uyghurs live in the Tarim Basin of Xinjiang. This oval-shaped area is 600 miles long, east to west, and 250 miles wide, north to south. The several oases that lie in a string along the perimeter of the Taklimakan are irrigated by snow and glacier melt from high mountains – the Pamirs, the Karakoram, the Kunlun, and the Tianshan – that border the region on three sides and divide Xinjiang in half. In between the oases are long stretches of barren gravel and sand. Xinjiang is one of the most desolate and remote places in the world." (Rudelsman, pp. 18-19) Xinjiang also contains vast quantities of oil beneath the Tarim Basin, and it is a market for China’s goods.

Hajigul, (pronounced hagee gool) the subject of this lesson, lives in Turpan, an oasis city in eastern Xinjiang. She and her Uyghur family resemble the Turkik peoples rather than the Han Chinese with whom we are most familiar. Her family works hard to produce the grapes for which Turpan is famous. In fact, grapes are so important to the region that her name, like all Turpan girls, bears the suffix "gul", which means "grape flower". The story you will tell in her name will introduce your students to Hajigul and her way of life. There are many pictures available on the Internet that will give you and the children an idea of what the land and the people are like. In addition, there are numerous maps, more complete histories, the Uyghur alphabet and pronunciations, and even Uyghur musical selections. All of these, as well as books and articles, are listed by category in the Resources to help you prepare to enjoy this unit of study with your students.

Bibliography for this introduction:
(1992). Ashabranner, B. Land of yesterday, land of tomorrow: Discovering Chinese Central Asia. Photographs by Paul, David and Peter Conklin. New York: Cobblehill Books/Dutton.
(1989). Major, J.S. The Land and people of China. New York: Lippincott.
(1995). Major, J.S. The silk route. Illustrated by Stephen Fieser. New York: HarperCollins.
(1997). Rudelson, J. J. Oasis Identities: Uyghur nationalism along China’s silk road. New York: Columbia University Press.

HAJIGUL’S STORY: A CREATIVE DRAMA EXPERIENCE

ABOUT CREATIVE DRAMATICS
You are about to engage in a creative drama experience with your students over the next several days. Please take a moment now to read the description and benefits of this wonderful learning tool for young children by going to the following website: http://creativedrama.com/creative.htm

Of course, it is difficult, if not impossible, for those of us living in the United States, to get into the mind and spirit of a Uighur child, to react as she would, think as she would, etc. Our own sensitivities and biases might indeed try to surface. Therefore, it is important for teachers to read the background information available on the suggested websites and in the printed materials and to present Hajigul’s story as objectively as possible. The story is meant as an overview of a way of life of a group of people in a small village in China. It does not speak for Uighurs living throughout Xinjiang nor even for all the Uighurs in Turpan. The story dramatization is a way for young children, who cannot read difficult material or do web searches on their own, to gain knowledge of a Chinese ethnic group. Older students can and should be encouraged to investigate some of the websites and books in the resources to discover more about the Uighurs on their own.

It is important that the children truly get in character, that they place themselves mentally and physically in the different situations you suggest throughout this drama study. In other words, they do not just hear about being on a train and traveling to a far away place. They are actually ON that train through the power of drama. They feel its bumps and jostles as it travels mile after mile to one of the most desolate places on earth. They feel the fatigue of the journey. Your talk will suggest to them the ways in which they can react to different situations. As you continue to spend time with Hajigul, the children will talk to her, asking questions and making comments as appropriate. They will mime actions like eating, tending grapes, dancing, etc. Set some ground rules, give them prompts, and let the children take it from there. Some simple props may help them get in character – for example, homemade doppas for the boys and thin veils for the girls. (See note about these items of clothing in the story for day one.) You may also want to show pictures as you go along. It may be helpful to give the children a preview of the following day’s story so that they can think about it ahead of time. They may then have a store of questions and comments they would like to make as the story progresses.

The dialogue below is rather stilted with its "she says", and "we say" indicators. Actually, it is simply meant to give you an idea of how the dramatization can proceed. You should take the role of Hajigul and speak in her voice. It would be a good idea to read the story for each day over several times and then assume Hajigul’s persona and speak as she would, naturally, and without notes. The things she says in the story are based on research about the life and customs of Uighurs in Turpan and are not the personal views of the author. The children can say what comes naturally in response to your comments. You can guide and encourage them to do this. Those of you who teach very young children may want to leave out some details. One of the beauties of creative drama is that you can improvise as you go, taking your cue from the children, their involvement, attention span, etc. So feel free to add or subtract as needed. But one thing is almost certain: the children will long remember Hajigul and her people and the things they have learned on their fascinating journey.

PREPARING THE CHILDREN FOR THE TRIP (Day One)

Make a chart with the children stating what they already know about China and its people and then tell them about the pretend visit to Hajigul and her family in Turpan. Show the students where they are and where China is on a map of the world or, preferably; on a globe; then show them where Xinjiang is on a map of China; and finally, where Turpan is on a map of Xinjiang. Make another chart stating what the children would like to find out about Hajigul and her people. Talk about the weather in Turpan and discuss what the children should pack for their long journey there. Have them pretend to collect and pack their clothes when they go home and bring in their packed backpacks to class the next day. Discuss how you will get to China and then how you will get to Turpan. Talk about the need for tickets, visas and passports (show children a passport and talk about what it is for and talk about a visa).

STORY FOR THE FIRST DAY OF THE TRIP (Day Two)

"I hope everyone’s backpack is packed and ready. Let’s see. I have all our tickets, and your parents gave me your passports. We’re ready to go. Let’s carry our packs out to the bus for our trip to the airport. Hand them to the driver and she’ll put them in the baggage compartment under the bus. (Dramatize this. Have two rows of seats with an aisle between for children to use as a bus. At the airport, this seating arrangement becomes a plane. At your arrival in Xian, China, it becomes a train, and then in Xinjiang, a bus again.)

"We’re here at the airport. Once you have your backpack, line up next to me and we’ll check in. Ok, we have our boarding passes, now we have to go through the security check. Just put your backpack on this conveyor belt and the machine will x-ray it to make sure it’s OK to go on the plane. (Do this.) Now we have to go to gate D21 where we will get on our plane. (Go there, hand your tickets to the flight personnel and board the plane.)

"After they serve us dinner on the plane, it would be a good idea get as much sleep as you can because this plane ride is the easiest part of the trip. We still have a long train ride and a very bumpy bus ride ahead of us."

When you get off the plane in Xian, show a few opening scenes from the video The Silk Road (see Resources) without the sound (narration is too difficult for young children) so that the children can see the train chugging along the tracks and some of the terrain. Fast forward to some of the desert scenes. You are traveling to the capitol of Xinjiang, Urumqi, (pronounced u-rum_-chi) The train ride is very bumpy because the tracks aren’t very good. When you get close to Urumqi, help the children gather their things for the transfer to the bus that will take you to Turpan. Buy your tickets and hand your luggage to the driver who will hoist it up to the rack on top of the bus. (You may want to show some bus scenes from the video – fast forward to the section where there are Uyghurs on the bus.) During the ride, tell the children a bit about Turpan, the oasis you are going to visit. Describe an oasis as a place in the desert that has enough water so that food can grow and people can live. Some oases are very large and are actually cities with many people. Leave the bus with the children.

You say, "We can hardly believe our eyes – trees, people, plants growing – after miles and miles and miles of sand. Look, Hajigul is waiting for us at the bus stop. She is wearing a blouse, a colorful skirt, and a thin veil on her head."

"Hajigul, we are so glad to see you! We’ve come such a long way."

"Yahximusiz, (pronounced khuh-moosiz) How are you?" she says. "Ismim (pronounced as it seems – all "i’s" are short i sound) Hajigul, My name is Hajigul. I’ve been waiting for you. The bus is late, but you are here now. I’ve brought our donkey cart to carry your luggage. My house is not far from here."

Hajigul’s small house is made of dried mud bricks. It looks brownish red as the early morning sunlight creeps over it. "Are you ready for breakfast?" she asks.

" Yes, we’re really hungry after our long trip."

" First you must each rinse your hands three times as I pour this water over them. Then we’ll go in and eat. That is our custom." (The students pretend to do this – or you can actually have bowls, water, and towels and do the actual washing.)

"See, our kitchen is a separate room attached to our house. That makes it easy for my mother to get water from this outdoor faucet for cooking. She has made good hot tea; nang, which is like a pancake made of corn and wheat flour and filled with onions and spices; honey; and hard-boiled eggs.

"Rahmet sizga,(pronounced rock-met sizga) thank you" we say in our best Uyghur. (Here have the children say "thank you" as the Uyghurs do. They put their right hand over their heart. They can take their two hands and put them on each side of another person’s hand, to form a sort of sandwich and bow as they say "rahmet sizga".)

You say, "The carpets that decorate the walls are really beautiful."

"Yes, our people are known for their beautiful carpets. We buy ours from the sellers in the market. Now that we’ve eaten, we can go there. Let me show you around my village. My father and brothers and my uncles are already in the vineyard tending to the grapes. We make our living by growing grapes and selling them. We turn most of the grapes into golden raisins. I’ll show you how we do that when we go to the vineyard tomorrow. But for now, let’s take a walk through the village. I have so much to show you." (The children walk with Hajigul through her village.)

Note: During their visit to the market in Turpan, the children will hear about doppas and veils, articles of clothing worn by some Uyghurs. You may feel that this section gives way to gender stereotypes and not wish to include it in the lesson. By all means, then, omit it. If the children are older, you may wish to engage them in a discussion of this custom. Should men and women wear these identifying marks? In addition, you will see that Hajigul mentions that not all girls wear veils, thus exercising their independence from these social and gender distinctions. In no way should you indicate that all the children must wear a doppa or veil during the lesson. Let the children make those decisions for themselves.)

"Our village is right on the edge of a huge desert. Sometimes we have big wind storms and the wind blows the sand from the desert right into the village. We have some paved streets now and that helps, but still sand gets into everything. I put my veil over my face so the sand doesn’t get into my eyes and mouth. But in a really bad storm, the wind is so strong it sounds like a locomotive as it blows across the desert. It makes the sky really dark."

"Oh, that must be pretty scary," we say.

"It is, but we learn how to come inside, crouch down, and cover ourselves until the storm is over. Our animals take shelter, too."

There is so much to see – people are everywhere. But our eyes turn to a very unusual sight. We see a man pulling something long and white. "What is he doing?" we ask Hajigul.

"He is pulling dough. When it is ready, he will cut it into strands of noodles and boil them. Soon people will come to his restaurant to eat the noodles. Many of our restaurants are outside."

"We eat noodles, too," we tell Hajigul. We call our noodles spaghetti or fettucini or linguini. They have all different kinds of shapes. We also pull and stretch dough to make something delicious called pizza. You can put lots of different things on top of pizza dough like tomato sauce and cheese, and vegetables, and meat."

It sounds good," says Hajigul. "I’d like to taste what you call pizza. Look over here. These men are cooking pieces of lamb on sticks. Many of our people have sheep, so lamb is the kind of meat we usually eat. We never eat pork because we are Muslims and it is against our religion to eat that kind of meat."

"There is so much going on here," we say. So many people, and they all seem to be selling something. Look at all those knives."
"And the man hammering tools."

"Yes," answers Hajigul. "This is our market, and we come every day to buy things. (Here you may wish to show some pictures of a Uyghur marketplace. Go to http://www.tribaleye.co.uk/htm/sitecaptionlist.htm for some wonderful images.) This man is selling doppas. Did you notice that many of the men and boys wear round caps? Those are called doppas. Would some of you like to buy one? Let’s go over and look at them." (Have your pre-made doppas on a table with a "seller" at the ready.)

"What are these things on the caps?" we ask. "They look like flowers."

"Oh, those are the flowers that bloom on grape vines. The men and boys wear doppas with grape flowers on them because grapes are so very important to us. Without the grapes, we wouldn’t have the money we need to live. Even my name tells everyone how much we love our grapes. The "gul" at the end of my name – Hajigul – means ‘grape flower’. Every girl has ‘gul’ at the end of her name."

"Would you like to buy a hat?" asks the seller.

"Bu kanche pul (pronounced boo-kanche- pool), how much?" we ask.

"_q, (pronounced ooch) three yuan."

"No, that’s too much. How about ikki, (pronounced ik-ki) two?"

"Fine." (All the boys buy their doppas and put them on.)

"See the silk sellers over there," says Hajigul. "Some women and girls use silk material to make veils for their heads, but not everyone does. Many of our women just leave their heads bare. We can go over to the silk sellers if any of you would like to wear thin silk scarves on your heads. Some Uyghur women who live in another oasis town wear heavy brown scarves that cover their faces." (Any girlswho wish to do so go over to the silk seller and the same price negotiations take place. They don their newly purchased scarves.)

"Look at the wonderful melons over there. Let’s sit in the shade of these poplar trees and cool off by eating some," says Hajigul.
We love that idea! Walking through the village has made us tired and thirsty. The melon is juicy and delicious!

After our rest, Hajigul continues to show us her village. We see her school. "We’re on vacation right now," she says. But we think education is very important, so we make sure to go when it is open."

We see some people traveling with carts pulled by donkeys. Others are riding bicycles. There are a few cars and trucks as well. Suddenly we hear someone speaking in a loud singing voice. "What’s that?"

"That’s our mullah, our religious leader" says Hajigul, "Five times a day he calls the men to the mosque to pray. A mosque is like a church. Five times a day the men stop what they are doing and go to the mosque. Come, I’ll show you what our mosque looks like."

When we get there, Hajigul points out the round dome on the top. Somebody says, "My church has a tall tower on it. And we don’t go there five times a day – we just go on Sundays." "We go to our church on Saturdays and it’s called a synagogue," says somebody else.

Finally it is time to return to Hajigul’s home where her mother has a wonderful supper ready for us. We eat little pies filled with lamb meat and onions. Very tasty. But we don’t stay up very long after we’ve eaten. We’re exhausted from our very long train ride and bus ride and walk through the village. All we want to do is sleep.

"Come up to the roof with me," says Hajigul. "It’s the coolest place for sleeping It is almost the end of summer now, but the temperature during the day is still almost always near 100 degrees – as you found out this afternoon. Even though it cools off a bit at night, it is still pretty warm. We climb up to the roof with Hajigul, gratefully, stretch out on our mats, and fall asleep almost instantly. It is the end of a perfect day.

STORY FOR THE SECOND DAY OF THE TRIP (Day three)

"Wake up, you sleepy heads," says Hajigul. "Remember, today is the day we are going to visit the vineyard.

We quickly roll up our mats, wash the dust off our faces and hands, and go in for breakfast. Then it’s off to the vineyard where Hajigul’s father, uncles, and brothers are already hard at work.

Hajigul talks on the way. "The end of summer means harvest time when we pick the grapes. Everybody helps. When the grapes are picked, we put most of them in drying rooms called ch_nje until they turn into raisins. Usually people put grapes in the sun to dry out, but our drying rooms keep the sun off the grapes. When sun hits our beautiful golden grapes as they are drying, it makes them turn too dark. People from all over love our juicy golden raisins, so we do everything we can to protect them and keep them light in color. Inside the drying rooms, the grapes sit on shelves until they dry out. It takes a few weeks for this to happen."

"But don’t grapes need to have water to grow?" we ask. "There’s just desert land everywhere we look. Where does water for the grapes come from?"

"It’s true there’s lots of desert all around. But there are also mountains," says Hajigul. Look up. See how very high they are. There is snow on top of those mountains, and as the snow melts, it runs down the mountain and makes a little pool or spring at the bottom. Men come all the way from the other side of China to help farmers dig wells called karez (pronounced arez) to catch this water. Then the water travels to the plants through underground tunnels. Of course, when the water comes down off the mountains, it takes some rock and dirt with it. So men have to constantly clean out the wells. Every village has a team of men for well cleaning. A rope is put over a pulley. A man is tied to one end of the rope. The other end is tied to a horse. By giving commands to the horse, the man can be raised or lowered into the well. He brings a basket down with him and fills it with the dirt that collects in the well. Then he ties the full basket onto the rope and it is pulled up using the horse and the pulley. It’s a dirty, dangerous job! See there is a well cleaning team working over there. (Bring in a pulley, rope, and basket and encourage children to dramatize this, with someone taking the part of the horse.)

"Yuck! It sounds like hard work."

"It is! Here we are," says Hajigul. See, the grape vines grow on trellises– thin strips of wood that cross each other to make squares or diamonds. (Show a grapevine – a wreath will do – and a trellis) This row of vines has already been picked. Would you like to help pick over here?"

"Oh, yes, what do we have to do?"

"I’ll cut the grapes off the vine with this sharp knife and hand them to you. You can place them carefully into the baskets When we’ve finished this row, we’ll load our baskets onto the donkey cart and take them to the drying room." (Children help with the harvesting."
"We’re really tired now. Let’s take a break for lunch." (Everybody sits in the shade and eats. When you’ve finished and rested, Hajigul continues:)

"Grapes grow back on the same vines every year. But in the winter here in Turpan it is too cold to leave the grape vines outside. So we very carefully take them down off the trellises, roll them up, dig a hole and bury them in the ground. They stay warm underground until we dig them up in the spring and put them back on the trellises again. Here, help me roll this vine up now that we’ve picked the grapes off of it. My uncles will bury it later." (Everyone helps.)

"What a busy day!" we say as we walk back to the house.

Note: In the following section, and in the wedding scene the following day, mention will be made of men and women eating in separate rooms. Although this is the custom in Turpan, it again raises gender issues. If you feel this is a problem, you could omit any mention of separate eating quarters. Or you may use the opportunity to engage older students in a discussion of the issue. Does eating in separate rooms indicate one gender is inferior to the other? What do they think about this custom?)

"Oh, but the day isn’t over yet," says Hajigul. I have a big surprise for you.

You really picked the right time to come visit us. Tomorrow one of my aunts is getting married. All the women in the family have been cooking food for days. We begin celebrating tonight because my cousin’s family and her groom’s family have prepared a big feast for each other. We’ll be going, so hurry, wash up and change. But I must warn you. At the feast, all the boys will be in one room and all the girls will be in another. We don’t mix. It’s a Uyghur custom."

"When we have special dinners and weddings, we all eat together," we say. "That is a custom in our country."

(Everyone washes, dresses and goes to the feast. They sit down to eat – boys in one section, girls in the other and enjoy the food.) There are many speeches in honor of the man and woman getting married. All of a sudden we hear music outside the house. The musicians are here. Everyone goes outside where the men dance. We all watch.

"Hajigul, that was so much fun," we say on the way home. "And the food was delicious!"

"But that was just the beginning," she answers. Tomorrow the real wedding celebration begins. I hope you have something red to wear. We wear red when we celebrate something nice because it is a happy color.
"Usually brides in the United States wear a long white dress and a white veil," we tell Hajigul. But we’d better get to bed early. Tomorrow will be a big day."

We climb up to the roof again and are asleep before we know it.

(Credits: Oasis Identities, pp. 66-68; 89-90 )

STORY FOR THE THIRD DAY OF THE TRIP (Day four)

Before telling this story, go to http://www.oqya.5u.com/photo.html. This site contains several pictures of different Uyghur musical instruments, which the students will enjoy seeing. In addition, record some music from this site: http://www.uyghuramerican.org/ET/musicc/index.html. Four kinds of Uyghur music are available there: The twelve muquams, (pronounced moo-quams) traditional songs that tell the history of the Uyghur people; classical music; folk music; and pop music. Record a portion of a muquam, and a pop piece for use in the third story. Then record part of a folk song for use in the fourth story. Hey Nadan would work well.

"Hajigul doesn’t have to wake us up this morning. We can hear the bustle and excitement in the house below. It’s Sunday, the day Uyghurs usually get married, and this time, the wedding is in Hajigul’s very own family – and we get to go to the celebration! We’re so excited! Hajigul told me that the bride’s and the groom’s parents met many months ago to decide whether they thought it was a good idea for their daughter and son to marry each other. Both families are Uyghurs like Hajigul. The parents liked each other, so they gave permission for the young man and woman to meet. After awhile, the young couple decided to get married.

We wash and put on our very best clothes. Everybody has something red. While we’re getting dressed, the actual wedding is taking place at the bride’s house. Only some of the men in the family are allowed to go, and of course, the mullah is there to read from the Muslim holy book.
We are just getting ready to leave ourselves when we hear cheering and loud drum banging. We run outside and see a parade of trucks carrying the groom’s family and friends to the bride’s house. We run down the street, following the trucks, and when we get to the bride’s house, we are separated into a boys’ group and a girls’ group. We are given small pieces of nan, a delicious flat bread, which we dip into tea with sugar in it to wish the two families a sweet life. (The children do this.) Then the bride’s father washes the men’s hands and the bride’s mother washes the women’s hands. (The children do this as well.) We all enjoy our meal of grains, dumplings, and lamb, but in separate rooms. While the men eat, they pray and dance. They listen to a special song called a muquam. Let’s listen with them. The muquam is a song that tells a story about the Uyghurs. (Play part of one for the students). Uyghurs are very famous for their music and dancing. The women in the groom’s family bring the bride’s mother two boxes full of gifts. The bride comes out of her room with a veil over her face, is blessed by the mullah and is then taken to her new husband’s home. She makes loud pretend crying sounds on the way to show she is sad to leave her parents’ home. But soon she will be with her new husband’s family and they will treat her like a daughter. Before she goes inside, a small fire is set in front of the doorway to keep anything bad from getting in.

"We’re going to have another meal," says Hajigul. "Isn’t this fun! And sure enough, now the groom’s family serves food.

After we have finished eating, we hear music outside again. More playing and singing and dancing. (Here play a section of the VCD Minority Dances (see Resources) that demonstrates a Uyghur dance.) "I want to see you all dance," says Hajigul. "Last night you only watched. (Replay the VCD selection and have the children imitate the dance. If the children are very young and this is too difficult for them, have Hajigul teach them the following simple moves. She says, "Let me show you something the men do. They put their arms straight out in front of them and snap their fingers while they move their feet. Then they bring their arms back again. Out in front, snap fingers, arms back in. Now you do it to the music!" Everyone tries it.)

We are so tired we can hardly walk back to Hajigul’s house. Having parties is exhausting! We laugh as we walk along, the musicians’ melodies still in our ears. The music sounded very different from the kind of music we are used to, but we like it anyway. We sing one of our songs for Hajigul on the way.

We take off our good clothes and fold them carefully, then curl up on our mats and fall asleep under the stars.

(Credits: Oasis Identities, pp. 86-96)

STORY FOR THE FOURTH DAY OF THE TRIP (Day five)

For our last day in Turpan, Hajigul’s family has planned something really special. They are going to share their folk music and folk tales with us. After a delicious meal of soup with tender noodles in it, lamb kebobs, and nan bread, we settle back to listen. One of Hajigul’s uncles plays the duttar,(pronounced doo-tar) an instrument with strings that looks something like a tall guitar. (Show picture). He plays it for us while he sings a folk song. Listen! (Play Hey Nadan.) Then another uncle stands up to tell a story.

In olden times, he says, crows were not black as they are today. Their feathers were many different colors. And when the sun shone on them, the feathers seemed to sparkle. Crow was very proud of his feathers. All day long he strutted around with his chest out and his head held high and he sang: (Make up a melody to sing to Crow’s words.)

Birds, beautiful birds, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful birds.
Among all the birds in the woods,
I am the only pretty one.

One day a peacock, a lark, and a parrot came to admire the beauty of the crow. "Oh, Friend Crow, your feathers are so beautiful that all the birds in the woods admire you."

Crow was happy and smiled when he heard this. And he said, "Why do your own feathers look so ugly then? Go away. I’m ashamed to be seen near such plain looking birds as you."

Now the peacock, the lark, and the parrot were sad to hear such unkind words, and they each flew away from crow. Meanwhile, crow continued to sing – you sing it with me this time:

Birds, beautiful birds, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful birds.
Among all the birds in the woods,
I am the only pretty one.

One day not long after that, a fire started in the woods. In the sunlight the flames burned with red, yellow, blue, green, and purple colors. Crow had never seen anything like it. He thought it was another bird and not the fire, so he said:
"What kind of bird are you?"

There was no answer, because, of course, the fire could not talk. Bird asked again, this time a little louder:

"What kind of bird are you? How dare you try to compare with my beauty!"

Again the fire did not answer. Crow became so angry that he threw himself against the flames thinking he was knocking the other bird out of the sky. Before he knew it, all his feathers burned in the fire. The pain was terrible, and Crow quickly flew down into a lake to put out the flames. But by that time it was too late. All his beautiful feathers were gone. All that was left was total blackness. And from that day to this, crows have always been black. (Adapted from Uighur Stories along the Silk Road, "Why the Crow Is Black", p. 52)
We clap and clap. It’s a good story, but we feel a little sorry for Crow. Bragging and trying to be better than everybody else really got him into trouble.

The stories go on and on until we can hardly keep our eyes open. But we know we have to get to bed. We must get up early in the morning, pack, and go into the town square to catch the bus. We can hardly believe it is our last night in Turpan. We have learned so much and met so many wonderful people. It will be hard to say goodbye. We thank the family for their good food and the wonderful music and stories and climb up to the roof for the last time. It is our last night under the desert sky.

We get up early, wash and have a quick breakfast. Hajigul’s mother has packed lamb pies for us to take with us on our long trip.
"Rahmet sizga, thank you," we say. We want you to have this book of folk stories from the United States. Hajigul is learning to read English, so she will be able to read some stories to you, and we hope you will remember us when she does."

"Rahmet sizga, thank you," our American friends, says Hajigul’s mother. Her father and brothers thank us, too, but we should be the ones thanking them for all they have done for us this week. We pile our things into the donkey cart once more and walk to the bus stop. Hajigul comes with us. We hug her goodbye as our bus comes into sight. The driver hoists our luggage up to the rack on top and we climb aboard. We all turn around and wave and wave while the bus starts down the road. We wave until Hajigul is just a little speck in the distance. Hajigul – our desert friend – goodbye.

VOCABULARY TO INTRODUCE TO STUDENTS

Bakhalla – racks shaped like cylinders on which grapes are placed to dry.

Chunje – rooms where grapes are dried to make raisins

Crops – plants that produce food such as fruits and vegetables. The crops are cared for by a farmer or gardener who makes sure they get the sun and water they need and that they are free of insect pests.

Desert – an area that receives less than ten inches of rainfall a year. In hot areas, a desert is covered with sand. There are often high hills of sand called dunes, caused by powerful winds that blow the sand during a sandstorm. The Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang has been called the most dangerous desert on earth. "History records the disappearance of entire caravans in the Taklamakan’s wastelands. According to legend two armies are buried beneath the desert’s sand dunes, some of which tower to six hundred feet." Ashabranner, Land of Yesterday, Land of Tomorrow, p. 32)

Doppa – a round cap worn by the men and boys in Turpan. Because grape growing is so important to the economy of the area, these caps are often decorated with grape flower designs.

Harvest – a time to pick plants that have finished growing and are ready to eat or be taken to market; to pick plants that are ready to eat or be taken to market.

Karez – an underground canal system in Turpan that carries water from the surrounding mountains to irrigate the vineyards.

Mosque – a kind of church building where Muslim men go five times every day to pray.

Mullah – a religious leader in the Muslin religion. He calls the men to prayer and performs weddings and funerals.

Muquam – a Uyghur song that tells the history of the Uyghur people. There are twelve of them and they go one and on, sometimes lasting for several days.

Nan – a flat bread

Nang - a kind of pancake eaten by the Uighurs. It is made of corn and wheat flour and filled with onions and spices; honey; and hard-boiled eggs.
Oasis – an area within a desert where enough water reaches the surface for plants to grow and humans to be able to live.

Passport – a special document that looks like a little booklet. It has your picture and tells what country you belong to. You cannot travel to most countries outside the United States without one.

Pulley – a wheel that has a groove that a rope or chain can sit in. You lift things by attaching them to one end of the rope, putting the rope over the pulley, and pulling on the other end.

Trellis - thin strips of wood that cross each other to make squares or diamonds.

Uighur – a group of Chinese people. The Chinese are made up of many different ethnic groups. The Han are the most numerous. The Uighurs are a Turkic people and live in the very western part of China in an autonomous area called The Xingiang Uighur Autonomous Region. But the area is under the authority of the Chinese government.

Visa - a special document. Some countries require that you get permission from their government to go there. If they agree to let you come, they send you a visa.

Yuan – Chinese money. It takes several yuan to make one United States dollar.

A LETTER TO PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS

Dear Parents and Caregivers:

During the weeks of __________ our class will be engaged in a pretend visit to a little village in Turpan, a city in Xinjiang in the western part of China. There we will come to know a young Uighur girl named Hajigul and learn about her way of life and customs and how her family members grow grapes to make their living. We will study the desert environment in which Hajigul lives and the ways in which she is different from the Chinese children we have previously met in books. We hope your child will share with you some of the things we will be learning. Please ask him or her to do so. It promises to be a fascinating journey.

One of the most important things we hope to learn during our time with Hajigul is that while she is very different from us, there is so much we share: a closeness to family, a desire to grow and learn and prosper. We will hear about her people’s contributions to the world community, and we will talk about our own uniqueness and our family customs and stories. We invite you to share these stories with us in one of three ways during the week of _______________________. Please read the suggestions below and indicate on the form, if you wish, how you can share something about your family with us. You may even wish to tell us a folktale from your culture; sing us a song from your culture, etc. We would love to hear from you.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

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____     I would like to come to class and share a story about our family’s history, a custom, a folktale, etc. I can come on ___________ at __________ o’clock.

____     I cannot come to class. But I would like to record a brief family story or folktale and send the tape into class.

____      I have my own tape recorder and tape.

____     I need to borrow a tape recorder and tape.

____     I would like to send in to class an object or picture of a family event that is special to our family. I will help my child practice talking about this object with his/her classmates. (Please send in something only if you are certain your child can get it to school and home safely.)

Signature: ______________________________________________________

DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING A DOPPA

The following instructions hopefully will help you construct doppas made either out of manila folders, light weight poster board, or, for the more venturesome, cloth.

Whatever material you choose could be colored or pained with the rich grape symbols the Uighurs use.

First, the hatband is created. This hatband is represented by the oblong rectangle on the first page. For the band, take a measurement to match the size of the child’s head, with sufficient overlap so that the band can be glued or taped, or, in the case of cloth, sewn together at the ends. Cut a long rectangular piece of material, about an inch to an inch and a half wide and about an inch and a half larger than the circumference of the child’s head. This piece becomes the circular hatband. It is glued, taped or sewn with the ends overlapping that extra inch of your measurement.
Then, the top of the hat is created. It has some of the fluff of a beret, but is not high in the back and sloping down in the front as with a beret. Rather, it is circular, and evenly puffed up on all sides. Use the head measurement as the circumference of a circle drawn in the center of the material you are using. This circle is drawn solely as a base measurement – IT IS NOT SHOWN on the drawing on the first page. It is disregarded after you draw the next two circles. Draw these two circles as detailed here:

Draw one circle with a diameter approximately one and three quarter inches to two inches larger than your first circle. This will become the basic top of the hat, to be attached to the hatband. DO NOT CUT ANY MATERIAL YET.

Now draw another circle with a diameter still another inch or an inch and a quarter larger than the your second circle. When you cut between these two outer circles, as indicated in the schematic on the first page, you have "tabs" that can be pasted, tapped or sewn inside the hatband to create the hat. BUT DO NOT ATTACH YET.

Divide your circular piece of material into four equal quarters, with the result that you have a large plus-sign or cross sitting within your circle. Then, cut the circle segment as indicated on the first page. Cut four slender (make them narrower than the shapes indicated in the diagram) "V-shaped" slices out, with each cut centered on your drawn cross – CUT ONLY TWO-THIRDS of the way up from the outside rim. You should have what, lying flat, could look like four slices of pie, slightly separated on the outside, but all joined in the center, and each slice has two ":tabs" on the outside of the "crust".

Assemble the top of the hat as follows. Make the outer edges of the "pie slices" – as indicated by the arrows on the schematic – touch and tape or sew those sides together. The top of the hat is now created by joining the slices together.

Now, insert the top of the hat inside the hatband, and tape, glue or sew the top to the hatband by attaching the "tabs" to the inside of the hatband.

LETTER OF INVITATION FOR A CELEBRATION WITH PARENTS

Dear Parents and Caregivers:

Over the last several weeks your child has been involved in an extensive study of Chinese Uighur life and customs. We trust this study has been the subject of many conversations at home as well. Now we would like to share our work with you at a special celebration in our classroom on _____________________ at _______________ o’clock. At that time you will be able to view pictures of your child participating in the study, see the things we have made, and sample some Uighur food. We do hope you will join us.

Please fill out the form below and return it to school as soon as possible. Thank you.

Sincerely,

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I/We (will, will not) be able to attend the Uighur celebration at school on ____________________.

Signature: ______________________________________________________