We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga
Book Summary:
We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga celebrates the Cherokee practice of expressing gratitude throughout the year. The book follows the Cherokee Nation across the seasons, highlighting both blessings and challenges in daily life, community, and nature. Through vivid illustrations and detailed text, it shows how gratitude connects to culture, resilience, and community values.
Recommended Questions:
What can we learn about the Cherokee Nation from this book? How do their traditions, values, and daily practices reflect their culture?
This book describes the blessings and challenges of the Cherokee Nation throughout a year. Why do you think the season of gratefulness starts in the fall?
The first page says, “Cherokee people say otsaliheliga to express gratitude. It is a reminder to celebrate our blessings and reflect on struggles—daily, throughout the year and across the seasons.” Why is it important to celebrate blessings? Why is it important to reflect on struggles?
I noticed that one animal appears on each page. Look closely at the illustrations—can you identify it? Why do you think the illustrator chose to include this animal on every page? Where could we learn more about this animal and its significance to the Cherokee Nation?
Reread the text, pausing after each season to select a blessing and a struggle to learn more about. How could we learn more about these events directly from Cherokee people or reliable sources?
How does learning about the Cherokee practice of Otsaliheliga help us understand the connection between culture, community, and the environment?
How might understanding and honoring cultural traditions, like Otsaliheliga, promote respect, equity, and inclusion in our own community?
Standards:
NCSS Theme 1: Culture
This book aligns with Theme 1 because it provides insight into Cherokee traditions, values, and daily life, illustrating how culture shapes practices, beliefs, and identity. Students learn about the importance of gratitude as a cultural value and how it connects people to their community, environment, and history.
Social Justice Anchor Standard 6: Valuing Diversity
We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga counters stereotypes about Indigenous peoples by showcasing the daily life, traditions, and cultural values of the Cherokee Nation. Rather than presenting a monolithic or simplified view, the book highlights the complexity, resilience, and wisdom of the community across the seasons. It honors diversity by providing tribal-specific information and includes contemporary images, demonstrating that Cherokee people and other Tribes continue to thrive today, not just in the past.
WA Geography 2: Understands human interaction with the environment
We Are Grateful shows how the Cherokee Nation interacts with the natural world across the seasons, relying on and caring for their environment. Students can analyze how cultural practices, seasonal changes, and environmental resources shape the community’s daily life, traditions, and resilience.
