A Journey West

This project I studied Sacagawea and I wrote a story about her.

I am Smoked Lodge, chief of the North Shoshone tribe, and my daughter is the historical Sacagawea (Sack-og-a-wee-a), or Bird Woman. Now, I hope you are comfortable, for I have a story to tell.

In the beginning, the Shoshone were happy people, full of hope and courage. The men hunted, fished, and protected the others while the women dug roots, picked berries, cooked food, cared for the children, and made clothes. The children were very active, and were very respectful to each other, their elders, and the spirits. My dear daughter, only ten winters at the time, was the most active, but also the most helpful and respectful of all the youths. She was content. Unfortunately, things were about to change for her.

One fateful day, Sacagawea was with her mother and other girls when Hidatsa warriors planning to raid our tribe found them. The Hidatsa warriors captured Bird Woman and another girl. Bravely, the girls fought as hard as they could, but couldn’t escape the strong grasp of the Hidatsa warriors. The scoundrels took them on a long journey. I followed them. They took her to their tribe, and Fort Mandan.

Life in Fort Mandan was hard for me. Thankfully, Sacagawea was well taken care of. Later, unfortunately, she was forced to marry a french trapper by the name of Toussaint Charbonneau when she was only twelve winters. One day, she met two white men. Their names were Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, and they were on an expedition. They decided to take Charbonneau and my daughter on the journey they were on. Soon after she agreed, Sacagawea gave birth to a son. Charbonneau named him Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, while Bird Woman called him pompey. Clark was especially fond of pompey and my beloved daughter.

The expeditions beginning of the was on the water. The Corps(Core) of Discovery, which was the name of the expedition, had great boats to mosey through the water with. One day, the coward, Charbonneau, almost tipped the boat when a strong gust of wind made him panic. In that particular boat, very important papers lay, and they all floated out onto the open water. Fortunately, Sacagawea, the brave-hearted girl that she was, reached out and rescued most of the papers and equipment. She proved to be very valuable to the journey afterwards.

Later, they had to pass through the Rocky mountains. For that, they needed horses, which of course they didn’t have. So they told my daughter to find our tribe. She did. And she found out her brother was chief. After a tearful reunion, she was told that only a few of her family had survived. And soon after that, she found out the warrior she was to marry didn’t want her anymore, because of the marriage with Charbonneau. She had no reason to stay, so she proceeded with the Corps of Discovery.

In the Rockies, it was freezing. But Sacagawea stayed tough and provided food for the men, herself, and her baby. It was slow going for the Corps of Discovery. But finally, they passed through the giant mountains, and traveled down another river to the lake of unending waters. Bird Woman loved to walk along the shore. Sadly, soon they had to leave.

After the expedition ended, Jean Baptiste proceeded with William Clark and lived with him. Sacagawea and her husband departed for a place they don’t want anyone to know. To my greatest agony, my lovely daughter soon died of fever.

Now I am mostly alone, without my family, my tribe, or my animals to keep me company. In a lonely wilderness I am still not used to. But the story of Sacagawea’s journey keeps me alive and well. Her bravery saved many people, and I am proud to call her my daughter.

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I also memorized the tribes and forts that Sacagawea passed:

Finally, I created a presentation about how Sacagawea's tribe interacted with animals:

A Safari in the Savana

For this project I got to study an amazing place, Africa! The country is so cool, with lions, zebras, cheetahs, and thousands and thousands of different strange and wonderful animals. Unfortunately, the majority of the population is poor and in need of help.

This essay I typed up might be more explanatory.

Sweat drips off the woman’s face while she saves the dying onions on her family’s plot of land. The broiling hot months of the summer are here. She does tedious work for hours on end. Otherwise, there would be no food, and she and her family would starve. Suddenly, the honk of the water truck sounds. If there was no truck to bring water to the village where the woman and her family live, then everyone would die of thirst, diseases, and heat. As she trudges toward the water truck, the woman worries that the meager dollars they aquired from her husband would not be enough to support her family. She feels trapped. Her and most of Africa needs help. We must rescue the dying community.

You may think the Africans can care for themselves. Or maybe you think it’s their problem, not yours. If so, you are very incorrect. They are in desperate need of our help. Here are some examples of why Africa needs our help. First of all, they don’t have enough water in the summers. They need truck carrying water to arrive so they can have barely enough water to drink, cook, bathe in, cool off in, and wash their clothes with. Second, in many cases, the men of the family need to move far away to find jobs to buy tools, clothing,etc,. The yearly pay for the average African is one-hundred thirty-seven dollars. That is way less than what anyone in America is paid. Third, food is really hard to collect. They usually grow their own food, but sometimes, they have no choice but to buy some. Third, unless they live in the city, Africans have cheap iron or mud houses. The iron houses are hot in the summer and freezing in the winter. The mud houses are cool in the summer and warm in the winter, but whenever it rains, it starts to crumble, and it is very hard to keep fixing it. Last of the examples, but not least, is that many Africans don’t obtain the privilege of an education. As you can see, Africans need to our care to help them survive.

We need money, food, and water ourselves. We also need to take care of poverty in our own nation, too. We are too “busy” to do anything about Africa. Do you recognize how selfish that sounds? We are way better off than Africa. We have many privileges, such as electricity, air conditioning, and running water. America also has schools and money. The majority of this country has the three most basic and most important things, food, water, and shelter. Most of the population of African doesn’t have that. Unfortunately, they don’t have much electricity, money, food, water, and shelter.

Many people claim the bible isn’t the word of God. They suggest that it is just a book. They declare we shouldn’t believe it. Well, what the bible states is true. It tells us we are to help people in need, such as the widows, and to love one another as yourself. It also proclaims that we should share what we have willingly. That means no excuses. Since God the father, the son, and the holy spirit want us to help, we will do so.

How can I help? Is there really any way? There are countless ways you could help Africa. Plenty of organizations help Africans in many ways. One of the things you can do is sponsor a child through CI. All you do is send money to the family, or the school that they attend, and you can even write letters back and forth! Another way you can help is buy someone an animal, such as a goat or a chicken, something they can gain food out of. Yet another thing you can do is Operation Christmas Child, which is filling a shoebox with toys, maybe a toothbrush, and maybe some bottled water or canned food. Although, the box you filled may not be received by an Africa, it still will make a child happy somewhere. And if you would prefer to attempt something extreme, there are plenty of places where you could train so you can help build houses in Africa or be a missionary. The ways you can help are numerous.

We need to help the Africans survive and flourish. Otherwise, almost everyone there will suffer. We cannot be so selfish that we can’t help them. If we love one another, joy will be found. Love will flourish, hope will survive, and the Africans will be content.

Afterwards, I did work to memorize all of the countries in Africa. It took about three weeks of hard studying, but I finally did it. Below is a screenshot of getting 100 percent on my test.

Next what I did is I planned and hosted a traditional African dinner. The dishes were: Quick Moroccan Chicken, Green Banana Fries, Beghrir(Moroccan Pancakes), and Puff-Puffs. Here are links to the different dishes, In case you want to try any of them.

Quick Moroccan Chicken

Beghrir(Moroccan Pancakes)

Green Banana Fries

Puff-Puff

Finally, these are some pics my mom and I took of the dinner:

Mara, Daughter of the Nile: My First Project

Okay, here's my first project. I read a book called Mara, Daughter of the Nile. Then I planned and hosted a ancient Egyptian robbery mystery party. If you want to see pics and videos, they're down more. 

Right after I finished the book, I invited people to come to my party It had a story to better explain what the party is all about. Here it is:

Tomb Break In!

A robbery has occurred in a great pharaoh’s tomb! A day after the crime, twelve suspects were found. Later, a mysterious papyrus scroll was discovered. It read, “You are close, but not too close. Foolishly, you left the tomb unguarded. There are three of us. Try to find us. It will be amusing.” We believe the criminals are three of the suspects. These suspects include Canaanites, Egyptian royalty, and others.

The goods, which were stolen from great King Narmer’s tomb, were buried with him over 1,500 years ago. King Narmer was the first pharaoh. The stolen valuables are priceless. Gold, silver, lapis lazuli - all were snatched from the forbidden, sacred tomb. Unfortunately, the most valuable item, a pure gold armband, was plucked right off of the pharaoh’s wrist. Besides that, other costly items, such as King Narmer’s most prized glittering golden goblet, Pharaoh’s sword, and his beloved pet cheetah cub encased in gold, were mercilessly taken. Although the Pharaoh wasn’t hurt, the tomb was carelessly damaged when the robbers visited. Ripping the tomb walls apart, they destroyed the once beautiful resting place of our dead monarch. King Narmer must have his goods returned to him.

Now, it is our job to untie this mystery before it is too late. We must catch the scoundrels who dared to steal from a great tomb of the Black Lands. If we do not, King Narmer will never arrive in the underworld. We cannot stop until all three rascals have been caught. To help, join me on Saturday, October 17, and be ready to scour the streets for these evildoers. Ready yourself for demanding labor. I am warning you, you may encounter danger. The mystery must be untangled!

After everyone RSVP'd, I sent their background to explain more about them. Here they are:

Countess Adele, Glittering Jewel of the Nile

As you know, you are to play Countess Adele, Glittering Jewel of the Nile. She is very full of herself. She has full confidence in herself and thinks that she is distantly related to the gods. However, she is kind to everyone, especially to her Queen Hatshepsut, whom she puts her trust in and would die for, and her personal servant, Monifa, whom she thinks of as her sister. She is very beautiful, and loves her religion almost as much as her pharaoh. Also, she is almost unbelievably rich. Alas, she is as greedy as a magpie. The Countess Adele, Glittering Jewel of the Nile is also vain. Sometimes, she can’t pull herself away from her mirror for hours.

Her great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather, Count Nahereh, was a trusted friend of Dead King Narmer, whose tomb is where the robbery occurred. Unfortunately, the Count became envious of the pharaoh, and stole from the treasury millions of dollars worth of gold and silver. He was caught counting his stolen loot in his palace. He was hanged. Descendants of Nahereh were thieves as well.

Countess Adele is in grave danger, as many people suspect her to be one of the thieves. She is being carefully watched by guards.  

Coralie, the Canaanite Princess

Coralie is who you (Ava) will be playing in the mystery party. She is kind to everyone. She is also modestly dressed. In Canaan, where she was born and raised, women had to be fully covered in robes and headdress in front of men and in public. She is also beautiful. She has an innocent nature, as well. Three servants follow her and protect her; a cook, a laborer, and an interpreter. Their names are Ondine, Domina, and Adelaide. Alas, she is suspected to be a robber because she is new to the land of Egypt. Sadly, she is very frightened by the customs of the Egyptian people.

In Canaan, she was very well respected by the citizens, common people and nobles alike. She was very popular for her graceful movements and her beautiful singing  voice. Her father was killed protecting her family from a raid of murderers and thieves. Now, her brother, Ethan, was on the throne and led the army, while his queen from Israel, Naomi, was in charge of the servants. Her other brothers were nobles and generals and such, and her youngest brother, Drew, was Ethan’s counselor. She missed them very much and wish for nothing more than to be with them once again.  

Monifa, the Servant

Monifa, as you(Miriam) know, is your character for the party. She is the personal servant of Countess Adele, Glittering Jewel of the Nile. Adele and she are like sisters to each other. She would do almost anything for her Adele. She is crazy about animals, mainly horses, and takes care of Adele’s most prised steeds. She also rides them to keep them in shape. Unfortunately, She and the Countess have a big disagreement. Adele is dedicated to their current pharaoh, Queen Hatshepsut, Daughter of the Sun, and Monifa would rather die than be a slave of Hatshepsut, Daughter of the Sun.

Monifa comes from a long line of hard-working reliable slaves. She is the closest friend of Adele. Unfortunately, that means she is made to hear every secret of her mistress. She has to keep a very dark secret, and she can’t tell anyone, for if she does, she and her mistress will surely die. Also, she made a promise to her owner never to tell. Will she be able to keep it?

Lord Sheftu

You will be Lord Sheftu. He is very rich, the richest man in all of Egypt. He lives in a big palace at the edge of the capital. He is very kind to most, he is mischievous, he is smart, and he is handsome. Unfortunately, he is unpredictable and may be violent if he is provoked. He also secretly despises Queen Hatshepsut. He only works with himself, for himself.

He is the son of a great lord, who died in battle.

A’isha, the Servant

You are A’isha, the servant of the great pharaoh herself, beauteous Queen Hatshepsut, Daughter of the Sun. You are the one who fills her bathtub, brushes her hair, dresses her, and tells her how beautiful she is. You are tired of being commanded to tell your mistress how beautiful and glorious and wonderful and mighty and powerful and on and on and on she is. You are ready to fight for the end of this tyranny. Unfortunately, you are a gossip, and can barely keep your own secrets. You are vain, and you are quick to anger. You are obsessed with food. Wherever you go, you need to bring food with you.

Queen Hatshepsut, Daughter of the Sun

As you know, you are Queen Hatshepsut, Daughter of the Sun. You are the pharaoh of Egypt. You are beautiful, rich, and finely dressed. You get to have whatever you want to eat. You have a personal servant, named A'isha. She seems happy, even when she is bathing you, brushing your hair, dressing you, and telling you how absolutely perfect you are. You have a Countess who adores you, even more than her religion, which she cherishes. She is like another servant to you. You are grateful for that, as you know many people despise you. You have Lord Sheftu, the richest man in Egypt, on you side as well. You have many guards that fear you. Unfortunately, you are very vain, you are kind-of mean, and you think you are perfect in every way.

Mara, the Interpreter

I am Mara. I am witty, smart, and cunning. I have beautiful blue eyes. I am deceptive. I used to be a servant, but then got a new master. He is having me get close and find the leader of the rebellion against Queen Hatshepsut, Daughter of the Sun. I am to play the Interpreter for the Canaanite princess Coralie. Unfortunately, I am a liar, I need to be to survive. I am also in grave danger, because if I fail, I will be either killed by the rebellion or my own master. I like to work by myself, for myself, but I am also willing to be in a team, if it means being safer. I am also allergic to dates and some roots people cook as meals. I feel I must be careful and protect myself if I want to survive.

So this is how the party proceeded. First, after everyone had come, I said an opening speech and handed out the first clue. Then, after we had solved the first clue, we did the rest of them. Afterwards, we wrote down our accusations on a slip of paper. Next, we had some snacks. We then found out who the robber was and then found the treasure.

Here are the pics and videos of the party:

For part of my project, I memorized how to write my name in heiroglyphics.

About My Blog

Hi there! I'm Ella Diefenbaugh. This is a blog to show what I'm doing for homeschool. I do something called project-based homeschooling, and it's where I find something I'm interested in and learn all I can about that thing. It can be any topic, such as Ancient Egypt, Algebra, Mozart or anything! The list goes on and on and on! Anyway, you do projects on it, and it can take as long as you want it to. Afterwards, you present all you learned. It's really fun!

I am going to show my projects on here by pictures, videos, and stories!