I love cemeteries! And they make great classrooms. That's why I was excited to learn about the Butte Cemetery Symbolism Masterclass hosted by the Foundation for Montana History on Saturday, May 18. The Foundation is offering 5 OPI credits for this training, which will focus on the history of ethnic and fraternal groups in Montana’s mining towns as evidenced in local cemeteries. Attendees will learn about cemetery symbols, the history of fraternal societies in mining communities, and Chinese burial practices before touring Butte's Mount Moriah Cemetery, observing the Chinese tomb sweeping ceremony conducted by the Mai Wah Museum, and engaging in a hands-on training exercise identifying cemetery symbols. Lunch is included and the cost is $65 for the full day of training (9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.). Register here.
Do you live too far from Butte to make it to this class?
- Longtime readers may remember me sharing information about Wibaux middle school teacher Laura Dukart's cemetery project, "In Memoriam. A Study of Our Local Cemetery." (Here's a presentation she created for teachers interested in creating a similar project in their own communities.)
- Mark Johnson has been researching Chinese cemeteries across Montana, working to translate headstones and locate the villages in China from whence those commemorated on the stones came.
P.S. Don't forget! MTHS is sponsoring three workshops in June: "Reading to Learn and Learning to Read in the Social Studies Classroom," (Missoula, June 14, and Helena June 21) and "Crossing Disciplines with Montana: A History of Our Home" (Great Falls, June 26). Participating teachers will earn 6 OPI Renewal Units. Some travel scholarships are available. Learn more and find links to register.
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