Background Information
Introduction
Dog mushing describes a whole host of activities involving sled dogs - from pulling carts or skiers to hauling packs - but the most common is pulling sleds.
Traditionally, sled dogs were used by hunters, trappers, and traders, but sled dogs have also traveled to both poles, participated in two World Wars, and served men and women in the pursuit of commerce, science, medicine, law, and religion. In addition, sled dog racing, a Alaska state sport, is growing worldwide.
Dog mushing is believed to have started centuries ago among the Alaska Native people in north central Russia, but by the time white explorers reached North America, it was firmly established among the Eskimo cultures of Alaska, northern Canada, and Greenland. While Alaska Natives traditionally ran Eskimo dogs, Alaskan malemutes, Siberian huskies, and the bred-for-mushing Alaskan huskies soon joined the ranks of northern sled dogs.
The basic equipment used in dogsledding consists of sled, harnesses, and lines. High tech materials have replaced animal hides, bones, and the occasional ivory runners, but wood remains an important component in most sleds. In the harnesses and lines, cotton, nylon, and polypropylene have replaced the leather and rawhide of old.
There are several ways to hitch dogs to a sled. Fan hitches (each dog on a separate line) are well suited for open ice, while a traditional freight hitch (single file) is still used in forests and deep snow. Most common today, though, is the tandem hitch (a line of two dogs abreast).
Originally, dog teams were led by a person who broke trail with snowshoes. In time, hand signals and voice commands were used by the sled's guide. Today, mushers generally stand on the runners at the back of the sled and call out directional commands. One command, now rarely used, is "mush" (believed to come from the French verb marcher (marsh-ay) meaning "to walk" or "to go"), the very word at the root of mushing.
Mushing Voice Commands
Gee: Go right
Haw: Go left
Come Gee (or Haw): Turn 180 degrees to right (or left)
Get-up, Hike, OK, Let's go: It's time to go!
Whoa: Stop (used in combination with the brake)
Straight Ahead: Go straight at an intersection
On By: Go straight by another team when passing or past a distraction (such as a loose dog, another team, or a moose)
Art Enrichment Activities
Off to the Trapline by Fred Machetanz
1. Complementary colors are colors that are opposites on the color wheel. They are blue and orange, red and green, purple and yellow. Fred Machetanz used complimentary colors in this painting. Create a picture of dogs using one set of complimentary colors plus black and white.
FNSBSD Art Curriculum Goals: 3rd grade (warm, cool, neutral colors), 4th grade (complementary colors)2. Look at the size of the dogs in the picture, the dogs that appear closest are larger. Try drawing a dog team running towards you. The dog closest to you will be the biggest and the dog farthest away from you will be the smallest. They will also overlap each other.
FNSBSD Art Curriculum Goals: 3rd grade (three-dimensional), 4th grade (foreground), 5th grade (realistic)3. The dog team's trail in this painting is a diagonal. Diagonal lines give us the feeling of movement. Diagonal lines are dynamic. Create a picture of moving objects, cars, planes, skateboards, skiers, sleds, or people using a diagonal line.
FNSBSD Art Curriculum Goals: 5th grade (elements of design)
1. The photographer who took this picture was standing above the dog team. Perhaps he was on a hill or a bridge. To create this perspective you can draw your horizon line (where the earth meets the sky) high on your piece of paper. Look carefully at how we see the backs of the dogs from above. Try drawing a picture of something that looks like you were standing above what you draw.
FNSBSD Art Curriculum Goals: 3rd grade (three-dimensional)2. This photo has two contrasting images, a Pizza Hut representing modern life and a dog team representing a traditional lifestyle. Draw a picture that combines two images, old and new.
FNSBSD Art Curriculum Goals: 3rd grade (tradition), 4th grade (culture), 5th grade (heritage)3. The dog team is running in an angle across the picture. This diagonal line is very dynamic. It suggests movement. Use a diagonal line to create a picture of animals running.
FNSBSD Art Curriculum Goals: 3rd grade (lines), 5th grade (elements of design)
Tanana Woman and Dog by Eustace Paul Ziegler
1. This is a painting of a woman and her dog on a mountaintop looking out over the vast Alaskan Landscape. Because of their size and position in the painting, they are the focal point, the most important thing, in the picture. We pay more attention to the woman and her dog than to the landscape. Create a picture in which you place what you consider the most important thing or the focal point, in the center of the picture. Make it large.
FNSBSD Curriculum Goals: Art 4th grade (balance, foreground,) 5th grade (principal of design)2. The woman and her dog create a triangle composition. The triangle is a strong, dynamic shape. It says that this woman is strong, confident and active. Draw a picture in which the figure or figures create a triangle to show their strength and importance.
FNSBSD Art Curriculum Goals: 4th grade (symbols, shape, form, triangle), 5th grade (elements of design)
Two-Headed Dog by Stephanie Harlan
1. Carefully draw an animal. Try to make it look real. Then draw another animal. Cut out your animals and overlay one on top of the other.
FNSBSD Art Curriculum Goals: 4th grade (contour line), 5th grade (outline, realistic)2. This picture shows two dogs. We call the dogs the positive space and the space around the dogs the negative space. Draw an animal picture so that the animal takes up almost all the space of your paper. The animal will be the positive space and the background the negative space.
FNSBSD Art Curriculum Goals: 4th grade (positive/negative space), 5th grade (principles of design)
This work of art is a narrative drawing. It tells a story about a place, what it looks like, and what people do there. There are many small scenes describing activities and the landscape. Create a picture using a pencil or fine point marker that tells a story. Your narrative picture should show as much detail as possible. It could be a story about your school, what it looks like and what goes on there, or a story about a book that you have read.
FNSBSD Art Curriculum Goals: 3rd grade (illustration), 4th grade (personal style), 5th grade (heritage)
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