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Instantly access The Arabic Quilt plus over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids.

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Where and Why Do People Move? Crash Course Geography #32

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An animated map shows humans migrating out of Africa to Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

Subjects

Anthropology, Geography, Human Geography, Social Studies, World History

The video above is from the January 2013 iPad edition of National Geographic magazine.

Groups of modern humans- Homo sapiens -began their migration out of Africa some 60,000 years ago. Some of our early ancestors kept exploring until they spread to all corners of Earth. How far and fast they went depended on climate, the pressures of population, and the invention of boats and other technologies. Less tangible qualities also sped their footsteps: imagination, adaptability, and an innate curiosity about what lay over the next hill.

Today, geneticists are doing their own exploring. Their studies have led them to a gene variation that might point to our propensity for risk-taking, movement, change, and adventure. This gene variant, known as DRD4-7R, is carried by approximately 20 percent of the human population. Several studies tie 7R (and other variants of the DRD4 gene) to migration. (Genetics is complex, however. Different groups of genes interact and yield diverse results in different individuals. DRD4-7R probably influences, not causes, our tendency toward "restlessness.")
Teaching Strategies
Review "The Global Human Journey" video, then discuss geography and genetics as posed by queries in the "Questions" tab.

Media Credits

The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.

Writers

Caryl-Sue Micalizio, National Geographic Society

Sean P. O'Connor, BioBlitz Education Consultant

Editor

Caryl-Sue Micalizio, National Geographic Society

Page Producer

Sean P. O'Connor, BioBlitz Education Consultant

In Partnership With

National Geographic Magazine

other

Last Updated

October 19, 2023

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An animated map shows humans migrating out of Africa to Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

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What is a refugee? (or a displaced person)

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Third Culture Kid? NO, no, no! Bridging Kids! | Yui Mikuriya | TEDxYouth@KIST

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Read The Paper Boat: A Refugee Story on Epic

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Read The Paper Boat: A Refugee Story on Epic

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Instantly access The Paper Boat: A Refugee Story plus over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids.

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Instantly access The Map of Good Memories plus over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids.

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On any given day, a train carrying immigrants arrives at the station in Malmö, Sweden. The people who get off do not speak Swedish or share the country's customs. But they hope to make Sweden their home.

Since 2013, hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war in Africa and the Middle East have made their way to Europe. Many refugees have wound up in Sweden. The country has welcomed refugees. In Europe, only Germany has taken in more people seeking asylum, or protection.

Sweden provides for people as their applications for asylum are processed. The refugees often cannot work because they do not speak Swedish or have the proper education. The government provides services including housing, job training, education, and health care.

Difficult Decisions

Some Swedes are wondering if their country has been too generous and whether it should change its policies. In 2014, anti-immigrant politicians won 12.9% of the vote in Sweden's parliamentary elections-up from 2.9% eight years earlier.

In November 2015, the government decided to turn away some refugees. Deputy Prime Minister Asa Romson cried as she made the announcement.

Calls to stop immigration became even louder in April 2017. A refugee drove a truck into a shopping area in Stockholm, killing five people. His request for asylum had been denied.

"If people who are here seeking asylum . . . treat us like this, it is not good," says resident Lars Holm.

Sofie Rudh, a press secretary for Sweden's Migration Ministry, says most Swedes welcome immigrants. "Sweden has helped more than 140,000 people to get shelter in our country," she says. "We are proud of this."

Think

Should governments help refugees? Should Sweden continue to welcome refugees? Why or why not?

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On any given day, a train carrying immigrants arrives at the station in Malmö, Sweden. The people who get off do not speak Swedish or share the country's customs. But they hope to make Sweden their home. Since 2013, hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war in Africa and the Middle East have made their way to Europe.

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Learn some interesting facts and cycle back to your word inquiry journey through this literary non-fiction book by Nicola Davies.

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Follow the ups and downs of migration in this autobiographical tale that inspires us to find strength in our own stories and in words.

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What Students Will Uncover

The significance of language and Indigenous language vitality

How is language alive?

What is the importance of language preservation?

How are language and place interconnected?

Students watch a film about a Native American woman, Marie Wilcox, who is the last fluent speaker of Wukchumni. For seven years, she created a dictionary in order to keep her language and culture alive. Students engage in learning activities to explore the importance and meaning of language, language loss, language revitalization efforts, and changes which take place in communities over time.

At a rapid rate, Indigenous languages around the world are becoming endangered. Individuals, linguists, and organizations are developing ways to celebrate, revitalize, and preserve Native languages and cultures.

Students will:

Explain what it means for a language to be endangered.

Understand the importance of Indigenous language vitality.

Recognize people in society whose language and cultural heritage are at risk.

Putting the Film in Context

Intended for the educator, this section provides information about the story as well as an overview of language loss and Indigenous language revitalization.
Marie's Dictionary tells the story of Marie Wilcox, a Native American woman who is the last fluent speaker of Wukchumni. She created a dictionary in order to keep the Wukchumni language alive. The Wukchumni are a non-federally recognized tribe that are part of the broader Yokuts tribal group native to Central California. As many as 50,000 Yokuts lived in the region before European contact, but numbers have greatly diminished. Today, it is estimated that fewer than 200 Wukchumni remain.

Preserving the Wukchumni language has become Marie Wilcox's life. To date, Marie has spent more than thirteen years working on the dictionary. The language is now being taught to tribe members at a local career center, yet the language still struggles to gain traction and move beyond an elementary level. Through her hard work, Marie hopes that her dictionary will support the revitalization of the Wukchumni language for future generations.

UNESCO estimates that half of the 7,000 living languages spoken today will disappear if nothing is done to preserve them.

In the United States, many Native American languages are struggling to survive- with 75 languages considered "critically endangered," according to UNESCO.[1] Endangered languages preserve priceless cultural heritage. According to the UN, it is estimated that half of the world's 7,000 living languages will disappear by 2100 if nothing is done to preserve them.[2]

From declared war on tribal nations, genocide, and forced assimilation, to more hidden systems of oppression, centuries of European colonization have contributed to widespread loss of Indigenous life and culture, including language. Read "The World's Indigenous Languages in Context" for an overview of the causes of language loss as well as language revitalization efforts taking place worldwide.

Setting the Stage: Lesson Introduction

Engage students with this exercise before introducing the story.
Ask students to consider their own language(s) with the following questions:

What language(s) do you speak? Who speaks more than one language?

What language(s) do your parents or grandparents speak?

How does your language allow you to express who you are?

Share the following quote from Leanne Hinton. How might a language reflect "great verbal art"?

Language... allows members of a group to communicate with each other in great detail and to express and create great verbal art.

Linguist Leanne Hinton, Ph.D.

Explain to students that there are about 7,000 languages spoken around the world and that this number decreases each year. Ask students, "What do you think it means for something to be endangered?" Write student responses on the board. Guide students to discuss the meaning of the word endangered. Ask students if they think a language could ever go "dormant," which is another way to say that a language is asleep or not actively spoken.

Engaging with the Story

Before watching the film, introduce students to Marie Wilcox and to the place where she lives.

1. Tell students that they will watch a film which takes place in Visalia, California, a city located in the Central Valley. Use Google Earth or a map to show students this location. Next, show students a picture of Marie at the beginning of the film Marie's Dictionary. Have students make predictions on what they think the film is about. Write these predictions on the board.

2. Introduce the story. Tell students that they will watch a short film called Marie's Dictionary. The film is about Marie Wilcox, a Native American woman who is the last fluent speaker of Wukchumni. For seven years, she worked on a dictionary to keep her language alive. Let students know that they will see subtitles at the bottom of the screen. Explain to students that they will need to read the subtitles as well as listen. Teachers may also read the subtitles aloud to the class. Ask students to think about the following question while watching the film: If languages are living, can they also be asleep?

Delving Deeper: Learning Activities

Encourage students to examine the themes and issues raised in the story. (Note for educators: Just as quotes from a book or text are used to prove an analytical thought, students use the film to justify their reasoning.)

1. Watch the film Marie's Dictionary. (10 minutes)

2. After viewing, go back through the film and pause it at the noted times. Ask the following questions:

0:14 - What do you think it means to be a fluent speaker of a language?

3:53 - How do you think Marie feels about being the last speaker of Wukchumni? Why do you think Marie started to write down the words of her language?

7:15 - Why do you think Marie gets emotional when she talks about her language?

8:25 - How are Jennifer and Donovan helping to preserve the Wukchumni language?

8:52 - Why do you think the story-"How We Got Our Hands"-is included in the film? What would happen to this story if the Wukchumni language was no longer spoken?

3. Look at students' predictions that were made before watching the film. Ask students to reflect on their predictions. What did they predict correctly and incorrectly? What information did they use to make their decisions?

4. As a whole class, explore the Endangered Languages Map from the Endangered Languages Project. Make sure students understand the key, which includes the following categories: At Risk, Endangered, Severely Endangered, Dormant, Awakening, and Vitality Unknown.

5. Look at the Yokuts language dot in Central California. This location is where Marie Wilcox lives. Explain that Wukchumni is one of the dialects of the Yokuts language family.

6. Have students individually select one dot on the map to report on. They will need to know the location and how many people currently speak the language in that place.

7. Have students share and discuss their findings with a partner.

8. As a whole group, find a dot on the endangered languages map close to where you live. Look at the vitality of that language. Are there any revitalization efforts taking place?

9. Ask students: How is language shaped by where you live?

10. Have students reflect on how and why communities change over time.

11. Ask students: Why might it be important to preserve a language? What do you think would happen if a language is dormant, or no longer spoken? Does it matter? Why or why not?

Reflecting & Projecting

Challenge students to consider the story's broader implications and to integrate their knowledge and ideas from various points of view. (Note for educators: Just as quotes from a book or text are used to prove an analytical thought, students use the film to justify their reasoning.)

1. Students will write a letter to Marie Wilcox. Ask students to respond to the following questions in their letters:

What part of Marie's story had the most impact on you? Why?

How might Marie's dictionary impact her culture for future generations?

What questions or comments do you have for Marie?

Do you consider Marie a hero?

Share responses as a class.

2. Ask students: How would you describe or define a hero? What are the qualities of a hero? Ask students to think of a hero in their lives. How has this person helped others or stood up for something they believe in?

What's Happening Now

Provide students with follow-up activities and resources to explore current events and updates to the story.

1. Five years after filming Marie's Dictionary, the director returned to visit Marie at her home in Visalia, California and made the film Wukchumni (15 minutes). He learned that today, Jennifer is regularly teaching Wukchumni classes to members of the community. Ask students to consider the following questions while watching the film:

What has changed since Marie created the Wukchumni dictionary?

Describe how the family combines learning the Wukchumni language along with traditional Wukchumni skills. Why might it be important for Marie's great-great-grandson Oliver, who is featured in the film, to speak Wukchumni?

2. Divide students into small groups. Give each group one of the following films to watch: Karuk (21 minutes), Tolowa Dee-ni' (17 minutes), or Recording Kawaiisu (16 minutes). Each story documents Native families and communities in California and their efforts to revitalize their languages. Ask students to discuss the following questions in their groups:

What are some ways in which the Native speakers and community members are preserving and revitalizing their languages? How are children involved in these language activities?

What are some similarities between the story they selected and the film Marie's Dictionary?

Ask students to share their responses with the class.

The following texts highlight Native voices and are recommended by teachers who are currently using Marie's Dictionary in their classrooms:

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorrell

Shi-shi-etko by Nicola Campbel

When Turtles Grew Feathers: A Folktale from the Choctaw Nation by Tim Tingle (Choctaw)

Connections to National Curriculum Standards and Frameworks

Self awareness. The ability to accurately recognize one's own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior.

Social awareness. The ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds and cultures, to understand social and ethical norms for behavior.

Relationship skills. The ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups.

Theme 1: Culture. Cultures are dynamic and change over time. What is culture?

Theme 2: Time, Continuity, and Change. Studying the past makes it possible for us to understand the human story across time. What are our personal roots and how can they be viewed as part of human history?

Theme 3: People, Places, and Environments. Learners develop an understanding of spatial perspectives, and examine changes in the relationship between peoples, places and environments. Students identify the key social, economic and cultural characteristics of populations in different locations as they expand their knowledge of diverse peoples and places.

CCSS.ELA-SL.3.1-5.1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

CCSS.ELA-W.3.4. With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose.

CCSS.ELA-W.4.4-5.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Back to the Top

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Indigenous Language Revitalization in California

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My Migration Story | Aya Gat | TEDxYouth@AEL

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OFFICIAL NAME: Syrian Arab Republic

FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Presidential republic

CAPITAL: Damascus

POPULATION: 20,384,316

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Arabic

MONEY: Syrian pound

AREA: 71,498 square miles (185,178 square kilometers)

MAJOR MOUNTAIN RANGES: Anti-Lebanon, Al-Ansariyyah, Jebel Bishri

MAJOR RIVERS: Euphrates, Khabur

Located in the Middle East, Syria is approximately 1.5 times bigger than the state of Pennsylvania. Bordered on the east by the Mediterranean Sea, Syria also shares borders with the countries of Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, and Lebanon. More than half of Syria is covered by the Syrian Desert, which stretches into several other countries in the Middle East. The Al-Ansariyyah mountains separate the desert from a narrow strip of northeastern land along the Mediterranean Sea known as the coastal plain. In the southeast, the Anti-Lebanon mountains separate Syria from Lebanon.

The Euphrates, the longest river in Western Asia, flows from Turkey through parts of Syria. A massive dam built alongside the river in north-central Syria led to the formation of Lake Assad, the country's largest lake.

PEOPLE AND CULTURE

Most of the Syrian population are Arab, or originally from the Arabian Peninsula and its neighboring territories. Minority groups living in the country include the Kurds, an ethnic group from a mountainous region called Kurdistan, who mostly live in northeast Syria; and the Bedouins, nomadic animal herders who move from place to place throughout North Africa and the Middle East. The majority of Syria's population lives on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea or in the Euphrates River valley.

Most Syrians are Muslim, or people who practice Islam. Some Syrians are Christians, and an even smaller part of the population follow Druze, a religion that combines Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and a few other faiths. Damascus, Syria's capital city, is considered a holy city in the religion of Islam and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. People have lived there since the second millennium B.C. It's also famous for music, especially classical Arab music.

Popular dishes in Syria include tabbouleh, a vegetarian salad made with tomato, mint, onions, and other ingredients; sujuk, or spicy fermented sausage; and shawarma, or thinly sliced meat stacked in a cone-like shape inside of pita bread. Arabic coffee is one of the most popular drinks and is typically served during family gatherings or when guests are visiting.

Syria is home to fertile plains, high mountains, and sandy deserts; however, thousands of years of human expansion have impacted the country's natural habitats. Brown bears and gray wolves are the largest carnivores that remain in the country. Striped hyenas, red foxes, caracals, and golden jackals still roam parts of Syria, but it's rare to spot many of these species.

In the desert, sand cats, golden hamsters, and venomous snakes such as black desert cobras are common, while birds of prey like bearded vultures, red kites, and white-tailed eagles can be spotted flying through Syria's mountainous regions. The Mediterranean Sea basin is considered a biodiversity hot spot-the Syrian coastline has the most diverse plant and animal life in the country. Three marine protected areas preserve plants and animals off the Syrian coast, where you can spot up to 10 different whale species, endangered Mediterranean monk seals, and loggerhead sea turtles.

Although the country does not have an official national flower, jasmine is beloved in Syria. Damascus is even known as Madinat al-Yasmin, or the City of Jasmine.

GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMY

Syria has a presidential system of government, with a president serving as head of state within the executive branch. Syria's president is elected every seven years by winning the popular vote from Syria's citizens. The president has a broad set of powers, including commanding the country's armed forces, negotiating treaties, and declaring war or states of emergency. The president also oversees the People's Council, a group of 250 elected individuals who make legislation.

Despite being a presidential republic, Syria is considered a highly authoritarian regime, or a government that gives most of the power to one person or group. That's because the al-Assad family has dominated Syrian politics since 1971. Bashar al-Assad has ruled the country as president since 2000, and his father, Hafez al-Assad, ruled the country for 30 years before him.

Petroleum, textiles, and agriculture products are some of the country's main exports, or goods sold to other countries. But an ongoing civil war in the country (see HISTORY below) has made other countries less willing to trade with Syria, and growth will be limited until the war ends.

Humans have settled in Syria for nearly 5,000 years. The earliest recorded civilization in the area was the Kingdom of Ebla, founded around 3,500 B.C. Ebla made its fortune by trading with ancient Egyptians and with nearby Mesopotamian states located by the Euphrates River.

Several empires ruled Syria during these early centuries, including the Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Muslim Arab armies-some led by the Prophet Muhammad (the founder of Islam)-invaded Syria in the A.D. 600s. The Ottoman Empire, or what's now Turkey, seized power in the 16th century.

The Ottomans ruled Syria until France took over the country in 1920, after World War I. Finally, after nearly 30 years of French occupation, Syria declared independence in 1946. Syria and Egypt united to form what was called the United Arab Republic in 1958, but the countries split apart after just three years.

Syria and other Middle Eastern nations fought several wars with Israel in the mid-20th century. In 1967, Israel took over land located at Syria's southwest border, called the Golan Heights. The two countries continue to have border disputes today.

In 2010, a pro-democracy movement known as the Arab Spring began sweeping through countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Following Arab Spring protests in Syria over the rule of President Bashar al-Assad, a civil war broke out in the country in 2011. Assad's forces used violence to try to stop the protests, but the protests-and the violence against them-continue under his presidency. The war has pitted different Muslim sects in the country against each other and has led to the death of more than 400,000 Syrians.

Millions of Syrians have fled the country since the war started to seek a better life elsewhere. The war has destroyed many of the country's historical sites, including the city of Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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This Middle Eastern country is home to some of the oldest cities in the world.

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Syria’s ruler, President Bashar al-Assad, has escaped to Russia after Syrian rebels took control of the country’s capital. But around the world, people are waiting to see what will happen next.

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Syria - What Happened in the Past? (2017)

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Syria - What Happened in the Past? (2017)

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The US has carried out missile strikes on Syria, following a suspected chemical weapons attack. But why is there conflict in Syria? Ricky explains.

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A Syrian refugee story

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Instantly access My Beautiful Birds plus over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids.

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Read Yusra Mardini: Refugee Hero and Olympic Swimmer on Epic

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Read Yusra Mardini: Refugee Hero and Olympic Swimmer on Epic

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Instantly access Yusra Mardini: Refugee Hero and Olympic Swimmer plus over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids.

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Instantly access The Library Bus plus over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids.

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I am a Migrant Stories (teacher should check each story first)

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I am a Migrant Stories (teacher should check each story first)

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Stories can be downloaded as PDFs

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"i am a migrant" is the UN Migration Agency's platform to promote diversity and inclusion of migrants in society.

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Investigate the <migr> bound base further

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Take part in the simultaneous read aloud and go from location to location with a truck cat to find out you actually belong everywhere.