Schema
“The Invisible Warrior”
A Native American Folk Tale
Review
Let’s review our schema about
schema.
 Another word for schema is …
 Schema is…
 I can use schema to help me…
Activity


Today we will read a folk tale called “The
Invisible Warrior” to build schema for your
Native American unit.
I want you to do two things while we read:
1. Activate your schema for a story that
is similar to “The Invisible Warrior.”
2. Think about what this tribe values.
It will give you schema for this tribe.
The Invisible
Warrior
A Native American Story
Retold by Lin Donn
Illustrated by Phillip Martin
The Invisible Warrior
Native Americans taught their
children about good behavior by
using folk tales, myths, and
legends to make a point.
This folk tale is from an
Eastern Woodland tribe. Similar
folk tales appear in many
cultures, but each one reflects
the culture of the people telling
the story.
The Invisible Warrior
A long time ago, there lived a great
warrior. There were many stories about
this strange and magical warrior.
One story said he could make
himself invisible. He could wander
among the enemies of the tribe and
hear all of their war plans.
The Invisible Warrior
Another story told of his great
loneliness. The only person who could
see the invisible warrior was his sister.
He loved his sister, but he wanted a
wife who was gentle and truthful.
He vowed he would not marry until
he found a maiden, besides his sister,
who could truly see him.
The Invisible Warrior
He used a trick to see if the maidens
could truly see him. He had his sister lead
each maiden towards him as he pulled his
sled.
His sister asked each woman if she
could see the invisible warrior.
“Oh, yes!” each maiden replied.
“What is he pulling?
“His sled!” they answered.
Everyone knew that!
The Invisible Warrior
“How is the sled tied?” the
sister would ask.
One said with strong rope.
Another said with strong vines.
Still another said with strong
leather.
Since none of the answers
were correct, the invisible
warrior knew they had lied.
The Invisible Warrior
Maiden after maiden attempted to marry the famous
warrior, but none passed the test.
The invisible warrior
thought about talking to the
chief. The chief had three
daughters. Maybe he
could marry one of them.
The Invisible Warrior
The two oldest sisters were very cruel. The youngest,
however, was kind and gentle.
Jealous of her beauty, her sisters
rubbed her face with hot coals, scarring
her face. They cut her long hair. They
made her do all the work, theirs as well as
her own. If she refused, they told lies
about her to their father. The youngest
was too gentle and afraid to complain.
The Invisible Warrior
All of the chief’s daughters wanted to
marry The Invisible Warrior because he
was magical.
The two oldest sisters came to the meeting
place. One said his sled was
tied with a strong braid of human
hair. The other said it was tied with
mighty branches. Neither answer was
correct, so the warrior sent them back to
their father.
The Invisible Warrior
When her work was done for the day, the youngest sister
arrived at the meeting place, just as the sun was setting.
When asked how his sled was tied, her face lit up with
pleasure.
“With a rainbow,” she answered softly.
With joy, The Invisible Warrior knew he had
found his wife at last.
The Invisible Warrior
As time passed, the chief’s
youngest daughter gave birth to a
strong son.
Her hair grew long. Her scars
disappeared. Her life was full and
happy.
The Invisible Warrior
To her, the warrior was
not invisible; everyone could
see, if they simply looked.
Her warrior was the most
wonderful man in the world!
The invisible warrior and his
wife lived happily together for
the rest of their lives.
The Invisible Warrior
As for the two ugly sisters, they lived together in a tent –
unmarried, unloved, and ignored. As the years went on,
many stories were told of the ugly sisters’ unhappiness.
When maidens
heard the stories,
they vowed never to
be mean again.
Questions
Question:
What fairy tale does this story remind you of?
Question:
What trait does this tribe value in women?
Question:
What new schema do you have from the story or
the activity?