Goat in the Rug

Identify the human resource in the story.

Glenmae, a Navajo weaver.

Identify the capital resource in the beginning of the story that was Geraldine’s first clue that she was about to be sheared.

Scissors.

Explain how Glenmae used natural resources to clean the wool she clipped from Geraldine.

She mixed roots from the yucca plant with water.

One of the productive resources Glenmae used was dye to color the wool. What natural resources did the dye come from?

The dye came from these plants: rabbit brush, wild onion, cliffrose, sumac, juniper, walnut, dock.

List the steps in the production of the rug and the human, capital, and natural resources needed to perform each step.

Production Steps – Human Resource – Capital Resource – Natural Resource

clip Geraldines wool – Glenmae – scissors –

make soap to clean wool – Glenmae – mallet – yucca plant roots, water

wash the wool – Glenmae – bucket, pan – 

dry the wool – Glenmae –   – sun

comb the wool – Glenmae – square combs – 

spin the wool into yarn – Glenmae – spindle –

dye the wool – Glenmae – Pots, stick pole – 

wrap the loom poles – Glenmae – two poles – 

weave the rug – Glenmae – loom – 

Did Glenmae produce a good or service?

She produced a rug, which is a good.

Extra Credit Questions!

Human capital is a term that describes the training and skills that someone has acquired to help produce a good or service. What human capital does Glenmae have?

She has many skills! She knows how to clip sheep, make soap to wash the wool, and create dyes from plants. She also knows how to dry, comb, spin, and weave.

In our modern economy, do you think people who have acquired a lot of human capital are more likely to earn high wages or low wages?

High wages! People who have lots of human capital are usually highly productive and typically have high incomes.