FREEPORT – George Neptune has a way of making learning at once experiential and fun. That combination made him a hit last week at Mast Landing School in Freeport, where Neptune told students the history and culture of the four Maine Indian tribes, collectively known as the Wabanaki, or “People of the Dawnland.”

With a grant secured through the Parents Teachers Organization, Neptune spoke to the third-, fourth- and fifth-graders Dec. 10 and 11. He works at the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor, which focuses on Native American culture and its history in the state.

Neptune told a group of fourth-graders that the Wabanaki includes descendants of the Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Micmac and Maliseet tribes.

As soon as the students arrived to meet Neptune in the school’s atrium, Neptune brought them in closer, to sit down on the carpet. His manner was soft yet filled with expression, inviting that type of intimacy. He emphasized flexibility.

“You can call me George,” Neptune began. “Some places prefer the name ‘Native American,’ some places prefer ‘Indian.’ It really depends on where you are. I find the best way to find out is just to ask.”

Neptune shared “creation stories” with the students. He explained that, in Wabanaki culture, the creator could have been a “he” or a “she.”

The creator made “lots and lots of stuff on this place we now call earth,” Neptune told the students. “He couldn’t do it all himself, so he created Koluskap. The light inside the earth was Koluskap’s mind. Koluskap was aware of himself, but had no body. Koluskap stuck pieces of dirt together, and got it to move and run around. He made hands, which made the rest of the body.”

Students then learned that Wabanaki culture tells of a time when there was no difference between humans and animals.

“Some people got locked in their animal forms, and some people got locked in their human forms,” he explained.

When Koluskap got to the land of the dawn, Neptune said, he made people out of rocks, into dwarfs or gnomes.

“He created the Wabanaki people from the brown ash tree,” Neptune said. “That’s why some find basket-weaving so spiritual.”

As he spoke, Neptune, 25, crouched as would a certain being or animal, much to the students’ amusement.

“It was fun to guess what animals he was acting out in the story before he told us what they were,” said Megan Driscoll. “It was good how he acted out the characters.”

Classmate Ella Vertenten agreed.

“It was really funny how he acted out all the different characters and their personalities,” Vertenten said. “It was fun to hear and learn all the Indian words.”

Neptune had Andrew Morrissey’s attention, too.

“He made lots of jokes and was funny which made us want to listen,” Morrissey said. “I personally like to listen to legends. I think they are cool stories.”

Fourth-grade teachers Jona Chase, Laurie Allen, Sally Martin, Gayle Wolotsky and Nadya Pearson all included Native American studies into their curriculum this fall.

“We thought this would make our Native studies a little more interesting,” Allen said.

One goal, Martin said, is to move away from the “movie mentality” and stereotyping of Native Americans.

“I hope the students get that the Native Americans are part of our culture today – that they’re still with us,” Chase said. “Cities and towns and rivers have their names. I think (students) need to be aware of the impact this culture has on us, and visa versa. We are hoping that will transfer to other cultures. That way, one person is not just one thing.”

George Neptune, a guest speaker from the Abbe Museum of Bar Harbor, delighted students at Mast Landing School in Freeport with his laid-back, humorous style last week.