Several cultures—such as certain Native American tribes and African societies—have a long- running tradition of oral storytelling that continues today.Native American storytelling is deeply entrenched in their spiritual belief and practice. Cherokee storyteller EagleWoman describes the two types of stories told by her tribe in thisway:


First, there are the sacred stories. These stories are the serious type of stories which tell about why the Cherokee came to have certain healings, songs and that sort of thing. The second type of stories are the small animal stories. These stories tell why a certain animal looks theway they do, or act theyway they do.


And, as Lumbee storyteller Barbara Braveboy-Locklear notes, storytelling is also a way of preserving Native American traditions:


The art of storytelling is a much-respected position among tribes and is usually reserved for the elders. The distinctive work of the grandparents is that of acquainting the childrenwith the traditions and beliefs of the nation. It is reserved for themto repeat the time- hallowed taleswith dignity and authority, so as to lead the child into the inheritance of the stored-upwisdomand experience of the race.


Today, theUnited States is experiencing a resurgence of oral storytelling. Programs like National Public Radio’s “This American Life,” TheMoth and StoryCorps work to record, preserve and share the extraordinary and diverse stories of people from all walks of life. In Jonesborough,


Tennessee the


International Storytelling Center hosts the annual National Storytelling Festival. Tellers and listeners from all over the United States attend the festival to experience live storytelling at its best.


Donald Davis performing at the National Storytelling Festival


Formore information about story- telling, check out these resources: storycorps.org


www.storytellingcenter.net www.storynet.org


15


Fresh Air Photo


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24