Memory, Place, and Blood

I am fascinated by the idea of oral storytelling and the elements that can stir or remind us of those stories. To me, oral story telling is a far more intimate and sacred form of storytelling. When the words are put to the page, something is lost. Though it can still have a beauty, the elements of drama and performance and relationship with the author is lost. To tell a story orally, you need to feel comfortable with your audience and your surroundings. When we tell a story to our friends, it’s not usually done while walking across the street, but rather in a coffee shop you frequent or your living room. For Native Americans, the place for storytelling is just as important as the story itself. The ancient stories are based in the land and surrounding environment that, very often, the story originated in.

Native Americans and all of us really, relate stories from another source as well. Those passed down from generation to generation. While we create our own stories in our lifetime about our adventures, triumphs, and tribulations, our ancestors have stories to tell as well. There is nothing that I love more than sitting with my grandma, listening to her stories from childhood. The way of life was different, the importance of values that too easily get lost in the hustle of the modern day world. But through the stories that she tells, I can embrace and relive the days of calm and happiness with her. And then, when I have children, I can tell her stories to them and the ideas that she was transposing to me will pass on to them as well. In this way, the ideas and values behind those stories will never be lost, and in another essence, neither will my grandma.

In Native American culture, this idea of storytelling that is passed on to the next, very often teaches a lesson or a story that the next generation can embrace and learn from. For example, in the Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich, Omakya’s family members tell stories to teach the children in the family lessons. Omakaya’s father tells the story of man-eating ghosts that lived on an island along their fishing/hunting path. It seems fantastical and entertaining, the idea of these hungry female presences arguing over his flesh and his daring escape from their clutches. But beneath it lurks a lesson about brashness and the importance of the advice of others. Her father had been warned about the island, told of its dangers, and yet he and his men settled there for the night regardless. This almost led to their demise if it had not been for his bravery and quick-thinking.

Oral storytelling has a lot to offer. Beyond the story and its elements, there is the relationship to the audience and the ability to captivate and enthrall them with theatrical and personal elements. To see the speaker, to read their eyes rather than their words, to hear their tone and diction, and to understand the person who opens up enough to you to tell such a tale is the beauty behind oral storytelling. It creates a bond between the storyteller and the audience that allows for an entirely different experience in the story. It’s an art that should never be overlooked and should never be forgotten.