Storytelling begins with the art of inspiring listeners to use their imaginations. As an inspirational scene unfolds, the power of the story to evoke an emotional or spiritual response grows. The dialogue and reflections of the characters combine with the setting to infuse a creative vision with life. The storyteller has ever been a bringer of Medicine to the People. The healing comes in the form of spiritual mending, psychological rebalancing, humorous emotional relief, and even distraction from everyday conflicts and tribulations. Most of all, the storyteller brought the gift of wisdom to the community, engaging the hearts and minds of both young and old alike. Indigenous cultures especially honored the visiting storytellers who strengthened and connected tribes with ancestral knowledge. These early storytellers were the first record keepers, the preservers of the "Oral Tradition." Some Native American tribes referred to story keepers as "Twisted Hairs" for their distinctively twisted top knots.
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| Modern technology brings the art of storytelling back to the People with Podcasts |
In today's busy world of Internet communication devices, the storyteller is making a comeback through such mediums as Podcasts. Here we find new voices and new formatting emerging to keep the art of listening alive with the convenience of WiFi and smart phones. My intention this year is to create a storytelling Podcast called MY FAMILY BOOK NOOK to preserve ancient tales from around the globe and to give listeners a chance to enjoy THE FAIRY LORE OF GHOST HORSE HOLLOW as an ongoing adventure. This tale is set one hundred years in the future in the Appalachian Wilderness, eastern Kentucky in particular. The story is a contemporary fairy tale of sorts, as it unfolds after global climate transitions in the genre of Post-Apocalyptic epic fantasy.
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| Epic fantasies inspire role playing |
Stories transform listeners, pushing boundaries of empathic responses to the plight and conditions of characters. As we identify with a fabulous character, we are drawn into his or her world, encouraging us as listeners to imagine more of that world on our own. Children and adults both enjoy role playing. A good story gets the theatrical juices flowing with costumes and props improvised from around the home. Louisa May Alcott's famous
Little Women, for example, was full of home theatrics, as was
Anne of Green Gables. Jo and Anne's lives were enriched with acting out scenes and imagining new ones. A good story may also evoke tears of sorrow as well as tears of happiness, for heroes and heroines inspire our hearts to soar. One of the most inspirational films ab
out storytelling is
Dreamkeeper with August Schellenberg as Grandpa Pete Chasing Horse and Eddie Spears
as Shane Chasing Horse. The beautiful movie features Native American traditional stories from many tribes. The episodic nature of these stories is artfully combined with the contemporary journey of a grandfather and his grandson to the All Nations Powwow. I highly recommend this film as a sensitive perspective into the nature of the healing Medicine ways of the Oral Tradition.
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| Eagle Boy is one of the characters in Dreamkeeper (2003) |
Without storytelling, humankind would never have evolved such an eager capacity to imagine new worlds or to journey into the unknown. My hope is that the new Podcast MY FAMILY BOOK NOOK will inspire listeners to care for the Earth and to awaken a deeper sense of generosity, tolerance, and nobility in humankind.
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| Families enjoy quality time with stories, books, and Podcasts |
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