The Art of Storytelling

The Art of Storytelling From the past, through the present,into the future – everlasting stories.

Oral Traditions • A work is usually defined as literature when it is a written story that displays creative imagination and artistic skills. • Many people assume that the study of literature is about books. • Every culture has its own unique literary expression. Literature can be defined more broadly to include songs, speeches, stories and invocations.

The Recording of History • The Aboriginal tradition in the recording of history is an oral one, involving legends, stories and accounts handed down through the generations in oral form. • In the Aboriginal tradition the purpose of repeating oral accounts from the past is broader than the role of written history in western societies.

Here a man and woman, copied from the watercolour by H.N. Binney (shown previously, in which they are getting out of a canoe), are now walking down a road near Charlottetown, which appears in the distance. The man is carrying furs, the woman still has the same fish, and they are accompanied by a young girl with a splint basket and a bedroll on her back. The woman's costume is heavily distorted by this copyist.

Maliseet and Mi’kmaq Storytellers • There were many storytellers in Maliseet and Mi’kmaq communities. Children hear ancient legends and tales and learn the history of their communities by talking with their elders. The stories they hear may have originated hundreds or even thousands of years ago.

Oral Traditions • Oral traditions have provided cultural continuity in Maliseet & Mi’kmaq communities through the sharing of stories, songs, history, personal experiences and social commentary. • Oral traditions are the first way people had of communicating knowledge and beliefs from one generation to the next.

Orature • The literature of aboriginal societies was based in oral traditions best described as “orature.” • Individuals who were eloquent and had a strong command of the language were highly respected in native communities. They were often storytellers.

Validation • The purpose of the accounts may be to educate the listener, to communicate aspects of culture, to socialize people into a cultural tradition, or to validate the claims of a particular family to authority and prestige.

A storyteller is… • A good storyteller could transport listeners to a particular piece of hunting territory – the lapping of the water on the lakeshore and the smell of tress. • A storyteller could evoke the lessons of ancestors long passed away. • A storyteller could shape the opinions of people reminding them of past actions and historical events. In any oral tradition, spoken words had the power to capture the imagination and transform reality.

Drawing your own conclusions • Those who hear the oral accounts draw their own conclusions from what they have heard, and they do so in the particular context (time, place and situation) of the telling of the story. • Thus, the meaning to be drawn from an oral account depends on who is telling it, the circumstances in which the account is told, and the interpretation the listener gives to what has been heard.

A Vital Ingredient…Part of the Spice of Life • In this way, Aboriginals used songs, legends and stories to express their understanding of their world; they were also used to pass on the histories of their people to future generations. • In particular, storytelling was a vital ingredient in teaching young children and youths. Stories were often used to discipline children. • This was generally done in a humorous way because teasing and joking served as a more effective social mechanism in many Aboriginal cultures than direct reproof, pointing out mistakes.

Oral Accounts • Oral accounts of the past include a good deal of subjective experience. They are not simply a detached recounting of factual events but, rather, are facts enmeshed in the stories of a lifetime. • They are also likely to be rooted in particular locations, making reference to particular families and communities.

Characterized History • This contributes to a sense that there are many histories, each characterized in part by how a people see themselves, how they define their identity in relation to their environment, and how they express their uniqueness as a people.

Immediacy • Unlike western tradition, which creates a sense of distance in time between the listener or reader and the events being described, the tendency of Aboriginal perspectives is to create a sense of immediacy. • This is done by encouraging listeners to imagine that they are participating in the past event being recounted.

Categorized as “Inferior” • Some Europeans newcomers considered Aboriginal cultures to be inferior because they lacked written forms of communication. • However, many earlier colonial administrators soon came to appreciate the verbal skill and artistry of Aboriginal leaders and orators. • At treaty sessions and council meetings, government officials found themselves having to adapt to the complex oratory of Aboriginal spokespersons.

In fact… • In reality, the oral traditions were intricate and full of meaning. Aboriginal orators were highly respected, and words had a great deal of power. Orators used wit, metaphor, irony, emotion, imagery and eloquence to enrich their orature. • Many of the old stories have slipped away with the passing of elders and through the loss of culture because of assimilation. The precarious (uncertain) state of many Aboriginal languages also presents a challenge to storytelling traditions.

Contemporary Times • Maliseet and Mi’kmaq storytelling in recent years has suffered from some of the same pressures as other Canadian oral traditions. • There are fewer times when extended families get together. Almost all households have one or more television sets. • Along with these factors, the increasing use of English in Native communities has created a further problem for Maliseet and Mi’kmaq stories, which are seldom told in English.

Reclaiming the past • Nevertheless, the oral traditions of Aboriginal societies continue today. • Aboriginal storytellers are reclaiming the stories of their people, and in many cases, relating them in the context of the contemporary lives of Aboriginal societies. • Contemporary storytellers are also expanding their audiences, by adapting oral traditions to radio, television, theatre, music and books.

That’s all… The End

The Art of Storytelling