depicts him telling a story with many children sitting on his shoulders, knees, arms, and legs while listening attentively Cordero's ideas spawned other Pueblo artists who began making storyteller figures. The proliferation of storyteller dolls by other Pueblo potters indicates, that they, too, remember experiences with a grandmother, grandfather, or another important adult who told them cherished stories of their culture. The storyteller figures represent the power of the story/There are people blessed with the gift of story, but the power of story is not unique to the Native American culture or to the gifted one; it is universal and exists in many cultures. It is the power to remember, to entertain, to teach, to inspire, to create, and to know. THE POWER TO REMEMBER The power of story as "the power to remember" was well known to our ancestors who passed information by word of mouth. The folktales, legends, and myths of the past have been passed down for centuries, preserved because they were organized in story form, easy to remember, and could be told again and again. Children who had the opportunity to hear these stories internalized the structure of each story form and knew that: after the second wish, there will always be a third; after the wicked witch there will be a rescuer; after the fateful event, the animals were changed forever; and after the wrath of the vengeful one, good would prevail. Children can remember these powerful tales of the past when adults share the rich literature derived from "oft-told" stories that have survived the centuries. Similarly, we can link children to their elders by capturing the adults' "power to remember." Amy, a teacher who grew up in Tennessee, was anxious to preserve the oral tradition of her heritage. On the first weekend in October, she and thousands of other teachers went to historic Jonesborough, Tennessee for the annual storytelling festival of the National Association for the Preservation and Perpetuation of Storytelling |
(NAPPS). According to Jimmy Neal Smith (1992), a former teacher and the executive director and founder of the Storytelling festival, teachers come to the oldest town in Tennessee for an autumn weekend in celebration of the story. Inside one multicolored tent, teachers, families with children, librarians, and scholars gather to hear storytellers. The storytellers include: South Carolina Islanders telling Gullah tales, an Appalachian man spinning Jack tales, an African-American historian reminiscing about her childhood in the South, a Western cowboy telling stories in poetry form, and an Irishman using a Celtic harp to accompany his story. Beginning storytellers gather at the "swapping place" in the center of town and volunteer to tell stories to all who will stop. Here, many teachers timidly, then confidently, practice their storytelling techniques. All over this little picturesque town, circus tents are set up on the hills and in the valleys. In one tent there are many resource books on using stories to teach, collections of stories to be told, and tapes of famous storytellers. One father in the tent purchased several tapes of storytellers for his eight-year-old daughter to listen to on their journey back home to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. At this festival it is evident that parents and teachers have recognized the value of the story to remember and to teach. THE POWER TO ENTERTAIN Whether laughing out loud or chuckling to himself, Pop can start a story at the drop of a hat. The phrase "that reminds me of the time..." identifies for the adults and the children at the family reunion that one of Pop's stories is about to begin. As the story progresses, the children participate in the ritual by asking, "And then what happened, Pop?" Whether it is a tale of two young boys trying to find an escape from the hot summer farm work by dashing for the cool of the pond, or an escapade in search of some sure-fire way to make enough money for the county fair, the humor, the good natured teasing, the gestures, and the pauses invite |