February 3, 2021

Years ago, when I was in Yellowstone  National Park, one of our group members would tell us stories to get us acquainted with our astounding surroundings.  His numerous trips to Yellowstone  allowed him  to learn and retell stories about the land.  One story was  about a  decaying bison corpse and another about a pine cone. The  Pine cone story was of  Indigenous origin and has been told throughout history.   The telling this ancient tale continued history and taught about identifying  the Douglas fir through its pine cone.

https://www.naturekidsbc.ca/douglas-fir-and-the-mice/

Truly gifted storytellers amaze me,  but even you and I can share stories which have an impact on others.  Some the  Seedlings kids  are adept at crafting stories as we walk along the rutted dirt paths.  I  too enjoy sharing  my tales about my backpacking adventures and nature stories with them.  My hope is to inspire them to seek out their own stories.

Children always seem to be excited about telling tales around the fire.  Once a group of us were hiking in the dark woods. The kids had this desire to stop and tell stories.  One of the kids even invented their own “fire” by placing a flashlight under a plastic water bottle.  Illuminated by the homemade light, the kids gathered and began to spin stories, some old and some made up on the fly.  It was fascinating.

I remember, with fondness, the nights I spent at my daughter’s beside.  Her request, “Mom, tell me a story.” Some nights they were fantasy tales about walking along the beach, other nights they were stories about my childhood.   As an adult I still ask my mother about stories from her youth, especially the story about when she was kidnapped on a Brooklyn street!  Through storytelling we can teach history, family traditions,  be transported to places we’ve never been or inspire wonder.

Historically, storytelling has been accomplished through spoken word, written word, music, art and dance but with the advent of technology so many more options  are available to us.  Sit back and think about the stories within you and find some time to share them! 

I’ve attached video links to two interesting people telling stories in their own way. They are family  friendly. I hope you enjoy them.  

Sue

Artist – Roy Borloga (Thank you Kathy)