Oral storytelling

Oral storytelling is an ancient tradition and the most personal and intimate form of storytelling. The storyteller and the listeners are physically close as well as, through the story connection, psychically close. The storyteller reveals, and thus shares, him/her self through his/her telling and the listeners reveal and share themselves through their reception of the story. The intimacy and connection is deepened by the flexibility of oral storytelling which allows the tale to be moulded according to the needs of the audience and/or the location or environment of the telling. Listeners also experience the immediacy of a creative process taking place in their presence and, even more than that, they experience the empowerment of being a part of that creative process.

The flexibility of oral storytelling extends to the teller. Each teller will bring their own personality and character to the story. Some tellers consider anything outside the narrative as extraneous while other storytellers choose to enhance their telling of the tale with the addition of visual and audio tools, specific actions and creative strategies and devices.

Human Need

"Storyteller Under Sunny Skies," a clay sculpture by Rose Pecos-Sun Rhodes (Jemez Pueblo), 1993, in the permanent collection of The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis

It is likely that oral storytelling has been around as long as human language. Storytelling is what makes us human. Storytelling fulfills the need for human beings to cast their experiences in narrative form. Our ancestors probably gathered around the evening fires and expressed their fears, their beliefs and their heroism through oral narratives. This long tradition of storytelling is evident in ancient cultures such as the Australian Aborigines. Community storytelling offered the security of explanation; how life and its many forms began and why things happen, as well as entertainment and enchantment. Communities were strengthened and maintained through stories that connected the present, the past and the future.

Telling stories is a nurturing act for the listener, who is connected to the storyteller through the story, as well as for the storyteller who is connected to the listeners through the story.

History

The earliest storytelling probably consisted of simple chants. People sang chants as they worked at grinding corn or sharpening tools. Our early ancestors created myths to explain natural occurrences. They assigned superhuman qualities to ordinary people, thus originating the hero tale.

Early storytelling combined stories, poetry, music, and dance. Storytelling was natural for everyone but those who excelled at it became entertainers, educators, cultural advisors and historians for the community. The history of a culture was handed down from generation to generation through the storytellers.

The importance of stories and storytellers throughout human history is evidenced by the reverence and respect afforded to storytellers, such as the African griot and the Irlish seanchaí.

The 9th century fictional storyteller Scheherazade of 1001 Nights, who saves herself from execution by telling tales, is one example illustrating the value placed on storytelling in days of old. Centuries before Scheherazade the power of storytelling is reflected by Vyasa at the beginning of the Indian epic, Mahabharata, who says, “If you listen carefully, at the end you’ll be someone else.”

In the Middle Ages storytellers could be seen in the market places and were honoured members of in royal courts. A Medieval storyteller, also called a troubadour or a minstrel, was expected to know all the current tales and in the words of American storyteller Ruth Sawyer, ‘to repeat all the noteworthy theses from the universities, to be well informed on court scandal, to know the healing power of herbs and simples (medicines), to be able to compose verses to a lord or lady at a moment's notice, and to play on at least two of the instruments then in favour at court.’ According to some writers there were 426 minstrels employed at the wedding of Princess Margaret of England in 1290. Two of the storytellers of the court of King Edward I were two women who performed under the names of Matill Makejoye and Pearl in the Egg.

Travelling storytellers journeyed from land to land, gathering news and learning the favourite stories of various regions. Storytellers exchanged stories and changed stories so that it is difficult to trace the origins of many stories.

In the 1800s Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm collected and published stories that had been told orally in Germany. They did not publish them as they found them however, but edited them in accordance with their own values. Like the Grimm brothers in Germany, Peter Asbjornsen and Jorgen Moe collected Norwegian folk tales. In Denmark Hans Christian Andersen adapted folktales he heard from oral storytellers. In England, Joseph Jacobs recorded collections of folktales of England, Scotland, Wales.

In the 1900s the importance of oral storytelling was recognised by storytellers such as Marie Shedlock, a retired English schoolteacher. She made several tours to the United States to lecture on the art of storytelling emphasising the importance of storytelling as a natural way to introduce literature to children.

Oral storytelling festivals

In the 20th century oral storytelling has undergone a revival of interest and focus. Including the establishment of a number of storytelling festivals beginning with the National Storytelling Festival (USA) in Jonesborough, TN.

Films

• How People Got Fire - Animated film about oral storytelling in Native culture

References

1.Jane Yolen; Favorite Folktales From Around the World.
2.Stone, Packer & Hoopes (1983); The Short Story-An Introduction
3.Carlson, Ann D. Storytelling. World Book Advanced. 2009
4.Wolf, Eric Interview with Connie Regan-Blake on the Art of Storytelling with Brother Wolf Show A history of the National Storytelling Festival. 2008

External links

• Article about storytelling
• Tim Sheppard's Storytelling Resources