In north central Virginia there is a local tale--The Legend of Jump Mountain, which purports to explain the origins of the Hayes Creek Indian Burial Mound. A highly romantic legend, it immortalizes post colonial intertribal warfare during the early nineteenth century while ignoring the antiquity of the mound and the local descendants of its…

A short story compares an old man's tale of why the woodland animals prepare for winter and the leaves change colors with a teacher's science-based explanations. Commentary distinguishes inquiry of wonder (why) and inquiry of power (how), and suggests ways to record the story for oral retelling and adapt it for use with young, older, and…

Suggests that stories are a survival mechanism--they are the way people make sense of their lives. Notes the author has made it her personal mission to encourage people to tell their own stories, the stories that will die with people if they do not pass them on. Includes excerpts from the author's readers theater scripts to illustrate the…

Ten stories, in poem and narrative form, told by Anna Nelson Harry, are presented here. The stories represent a portion of the oral tradition of the Eyak, an Alaskan native nation of which few native speakers remain. An introductory section chronicles the history and decline of the Eyak, the research undertaken to preserve their culture, and the…

Based on her belief that all of our lives are stories that are pieces to a puzzle forming the truth behind the sacredness of life, Anne Dunn--Ojibwe storyteller and author--seeks to build bridges between cultures, between generations, and between oral and written storytelling. Includes a review of her book "When Beaver Was Very Great."…

''Stories do not simply contain knowledge, they are themselves the knowledge'' (Jackson (In: K. Eagan, H. McEwan (Eds.), Narrative in Teaching, Learning and Research, Teacher College Press, New York, 1995, p. 5)). How can we teach well? Perhaps we can find answers through our stories from the classroom. It is through our stories that we make sense…

Coeur d'Alene School District (Idaho) developed an American Indian oral literature curriculum component with the help of the neighboring Coeur d'Alene people. This book is based on a general background guide that provides classroom teachers with a context for understanding Coeur d'Alene narratives incorporated into the curriculum. The book also…

This book provides the basic knowledge to be able to tell stories. The stories presented target children in preschool through sixth grade. Following an introduction which considers the value of storytelling in culture and in education, the first chapter explains how to use the book and introduces the "telling guide," which appears…

This children's book relates the story of Travis and Laura and how their grandfather, a Maidu Indian, teaches them about their history and culture through stories. The book stresses the importance of storytelling as the traditional way of passing on the history of Indian peoples. As part of a school project, Travis tells his classmates the Maidu…

Although traditional indigenous stories are widely recognized for their artistic merits and their role in the linguistic and cultural continuity of indigenous peoples, they are seldom used in schools. This paper discusses the instructional uses of traditional coyote stories, with particular reference to bilingual revitalization programs involving…

Discusses the use of storytelling by teachers and librarians to promote reading. Topics include folktales; communication through story; oral traditions; learning through story; impact on reading, comprehension, and composition skills; telling/listening interaction; storytelling as a leadership skill; and story and inquiry or discovery learning.…

Traditionally, an important function of folktales in West Africa has been to educate, as the older generation imparts knowledge to younger members of the family, tribe, societal unit, or ethnic group both informally in everyday life and more formally within the context of the bush schools. This anthology of West African folk literature offers more…

This collection of writings was compiled over a 19-year period (1972-91) by the last writer and one of the last storytellers of the Kenai dialect of Dena'ina (Tanaina) language of Cook Inlet, Alaska. Peter Kalifornsky is a literary artist and scholar born in 1911. The 147 writings are organized in eight chapters, with a prelude containing two…