Indigenous knowledges encompass the cultural traditions, values, and belief systems concerned with the everyday realities of living in a particular place. They are imparted to the younger generation by community elders or are gained through direct experience of nature and its relationship with the social world. This collection of essays discusses…

The Bedouins of ancient Arabia and Persia made poetry a conversational art form, and several poetic forms developed from the participatory nature of tribal poetry. Today in most Arab cultures, people may still experience public storytelling and spontaneous poetry challenges in the streets. The art of turning a rhyme into sly verbal sparring is…

Describes an approach for team teaching a Native American literatures course that integrates diverse literary critical theories. Using the novel "Winter in the Blood" as an example, a sociocultural critical approach analyzes the "Indianness" of the text and an analysis using objective and formal criteria allows the novel to be…

Discusses the potential for stories in the foreign language curriculum, and presents results of a qualitative research study in which 22 stories from the oral traditions of Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico were presented to students in different formats: picture books, audiotapes, videotapes, a Web page, and a Hypermedia program. (Author/VWL)

This activity book is designed for grades 5-8 to look at America at home during World War II. The work examines the efforts of the men, women, and children who supported and supplied one of the greatest mobilizations of people and material that the world has ever witnessed. The activities were planned to compliment the exhibit of the same name,…

This book consists of a compilation of 28 stories, mostly first-person accounts of life in the Sequatchie Valley of southeastern Tennessee (some from earlier times) written in simplified language to provide high-interest reading material for adult readers in rural areas. The book is printed in large type. Many of the stories provide pertinent…

Beginning with the question "How would you define wisdom?" interviews with five Native elders focused on Native American world views or philosophies. Four themes emerged: the concept of respect, spirituality as a cultural principle permeating all aspects of life, family relationships including extended family, and various educational…

Native-speaking Northern Arapaho elders produced bilingual booklets for their reservation schools that, due to their ephemeral nature and local context, provided access to intimate information about their producers and contexts. These booklets provide the best example within the culture of how traditional practices of oral performance…

Many American Indian students are alienated from schooling by the obvious disparities and conflicts between language usage in the oral tradition of their communities and that required in written academic discourse. A community-based language model used with Lakota college students empowers students by teaching critical writing that fuses…

Draws a connection between the techniques of storytelling and the content knowledge of history. Notes the many fables, tall tales, and legends that have historical incidents as their inspiration. Outlines some specific functions and steps of a story and provides an exercise for students or teachers to develop their own stories. (MJP)

A 4-week program in Vancouver (British Columbia) used traditional and academic formats to connect Aboriginal communities throughout British Columbia with each other and with Maori participants from New Zealand. A conference, a symposium and graduate courses covered the role of Aboriginal art, politics of transforming education, revitalization of…

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.…

American Indian children have systematically been denied the opportunity to learn about their origin stories and oral traditions in the mainstream American public school system and have suffered from approaches long documented as failing them. Tribal entities across the nation are making concerted efforts to revitalize Native languages and…

The book is divided into four sections in a way that ensures seasonal recognition and environmental awareness. Each chapter within the sections begins with one or more oral histories from Native nations relevant to the concepts and ideas covered in that chapter. The student is introduced to the Native perspective through the concept of the circle,…

A special theme issue of this biannually published journal illustrates a range of topics that public folklorists in New York state have addressed in their work. The first article, "Forty Years before the Mast: Sailing the Stormy and Serene Seas of Public Folklore" by Bruce R. Buckley, introduces the volume by setting public folklore in…