Cultural Corner

Storytelling is practiced by all cultures around the world.  To the Mohawks and other Iroquois Nations, the telling and reciting of stories is very important.  They tell us about our past and prepare us for the future.  Some stories are historical while others are for pure entertainment.  Iroquois lesson stories teach children how to look at the world around them and answer their questions as to why things are the way they are.  These tales usually have a moral to them.  Such morals include:  respecting your Elders, why cheating is wrong, some legends tell us why some trees remain green year round, why the bear has no tail and why the turkey buzzard has no feathers on his head.  Most Iroquois stories are very old and are handed down through the generations through oral tradition.  All of these stories are intended for everyone’s enjoyment.

In the old days, Iroquois storytellers were considered welcome guests from village to village.  A family felt very honored to have a traveling storyteller stay at their home.  With no television, video games or radios in their homes, storytellers were the entertainment during the long winter months. Some storytellers carried with them a bag filled with many different objects.  Each item would remind the storyteller of a certain story.  Perhaps a youngster selected an eagle talon from the pouch. The storyteller would then proceed to recite the tale behind the claw.

Television, for the most part, has taken over the role of a storyteller in peoples’ homes.  In a way, television has limited the creative imagination of young and old people alike.  When a storyteller’s tale or legend unfolds the audience creates their own image in their mind.  The T.V. on the other hand, creates the visual image for it’s viewers and by doing so, their imagination is not needed as much.

There are still plenty of storytellers today.  Probably every community in the world has at least one person who is known for his or her storytelling.  Perhaps you have heard stories from your parents or grandparents.  They told you of a time when there were no cars, no television, or radios.  Maybe they told you about a war they were in or a famous person they met.  Whatever the subject of the story, it is almost always fun to hear and most times you may learn something by just listening.

Next week ‘Okwari:kowa’ as told by Kanietakeron