Problem
Learning Goal: I am able to identify and explain how the elements of fiction contribute to the overall appeal of a narrative.
Minds On
In the next few lessons, we will be focusing our attention on storytelling, and to be more precise, short narratives.
" All that we are is story. From the moment we are born to the time we continue on our spirit journey, we are involved in the creation of the story of our time here. It is what we arrive with. It is all we leave behind. We are not the things we accumulate. We are not the things we deem important. We are story. All of us. What comes to matter then is the creation of the best possible story we can while we're here; you, me, us, together. When we can do that and we take the time to share those stories with each other, we get bigger inside, we see each other, we recognize our kinship - we change the world, one story at a time..." Richard Wagamese.
Like many other cultures, Indigenous communities made sense of their world through storytelling. The stories passed down through the oral tradition of Indigenous communities are ways of recording the history, culture, and beliefs of each nation. Along with narratives, the oral tradition also includes oratory (formal speech) and song.
In recent history, many oral narratives have been recorded in audio or visual recordings, which have then been transcribed into writing, therefore continuing the tradition of oral storytelling for the 21st Century.
Megan Bertasson's states:
"I tell this story because I believe that one of the most important defenses that Aboriginal Peoples have engaged in has been storytelling."
• How can the stories of a people (FIRST NATIONS) help those outside the culture to understand aspects of a culture?
• Why is sharing stories an effective way to defend other people? How can the stories of a people help those outside the culture to understand aspects of a culture?