| Revitalizing Native American culture through practice of storytelling skills is both health giving to the teller and the community. In traditional Native culture, storytelling is one of the essential skills for passing on culture and traditional ecological knowledge. Storytelling was badly damaged through historic genocide and ongoing acculturation. This workshop is presented by a storyteller and humanities expert in collaboration with a speaker of Native languages assisted by a professional musician. Participants will be introduced to the practice of telling traditional Paiute and Yokuts stories derived from ethnographic texts, with an introductory experience to Native languages. This is an introductory experience to help participants find a way to work with traditional stories, value working with tribal elders, and how to bring life out of texts to create imaginative retellings using repetition, rhythm and vocal intonation. Following the workshop, Susan will tell a sampling of Native California stories including her versions of stories from the workshop. This performance is open to the general public as well as workshop attendees. These stories share traditional ecological knowledge of wildlife and the precious value of water. The performance will be followed by a Q&A discussion with Susan and Jefferson Greene. |
