Intended audience: All ages (Pre-K and up)
Why this audience?: This story is great to incorporate into a social studies curriculum when students are studying Native Americans. The importance many Native American tribes place on oral tradition is a relevant aspect of these cultures and one that should not go overlooked. This story is also a great opener when talking to any audience about the importance of storytellers. To begin a storytelling performance with a story like this is to immediately capture an audience's attention.
Characters: Foster Mother
Son
Story Stone
Boy
Son
Story Stone
Boy
Scenes/Settings: Seneca village home of a foster mother and her son
A clearing deep in the forrest where a great stone sits
A clearing deep in the forrest where a great stone sits
Synopsis: Long, long ago in a Seneca there lived a young boy. Both of his parents had died and he was sent to live with a woman who had no children of her own. In time they began to enjoy each other's company and she taught him many things. Most importantly, she taught him to hunt so he could one day provide them with food.
That day came, and the boy's foster mother sent him out to the forrest with a new bow and an ear of parched corn for lunch. He was to return with as many birds as possible. The boy did this with great success for many weeks and his foster mother was so proud.
One day, the boy was not having too much luck at the edge of the woods where usually hunted so ventured further into the woods and found many birds. At lunch time he found a clearing with a large stone in the center. So he climbed up on the stone and began to munch on his parched corn when he heard a voice, "Shall I tell you stories?"
The boy looked around the clearing, but there was no one there. He slowly went back to munch his corn. The voice came again, "Shall I tell you stories?"
The boy suddenly realized there was no person in the clearing, this was the stone speaking. He had never heard of a talking stone but he responded anyway, "What does this mean - to tell stories?"
For this was a time when there were no stories. "It is to tell of things that happened a long time ago."
The boy thought and quickly decided, "I think I would like that."
And so the stone told the boy stories. It told stories from the time when people lived up in the sky. It told stories of the earth's creation. It told stories of long, long ago, when then animals could talk to each other. The boy was enchanted, he couldn't get enough. But when the sun went down he knew it was time to return home to his village. He asked the stone if he could return again the next day and the stone said, "Only if you promise not to tell anyone what you have heard." The boy quickly agreed.
When he returned home with less birds than usual his mother was confused but decided that you cannot be lucky every day. The following day she watched him run into the forrest at top speed, and she hoped that this meant he would be returning with many birds.
Instead of hunting though, the boy immediately returned to the clearing and sat on the stone, closed his eyes and listened to stories. On his way back home at sunset he shot a few lingering birds and returned to a now upset foster mother. Something bad was happening to the boy in the woods and she was determined to find out.
So, she sent another boy from the village to follow her foster son into the forrest. When the boy reached the clearing and saw the other boy sitting on the stone he confronted him, "What are you doing? Why aren't you hunting for your family?"
"I am listening to the stone tell stories. Would you like to listen?"
"What does this mean - to tell stories?" the boy asked.
"It is to tell of things that happened a long time ago."
So the boy jumped onto the stone, they closed their eyes and spent the day caught up in every word of the stones. They returned every day to hear the stones stories, and still the foster mother had no answers. So she sent two men, hunters in fact, into the woods to discover what her foster son was up to. When the men saw the two boys sitting on the stone in silence they confronted them, "What are you doing? Why aren't you hunting for your family?"
"We are listening to the stone tell stories. Would you like to listen?"
"What does this mean - to tell stories?" the men asked.
"It is to tell of things that happened a long time ago."
The men cautiously agreed but when they too sat on the stone they were whisked away to magical lands in the sky, and to times where animals could talk. They could not get enough. When the last story was told and the sun was setting in the sky the stone spoke to all four of them, "You must bring all of your people to hear my stories tomorrow. Everyone must come and everyone must listen."
And when the entire village arrived the next day the storytelling stone told all of its stories. It told stories from the time when people lived up in the sky. It told stories of the earth's creation. It told stories of long, long ago, when then animals could talk to each other. The people were overwhelmed and undone. They had never heard anything so beautiful. They had never been so transported and when the sun began to set the stone spoke its final words, "You must keep these stories until the end of time. Tell them to your children and your children's children, for I am now done."
And the stone fell silent and the people returned home recounting the stories they had heard sharing them again and again. Ever since the time that stone brought all the stories into the world the people of the world have been less lonely, less cold and much, much happier.
That day came, and the boy's foster mother sent him out to the forrest with a new bow and an ear of parched corn for lunch. He was to return with as many birds as possible. The boy did this with great success for many weeks and his foster mother was so proud.
One day, the boy was not having too much luck at the edge of the woods where usually hunted so ventured further into the woods and found many birds. At lunch time he found a clearing with a large stone in the center. So he climbed up on the stone and began to munch on his parched corn when he heard a voice, "Shall I tell you stories?"
The boy looked around the clearing, but there was no one there. He slowly went back to munch his corn. The voice came again, "Shall I tell you stories?"
The boy suddenly realized there was no person in the clearing, this was the stone speaking. He had never heard of a talking stone but he responded anyway, "What does this mean - to tell stories?"
For this was a time when there were no stories. "It is to tell of things that happened a long time ago."
The boy thought and quickly decided, "I think I would like that."
And so the stone told the boy stories. It told stories from the time when people lived up in the sky. It told stories of the earth's creation. It told stories of long, long ago, when then animals could talk to each other. The boy was enchanted, he couldn't get enough. But when the sun went down he knew it was time to return home to his village. He asked the stone if he could return again the next day and the stone said, "Only if you promise not to tell anyone what you have heard." The boy quickly agreed.
When he returned home with less birds than usual his mother was confused but decided that you cannot be lucky every day. The following day she watched him run into the forrest at top speed, and she hoped that this meant he would be returning with many birds.
Instead of hunting though, the boy immediately returned to the clearing and sat on the stone, closed his eyes and listened to stories. On his way back home at sunset he shot a few lingering birds and returned to a now upset foster mother. Something bad was happening to the boy in the woods and she was determined to find out.
So, she sent another boy from the village to follow her foster son into the forrest. When the boy reached the clearing and saw the other boy sitting on the stone he confronted him, "What are you doing? Why aren't you hunting for your family?"
"I am listening to the stone tell stories. Would you like to listen?"
"What does this mean - to tell stories?" the boy asked.
"It is to tell of things that happened a long time ago."
So the boy jumped onto the stone, they closed their eyes and spent the day caught up in every word of the stones. They returned every day to hear the stones stories, and still the foster mother had no answers. So she sent two men, hunters in fact, into the woods to discover what her foster son was up to. When the men saw the two boys sitting on the stone in silence they confronted them, "What are you doing? Why aren't you hunting for your family?"
"We are listening to the stone tell stories. Would you like to listen?"
"What does this mean - to tell stories?" the men asked.
"It is to tell of things that happened a long time ago."
The men cautiously agreed but when they too sat on the stone they were whisked away to magical lands in the sky, and to times where animals could talk. They could not get enough. When the last story was told and the sun was setting in the sky the stone spoke to all four of them, "You must bring all of your people to hear my stories tomorrow. Everyone must come and everyone must listen."
And when the entire village arrived the next day the storytelling stone told all of its stories. It told stories from the time when people lived up in the sky. It told stories of the earth's creation. It told stories of long, long ago, when then animals could talk to each other. The people were overwhelmed and undone. They had never heard anything so beautiful. They had never been so transported and when the sun began to set the stone spoke its final words, "You must keep these stories until the end of time. Tell them to your children and your children's children, for I am now done."
And the stone fell silent and the people returned home recounting the stories they had heard sharing them again and again. Ever since the time that stone brought all the stories into the world the people of the world have been less lonely, less cold and much, much happier.
Story Climaxes/High Points: The final day of the storytelling stone's stories is the day of highest excitement and energy. All the people from the village come with gifts and sit mesmerized by the stone's tales.
Special Chants/Phrases:
The first time the stone tells the boy a story: It told stories from the time when people lived up in the sky. It told stories of the earth's creation. It told stories of long, long ago, when then animals could talk to each other.
Every time a new person approaches the stone:"Shall I tell you stories?"
"What does this mean - to tell stories?"
"It is to tell of things that happened a long time ago."
The first time the stone tells the boy a story: It told stories from the time when people lived up in the sky. It told stories of the earth's creation. It told stories of long, long ago, when then animals could talk to each other.
Every time a new person approaches the stone:"Shall I tell you stories?"
"What does this mean - to tell stories?"
"It is to tell of things that happened a long time ago."
Bibliographic Information:
Baltuck, Naomi. (1995). The Storytelling Stone. In Apples From Heaven (pp. 101-104). North Haven, CT: Linnet Books.
Bruchac, Joseph. (1990). The Storytelling Stone. In Return of the Sun: Native American Tales from the Northeast Woodlands (pp.35-37). Freedom, CA: Crossing Press.
Curtin, Jeremiah. (1923). The Storytelling Stone. In Seneca Indian Myths. New York: E.P. Dutton.
Bruchac, Joseph. (1990). The Storytelling Stone. In Return of the Sun: Native American Tales from the Northeast Woodlands (pp.35-37). Freedom, CA: Crossing Press.
Curtin, Jeremiah. (1923). The Storytelling Stone. In Seneca Indian Myths. New York: E.P. Dutton.
No comments:
Post a Comment