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f l i(»: 4'/a c. i Spring 2002 Produced by the North Carolina Museum of History Tar Heel' Junior Tar Heel Junior Historian Historian 'Association, North Carolina History for Students Spring 2002 Volume 41, Number 2 On the cover: image of Ray Hicks is courtesy of John W. Drury, arid image of Jackie Torrence is courtesy of Milbre Burch. Contents State of North Carolina Michael F. Easley, Governor 1 Introduction: Stories and Storytelling—Long Ago and Today Beverly Perdue, Lieutenant Governor by Susan L. Adams Department of Cultural Resources Lisbeth C. Evans, Secretary 4 A Story about Story Office of Archives and History Jeffrey J. Crow, Deputy Secretary by Donna Washington Division of State History Museums North Carolina Stories and Storytellers North Carolina Museum of History 7 Elizabeth F. Buford, Director by Ron Jones Janice C. Williams, Associate Director Vicki L. Berger, Collections Management Section Me and the Jack Tales Kimberly Gordon-Eaton, Administration Section 12 William J. McCrea, Design Section by Orville Hicks Joseph C. Porter, Curation Section Martha P. Tracy, Education Section Samuel Gray, Mountain Gateway Museum 15 American Indian Storytelling Ed Merrell, Museum of the Albemarle by Jejferson Currie II David Reid, Museum of the Cape Fear Tar Heel Junior Historian Association 18 ACTIVITIES: Think about Storytelling in North Carolina Rebecca Lewis, Program Coordinator Gail Deaton, Subscription Coordinator 22 African and African American Storytelling Tar Heel Junior Historian Staff by Madafo Lloyd Wilson Doris McLean Bates, Editor/Designer Kathleen B Wyche, Editor in CJiief 25 Chinese Folktales Tar Heel Junior Historian by Ching Yeung Russell Association Advisory Board Doris McLean Bates, Nancy Cope, Jeannie Davis, Gary Freeze, Janice Cole Gibson, 28 Step by Step to Choosing, Learning, and Telling Story Vince Greene, Deanna Kerrigan, Rebecca Lewis, by Markey Duckworth Michael Mozingo, Sandra F. Shuford, Martha P. Tracy 31 Storytelling for Young Adults by Cynthia Moore Brown 34 Using Storytelling in the Classroom: Advice for Teachers by Cyndi Bailey Morgan THE PURPOSE of Tar Heel Junior Historian magazine (ISSN 0496-8913) is to present the history of North Carolina to the students of this state through a well- balanced selection of scholarly articles, photographs, and illustrations. It is published two times per year for the Tar Heel Junior Historian Association by the North Carolina Museum of History, Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-4650. Copies are provided free to association advisers. Members receive other benefits, as well. Individual and library subscriptions may be purchased at the rate of $5.00 per year. © 2002, North Carolina Museum of History. EDITORIAL POLICY: Tar Heel Junior Historian solicits manuscripts from expert scholars for each issue. Articles are selected for publication by the editor in consultation with the conceptual editors and other experts. The editor reserves the right to make changes in articles accepted for publication but will consult the author should substantive questions arise. Published articles do not necessarily represent the views of the North Carolina Museum of History, the Department of Cultural Resources, or any other state agency. THE TEXT of this journal is available on magnetic recording tape from the State Library, Services to the Blind and Physically Handicapped Branch. For information, call 1-800-662-7726. NINE THOUSAND copies of this public document were printed at an approximate cost of $6,980.00, or $.78 per copy. PRINTED WITH A SOY INK Introduction Stories and Storytelling—Long Ago and Today by Susan L. Adams* Once upon a time, a long, long time libraries and other institutions." But it is, and ago, there were people, very special has been, so much more than that throughout people, who could tell stories—long history! Telling a story is very different from stories and short stories, sad stories and funny reading a story. stories, stories they could chant and stories The storyteller looks out at the audience and they could dance. They were storytellers, makes eye contact, and then the storytelling bards, and shamans. All around the world, in becomes interactive, which means that the cities, towns, and tribal villages, these storyteller pays attention to the listeners' storytellers memorized hundreds, or even thousands, of stories, myths, songs, and poems. Then they could tell just the right story to just the right A scene from a recent storytelling festival. Image courtesy of the Wake County Public Libraries. audience at just the right time. Sometimes they told these responses to the story and then makes changes stories to teach a lesson about life, sometimes to the story to make it better for the to bring courage to the hearts of the listeners audience—maybe telling it faster or funnier or or to bring tears to their eyes, and sometimes with more feeling. However, the reader of a just to make everyone laugh. What a great story sees only the printed page, with no way to spend an evening around the fire— interaction. There is great joy and excitement listening to stories! in sharing a carefully chosen story with an Storytelling is defined in the Oxford audience. Companion to Children's Literature as "the oral The oldest story known in any language is telling of stories to groups of children in the epic poem from ancient Sumeria (now *Susan L. Adams works as a youth services supervisor with the Wake County Public THJH, Spring 2002 1 Libraries and served as the conceptual editor for this THJH issue. Iraq) about Gilgamesh, a king who was two- believing his wild stories and cries, the real thirds god and one-third mortal. An epic wolf with real teeth ate the boy for dinner! poem is a very long poem that tells the story And the moral is what? of a hero or of a country. The Gilgamesh story The Mahabharata is the greatest epic of India overflows with heroes, monsters, deadly and a primary source for Hindu mythology. enemies, and devoted friends. The story may Written about two thousand years ago, the possibly have roots going back as far as 3000 Mahabharata is the longest literary work in the B.C. world. When published recently in India, it Then, there was the blind Greek poet was five thousand pages long. Imagine being Homer, believed to have written the Iliad and the storyteller who memorized and told all of the Odyssey, perhaps around 1500 B.C. The those stories! recent movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? is Then, there is Beowulf, the oldest surviving loosely based upon Homer's Odyssey, which epic poem written in English, probably written shows that there is still life in the very oldest around the year A.D. 700. Beowulf is regarded stories. as a great masterpiece of Anglo- And, of course, you have Saxon literature. The story heard of Aesop and is full of bloody and his fables. Some heroic battles people think fought against that Aesop the forces of may have evil, with been a many slave in examples Greece of honor who lived and sometime virtue, in the sixth strength century and B.C. You bravery, and know some of courage and the stories. cowardice. There's one about the Wouldn't you agree little mouse that helps free that it is the very same kind the lion that has been trapped by of story that is so popular in movies some hunters. The moral of the story is that and in video games today? even the small and the weak can do powerful In more recent history (only about three things. Or, there's the one about "the boy who hundred to one thousand years ago), there cried wolf" when the wolf wasn't really there have been some stories that are so "tellable" and scared his parents one time too many that they are found in the literature of many with his lies. Then, when the adults stopped different cultures. The story of Cinderella is THJH, Spring 2002 2 one of these tellable tales. There are more than with hix white sorses (six seven hundred different ways that the white horses). She meets the Cinderella story is told around the world. pransome hince, and they Although the character may not be called lall infove (fall in Cinderella in most of the tales, she is usually love). But then, when the clock featured as a heroine who is treated mikes stridnight unfairly by a stepmother and (strikes midnight), she stepsisters, receives magic help from a runs away and slops her dripper fairy godmother or another friendly spirit, and (drops her slipper). The very ends up marrying a prince. next day, the pransome hince Now, let's bring this history of stories and searches for the geautiful birl who storytelling up to today's creative style. One of slopped her dripper, and when he the stories that I love to tell is also based upon finally finds Rindercella, the dripper fits—it is the Cinderella story. It is just a little different exactly the sight rize (right size). And mo they to listen to because it is a "spoonerism" tale— were sarried (so they were married) and lived one in which the letters of some words are appily ever hafter (happily ever after)! switched around as the story is told. So here is a short version of my kind of Cinderella story: I've come to the end of this brief history of stories and storytelling. I hope I have given Rindercella (Cinderella) you a little understanding of how was a geautiful birl important storytelling has been (beautifid girl) who around the world, both long ago lived with her mugly and today. And now, read on for other (ugly mother) some more stories.

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