A Nigerian Folktale
There was once an old woman who was very poor and lived in a small mud hut thatched with mats made from the leaves of the tombo palm in the bush. She was often very hungry, as there was no one to look after her. In the olden days, the moon used often to come down to the earth, although she lived most of the time in the sky. The moon was a fat woman with a skin of hide, and she was full of fat meat. She was quite round, and in the night used to give plenty of light. The moon was sorry for the poor starving old woman, so she came to her and said, “You may cut some of my meat away for your food.”
This the old woman did every evening, and the moon got smaller and smaller until you could scarcely see her at all. Of course this made her give very little light, and all the people began to grumble in consequence, and to ask why it was that the moon was getting so thin.
At last, the people went to the old woman’s house where there happened to be a little girl sleeping. She had been there for some little time, and had seen the moon come down every evening, and the old woman go out with her knife and carve her daily supply of meat out of the moon. As she was very frightened, she told the people all about it, so they determined to set a watch on the movements of the old woman.
That very night the moon came down as usual, and the old woman went out with her knife and basket to get her food; but before she could carve any meat all the people rushed out shouting, and the moon was so frightened that she went back again into the sky, and never came down again to the earth. The old woman was left to starve in the bush.
Ever since that time the moon has hidden herself most of the day, as she was so frightened, and she still gets very thin once a month, but later on she gets fat again, and when she is quite fat she gives plenty of light all the night; but this does not last very long, and she begins to get thinner and thinner, in the same way as she did when the old woman was carving her meat from her.
by Sue Hinkel
I was on the MO-TELL board from the very beginning, my first office was secretary, I have at one time, or another done them all, and loved every one of them, except treasurer. MO-TELL does not have monthly or weekly meetings, thank goodness, but we have events. I think MO-TELL, s first event was Tellabration, a dinner with Storytelling, and an Auction. The next big event was fall “STORYTELLING WEEKEND IN MISSOURI STATE PARKS” a brilliant idea of Perrin Stifel, “EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR” at the time. He worked very hard with the State Parks Department, and we would be the last people to occupy the cabins before winter.
Information went out well in advance to all MO-TELL members and those interested in Storytelling. Reservation came in with $75.00 (I think) checks, for the weekend. All attendees were to bring bedding (sleeping bag, electric blanket, and sheets), towels, clothes, flashlight, and a story. Attendees would be assigned a cabin, the cabins had beds frames with a mattress, bathroom with a shower, and electricity. The cabins had hot and cold running water, BUT NO HEAT!
The Festivities began Friday afternoon, as people started to arrive. Everyone came to the dining hall, signed in, got a name tag, and began to meet and greet. Dinner was served by our special cooks Carol Potter and Violet Beaver. Introductions and announcements were made. File folders with writing material, park rules and schedules were given out. I am sure stories started being told that night. Everyone went to their cabins with flashlights, made their beds, unpacked, and went to bed. Yes, and went to sleep in the deep dark forest with all of natures’ creatures, and sounds.
Saturday started with a fantastic breakfast, more people came, signed in, and got prepared for the day. The day started with a workshop given by an outstanding renowned Storyteller, picked by the MO-TELL board. Some of those storytellers where, Pleasant DeSpain, Micheal Parent, Jackie Torrance (my favorite), Ed Stivender, and others I don’t recall.
Next LUNCH, afterward some time to yourself and then a Storytelling Swapping Ground, your time to share a story or ask questions. A warm welcoming place, friendly, nonjudgmental. After dinner, the park arranged a suitable place in the park for a MO-TELL Storytelling Performance by the guest storyteller. The free performance was advertised to the communities surrounding the park, to come to the free performance. After the performance the event attendees went back to the parks’ dining hall, to tell ghost stories, while enjoying Amish sugar cookies made by Carol and Violet the cooks. Sunday, after cleaning the cabin and enjoying a wonderful breakfast, all attendees gather in a circle, singing, “May the Circle be Unbroken.” Each State Park weekend was different, but always wonderful and memorable!!!
- Priscilla Howe
by Priscilla Howe
THE BIG RULE: Tell stories you love, or feel deeply compelled to tell. If you don’t like your story, or it doesn’t matter to you, the listeners won’t be engaged.
• Relax! Before you tell a story, take a deep breath. Set your intention to have a good time.
• Know your story (unless you happen to be making it up on the spot). The good news is that you don’t have to memorize the words, just know the events, sequence, character and setting.
• It’s as if you are watching a film in your head and are telling the audience this film. You may want to memorize beginning and ending phrases, or a set phrase in the middle of the tale, if the language of the phrase is essential to the story.
• Imagine the people, places, objects and actions fully. Experience the story clearly in your own mind so the listeners will experience it as well. Use all your senses to imagine the story.
• Remember, though, that you don’t have to tell all you know—too much detail can bore the listeners. You’re painting a picture with your words and gestures.Practice. Some tellers find it useful to record their stories in practice or performance.
• Be gentle to yourself. Look especially for the parts you did well.
• Look at your audience. Storytelling is about connection, so you want to connect with
the listeners. Good eye contact helps the listeners know you want to connect.
• Vary your voice and your body language as the story demands. Pay attention to your movements so that your gestures add to the story, not detract. Some stories and some audiences demand more subtle gestures than others. Consider practicing in front of a mirror.
• Don’t worry if the listeners don’t get the same meaning from the story that you do. As storyteller Donald Davis says, “Meaning is the property of the listener, not the teller.”
• Know that the listeners have never heard this story told this way. Every storyteller is different, every story is different, every telling is different. Even if you think you have made a mistake, most listeners won’t realize it. You can usually backtrack if you’ve left something out.
• Don’t worry about being perfect. Know that the audience just wants to hear a good story. As the storyteller, you’re the bearer of this good story.
• Give credit: if you didn’t make the story up or it isn’t from your life, tell the audience the source. If it’s a folktale, learn as much as you can about the story’s culture. By respecting the author and the culture of the story, you also respect the story and the audience.
Have fun!