“/ AM going to tell stories of the old days now. All of you lie down and stretch out on your backs, otherwise you will be humpbacked, my father used to say. Then he would tell stories and teach us.”
Native Americans have a long history of storytelling. More than entertainment, traditional storytelling preserves information about cultures and traditions. Because Ishi shared stories of his people, knowledge about the Yahi culture is preserved. Many traditional stories explain why and how the animals and people came to be. Other stories tell a message. Instead of lecturing a person who is conceited about her long, beautiful hair, a traditional storyteller might tell the story of the possum with the thick, furry tail. Possum’s friends became so tired of hearing Possum talk about his tail that they tricked him into putting a special medicine on it. The medicine loosened the hair, leaving the tail bare and ugly. The lesson from the story is to beware of being too vain or you might lose your “beautiful tail” too.
Now it’s your turn. Create a story with at least one animal as the main character. Make your story entertaining, but make sure it has a message as well.
That the native people depended on for food. Hogs began to run wild and eat the abundance of acorns that provided protein to the Native Americans. Those who didn’t flee California found themselves forced into the missions, where they were expected to work hard for the Spanish. Parents and children were separated. Entire California bands disappeared as approximately one-third of the state’s Native Americans died as a result of the mission system.
World History
