Native American Stories: A Tradition of Storytelling

The Native American culture is known for its rich oral tradition - instead of using a written language to document their history, these indigenous people simply relied on their verbal language to share their history, customs, rituals, and legends through vivid narratives.

These powerful tales, often told by the tribal elders to the younger generations, not only related their tribal history; these tribal stories also entertained and preserved their culture.

History comes alive
Each time a story was told, it breathed life into the culture, cultivated their verbal language, gave meaning to the tribe's history, and also taught life lessons about things like love, leadership, and honor, as well as their symbiotic connection to the earth and intimate relationships with the animals they depended on.

Making a connection with music & sound
As a way to heighten the senses and encourage a deeper feeling of interconnectedness between tribal members and their environment, when these stories were told, they were often accompanied with song, music, spoken word, and dance.

Experiencing the storytelling tradition today
Although this tradition of storytelling is less common today than was many years ago, some authors (both native and non native) have promised to preserve these stories for future generations. They have listened and learned many of these legendary tales from tribal elders.