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The Northwest Indian Storytellers Association kicked off the Sixth Annual NISA Tribal Story Telling Festival on October 13th through the 16th. This four-day event, hosted by PSU’s Native American Student and Community Center, warmly invited the greater Portland community to share in the rich ancestral tradition of Native groups from the Pacific Northwest.
Each night was kicked off with a musical group, followed by an opening prayer, known as an invocation. The overarching theme of the festival was the harvest, a crucial time to prepare for winter. To paraphrase Rose High Bear, winter is a sacred time of rest and of family, as the oral tradition of “learning at the feet of our grandparents” takes place.
In addition to sharing their stories, the storytellers served as mentors to the next generation of storytellers, whose tales closed out the festival at the Sunday afternoon matinee. The festival also served as a key opportunity to make the community aware of other Wisdom of the Elders projects, such as the Discovering Our Stories, as well as Wisdom’s television and radio programs.
Fox Blackhorn-Delph (Rogue River & Shasta), whom despite a heavy heart, filled in for his ailing mother Tajuraden, with passion and enthusiasm. He told a tale of the mischievous, impetuous nature of the coyote, and how his impulsiveness and his greed illustrate the need for a balanced relationship with nature. Fox also told a story about how the people came to use drums.
Toby Joseph (Apache, Ute, Navajo & Hopi), while draped with his children, opened with a memorable and poignant line “… a long time ago, when the animals could speak and when people would listen…” His stories were preceded by the singing of a prayer by his daughter, which was met with rousing applause.
Toby, a key member of the Discovering Our Story Project, spoke of the harvesting of the soul. His first story conveyed the message that the imperfections of man can be fixed; values and virtues, such as love, kindness and truthfulness, can be learned through our relationships with each other and with nature. Toby also told a heart-warming tale about the determination and the spirit of the rabbit.
Elaine Grinnell (Jamestown S’Klallam), whose sense of humor was a crowd pleaser, told a hilarious tale about the “harvesting of her vanity”, as well as a story about the wolf taking advantage of his napping pal, the mink.
Darlene Foster ((Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Indians) brought a display of the items from her lineage: foods gathered and produced, the tools used for harvesting and production, along with some of her family’s traditional garb. Darlene told a story about the importance of honesty and the lasting effect of positive parental support, through her experience as a sixteen year-old, sneaking huckleberries during the gathering/harvesting season.
Roger Fernandez (Lower Elwah S’Klallam) captivated the crowd with his stirring tales and vivid, colorful details. Preceded by his statement encouraging the return to the harvesting of traditional plants (“as they contain all of the Creator’s knowledge”), Roger told a story about the strength of the nettle plant, and how it emboldened people to stand up to invaders. He also shared a story about a witch woman who harvests children for food, but only children who don’t listen.
Ed Edmo (Shoshone, Yakama & Nez Pierce), who made available a book of his poetry, These Few Words of Mine, told multiple vignettes about legends to be learned through animals and nature. His approach to storytelling, which utilized songs and puppetry, kept the audience involved; the brevity of his legends kept them hanging on his every word.
Next year’s festival is scheduled to take place on October 11th through the 14th. All people are welcomed to join. Teachers, educators, fans of spoken word and poetry, as well as those interested in apprenticing as tribal tellers are especially encouraged to attend.