The Art of the Storyteller - The Oral Tradition

Since before history began, storytelling has been a way of passing on a society's customs and beliefs from one generation to the next - both in written and oral format. Truthfully, storytelling is one of the oldest art forms still existing. It is practised across the globe and in almost every known language there is a word or phrase which has the meaning "storyteller."

An ancient Egyptian scroll holds the first known reference to storytelling, although early writings from Ancient Greece also refer to the telling of stories, but without going into details about how the art was practised. Greek and Roman writers are responsible for the word "bard" entering the English language. The term was described someone who described incidents or told stories and is still in use in Ireland and Wales today.

Indian storytellers travelled between villages carrying a large picture cloth called a kalamkari which they used to illustrate the story they were telling. In China travelling storytellers visited the homes of the rich to entertain them with fairytales and other stories.

There is a rich heritage of storytelling across the African continent, many societies having a history of lengthy story-poems recited by a number of hereditary storytellers in each village. In the same way the tribes of North America and the Australian Aborigines have a deep oral tradition with stories, poetry, religious and tribal knowledge, making up a complex culture, all handed down to suceeding generations by the spoken word.

Storytelling has always been an vital means of passing on traditions and ensuring social harmony. The storyteller can vividly convey religious beliefs, "explain" the mysteries of the natural world or transport their listeners into an inner world of fantasy. You may wonder why storytelling continues to be so important in today's digital society ....

We should continue to tell stories in order to:

- assist children to learn to listen - expand their vocabularies - enlarge their knowledge and understanding of the difference between fact and fantasy - stimulate their imagination - inspire them to reach for a book to experience more stories for themselves - introduce storytelling as a shared, interactive experience between the author, or storyteller, and their audience.

Unlike TV, video, DVD or other electronic media, storytellers are a direct interface between the story and the audience. They can change pace, alter or explain a difficult concept and emphasise, play down, or omit entirely, a particular event, depending upon the needs of those listening.

The storyteller therefore is as important to a largely literate, electronic world as he or she was to a largely illiterate one in times gone by. But if you have been asked to tell a story to a group of youngsters you may be asking yourself ... Where do I start? How do I know my story will be interesting and fun?

You may be a nursery or kindergarten teacher, or perhaps be involved with a Playgroup, Bible or other Faith School. Maybe you want some quality personal time with your own children or grandchildren. It's a rainy afternoon and you're faced with little expectant faces waiting to be entertained. How do you keep them all enthralled by your tale?