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The "Tribe's" Storyteller

© Eileen O'dea

Native Americans have had a wonderful, and important, tribe member. They were, and are, the Storyteller. They learn of the tribes past and commit to memory the present, for future generations. They tell the tribes younger members about their past, ensuring the they learn from the pasts mistakes and triumphs.

If you really think about it, all of us have a storyteller in our families/tribes. Usually the matriarch or the patriarch, or Grandparents, they are filled with family history and knowledge. We keep photo albums, videos, and old 8mm films from throughout the years.

In my family my Grandmother was the storyteller, and I her apprentice. Well, she passed away last week at 83 years old. For seventeen years we has a Monday phone date. We could talk for hours. She told me stories of her family and I soaked it all in. I even had the forethought to write some of it down.

I must urge you all to start doing this. Maybe you don't have the time for weekly chats, but make sure you get your family history be for you miss the opportunity.

1. Start with pictures. Take some at every function. If you don't own a camera, get a few onetime use cameras. They're easy to use and relatively inexpensive.
2. Try a video diary. Tape your family's elders telling their stories.
3. Do a genealogy search and keep the results on CD or in a journal.
4. Do all of the above. Delegate different siblings, cousins, etc. one of the jobs.

This is a really important thing to do, and it really doesn't take very long.

Start your genealogy search right here at Genealogy.

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