Wabanaki+Storytelling

(Student names and their videos with an explanation of why each student chose that story and questions about what cultural elements it highlights.)

            =Wabanaki Storytelling =

Note from the teacher:
//This student product is actually the introduction to Native stories for my students this year. I asked two students to learn a story each to present to the class. I wrote accompanying questions to get a sense of where the students are now. The class was guided through the discussion questions at the end of each story. This is truly their first experience with the tales as exhibited in their lack of knowledge about the connections the Mik'maq share with the animals, as well as other cultural information. They took the tales quite literally and need to experience more teacher instruction and readings before they will be ready to learn and discuss a story of their choosing. I was also impressed with the abilities of my two volunteer storytellers who have yet to learn about the elements of strong storytelling. They were simply coached by me before hand and participate in drama activities. Following the completion of our unit, each student will present their own story and share it along with their own guided reading questions. At that time, I will expect more from their answers.//

= Student Samples: =

Brittney Stuard retells the Mik'maq tale "The Man Who Wanted to Live Forever":
media type="file" key="The Man Who Wanted to Live Forever.mov"

Why I chose the story:
When I was little I would always wish upon stars. I would always wish that I wouldn't die and my family would live forever. So then I realized that that couldn't happen. When I first read the story I thought is was a really funny story and that it would be a good story to tell the class. Of course you are going to have to go through pain in your life. Living forever and never having your loved ones die would take away a lot of that pain. But you have to have that pain in life. Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

Group Discussion Questions:



 * Traditional Stories**
 * Guided Discussion Questions**

**“The Man Who Wanted to Live Forever”** **(Retold by Brittney Stuard from the book Nine Micmac Legends by Alden Nowlan)**

1. What is Glooskap’s role to the Mik’maw people?

2. What do you think of Glooskap’s family being made up of animals, birds and natural elements (brothers God of the wind and God of the sea)? What does it suggest about the Mik’maw relationship to animals and the earth?

3. What does this story suggest about the values of humans?

4. What does it teach you about the cycle of life and man’s place in it?

5. Why would being a cedar tree on an island fulfill the man’s request?

6. What lesson had Glooskap tried to teach the man?

7. Why would this be an important lesson for the people of the tribe? Why would the story be passed down?

8. Does this lesson apply to the people of today? How so?

Why I chose the story:
I am not really sure why I chose it. I at first flipped through the book and found "The Star Brides," but it wasn't that good of a story. Then I looked a little deeper into it and found the "Brother to the Bears." I have always had a strong connection to animals, so I thought "Hey, that sounds interesting." So then I read it and I really liked it. There was something that clicked inside of me and I knew that it was the right story for me. It would be really cool for a bear to take you in and raise you as their own family. When I was a child I had always dreamed of a wolf family taking me in and I learned their ways. I would be howling with them, playing with them, eating with them, and becoming one of them.

Group Discussion Questions:


**“Brother to the Bears”** **( Retold by Mary Hutchens from the book __Nine Micmac Legends__ by Alden Nowlan)**
 * Traditional Stories**
 * Guided Discussion Questions**

1. What do you think about bears after hearing this story? What are they like?

2. What does this story teach about the relationship between animals and people?

3. What values does this story teach?

4. What similarities can be found between the bear family and the Micmac villiagers?

5. What lesson does the boy learn?

6. How does he teach this lesson?

7. Why is this story told?

8. How might people of today benefit from this story?

**Example Discussion: media type="file" key="BB qs.mov"**

           