Indigenous Storywork: Educating the Heart, Mind, Body, and Spirit.

Frits Pannekoek is an associate professor of heritage studies, director
of information resources at the University of Calgary, and the author of
A Snug Little Flock: The Social Origins of the Riel Resistance of
1869–70.

This book is a critical read for anyone wanting to become familiar with First Nations storytelling, its protocols, its complexities, and its spirituality. The author uses Coyote, one of the great trickster figures in Aboriginal storytelling, as a device to generate understanding about the many complex dimensions of storytelling. The author has made it clear that understanding storytelling requires an understanding of language and its cultural context, which can only be acquired through time and cultural interaction.

Archibald makes some very key observations. She argues that the presentation of stories in written English changes their structure and meaning. She also argues that comparing Aboriginal oral traditions to European oral traditions has created an academic construct that has removed Aboriginal stories from their own context. It is only when the teller understands the transformation of translation that the power of the original can be recreated. Where Aboriginal languages have a strong written tradition (for example Cree), stories have continued their moral and philosophical power.

The book is very carefully constructed to be understood by those from the English-speaking culture. Its chapters are all well considered. Chapter 1 deals with the problems of understanding storytelling in all its complexities, Chapter 2 with the role of elders, cultural protocols, and the role of the teacher. Becoming a “traditional” storyteller, more time-consuming and intricate than first imagined, is defined in Chapters 3 and 4. The honouring of the storyteller and the role of the elder in teaching stories are all carefully discussed. Chapter 5 is particularly applicable to primary school teachers who are thinking about introducing storytelling into their curriculum.

I would strongly recommend that any researcher contemplating Aboriginal studies of any type consider this book as one of the keys to understanding how to consider and use stories in all their dimensions.