Illustrating Oral Stories

Illustrating oral stories. Stories were first shared orally, but it wasn't long before oral storytellers started illustrating the stories they told. Sometimes the pictures were created on the spot, as in Aboriginal sand talk and Yup'ik storyknifing. In other cases, storytellers created pictures ahead of time, to be referred to as the story was being told. In the Global Explorers Kids class, children learned about different ways of illustrating oral stories. They had the opportunity to tell a story while illustrating it in the sand, as many Aboriginal people do in Australia, then they created their own Kamishibai stories.

Aboriginal sand talk. In Central Australia, the aboriginals often tell stories while drawing pictures in the sand to illustrate the story. As the story moves along, the images are wiped clean and the storyteller starts with a fresh ground.

Storyknifing. Storyknifing is a style of storytelling, similar to Aboriginal sand talk, used by the Yup’ik of Alaska. As a story is being told, pictures are drawn in the mud with a special knife made out of antler, ivory, or wood. The knives are carved by the fathers and grandfathers, and given as special gifts to the girls. Storyknifing was traditionally used to pass stories down through the generations, usually from mothers to daughters. Today, groups of girls will tell stories to each other using the storyknife.

Kamishibai. Kamishibai , a form of Japanese storytelling, means “paper drama.” Thought to have begun in Buddhist temples in the 12th century, kamishibai is best known as a form of street entertainment that was popular in the 1920’s-1950’s. The kamishibai storyteller rode between villages on a bicycle that had a small stage. He announced his arrival by clapping together two sticks. As children came to hear the stories, they bought candy from the kamishibai storyteller. The storyteller would tell several stories, using illustrated cards that were inserted in the stage and pulled as the story was told. Today, kamishibai is being used in Japanese schools to teach literacy.

Resources
Books
Kamishibai Man, by Allen Say
Terrific Tales to Tell: From the Storyknifing Tradition, by Valerie Marsh and Patrick K. Luzadder
Tundra Mouse: A Storyknife Tale, by Megan McDonald

Cd
Jaliyaa Storytelling: Stories & Music of West Africa, Storyteller Asha's Baba

Online activities and resources
Video of a traditional Kamishibai storyteller http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUcEJcsh2h4
Video of an African storyteller - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP_LTtFYt3A&feature=related
Audio of Aboriginal storytellers telling stories of the Dreamtime http://www.dreamtime.net.au/dreaming/storylist.htm
Flash animated Gullah tales, told in English and Gullah http://www.knowitall.org/gullahtales/