NATIVE AMERICAN ORAL HISTORIES TRADITIONAL STORIES OF THE PLAINS NATIONS BY MARIE POWELL CONTENT CONSULTANT Walter C Fleming PhD Department Head and Professor Native American Studies Montana State University Core Library Cover image Mandan flute player Keith Bear plays in North Dakota near the Missouri River An Imprint of Abdo Publishing abdopublishing com
CHAPTER ONE
THE STORY PATH Imagine you are at a gathering of people in a school gym The story begins with the sound of a drum The clear strong voice of the storyteller rings out The words stretch back thousands of years across the rolling plains of North America The words take listeners into a world where animals share their stories In these tales the land holds danger But it is also the key to survival Soon the listeners forget the hard gym floor They share laughter and learning Stories and ceremonies help the Plains Nations pass along their way of life Storytelling dancing and ceremonies are often held in community gathering places such as school gyms or arenas
