Stories captivate us, whether it’s sharing legends and limericks, tall tales and true accounts, or folklore and fancy dances. Stories unite, delight, educate and inspire.
“Whether fiction or nonfiction, printed or imparted, stories help us find meaning and transmit customs, culture, knowledge and morals,” says Kimberly Roblin, director of communications with Oklahoma Humanities.
Preserving and promoting Oklahoman’s stories helps guide the work of Roblin and other supporters in the state. The efforts include grant projects that fund research or events, oral interviews to capture the experiences of residents, and native dances and storytelling to educate audiences about tribal customs and traditions.
Roblin says the programs offered by Oklahoma Humanities and grants awarded by the nonprofit organization are rooted in stories.
The organization is the state partner for the National Endowment for the Humanities and annually awards federal grants to cultural organizations at the local level, such as tribal nations, county historical societies, museums and libraries. Another effort is “Museum on Main Street,” a collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution that sends traveling exhibitions to communities.
Sarah Milligan has the opportunity to listen to numerous stories through her work with Oklahoma State University’s Oklahoma Oral History Research Program.
“We interview people around the state about the history and culture of Oklahoma and OSU,” says Milligan, a professor and head of the program at the OSU library. “It’s a way to capture these experiences and these places and people for the future.”
Listening to the stories of others creates connections between tellers and listeners, she says.
Storytelling also can be shared in other forms. Sapulpa’s Mike Pahsetopah, for example, is a cultural educator, language consultant and a renowned Fancy Dancer.
“I enjoy telling a variety of intertribal stories, as well as my tribal stories,” says Pahsetopah, who is Osage-Cherokee and Muscogee Creek-Yuchi.
Pahsetopah has learned more about this art form from native storytellers through the years, including how tribes have used dance and instruments to share their culture. He says that sharing stories and dances with audiences is a way to educate others about legacies, traditions and history.
Taking Time to Listen
Inspired to support storytelling in your community or even in your own family? Milligan and Roblin have ideas on how to get started.
The Oklahoma Oral History Research Program’s website (library.okstate.edu/oralhistory) features a video on how to start your own oral history project. Milligan says a key when it comes to talking with others about their experiences is to make time to ask questions and be “intentional to listen when people are willing to talk to you,” she says.
Roblin encourages individuals to “think about the stories that have resonated with you, where you heard them, and consider how you might be able to more directly support them. Maybe it was a local museum or library, a nonprofit, in a magazine or on the air. By becoming a member, subscribing, donating money or time as a volunteer, or even just sharing the work they do with family and friends, not only do you help the story survive, but you also become a part of it.”
Sharing State Stories
Is there a giant octopus lurking in an Oklahoma lake? How did the state help contribute to the Chicken Dance craze? You can get insight into these unique bits of folklore by tuning into the “How Curious” podcast on station KGOU. The podcast is a way of spotlighting “lesser known aspects of Oklahoma people, places and events,” says host Rachel Hopkin. “It’s really fun to track down stories that are not so well known and really should be known.” To check out the podcast, visit kgou.org/podcast/how-curious.
Main image cutline: Mike Pahsetopah, of Sapulpa, is a cultural educator, language consultant and renowned Fancy Dancer who performs dances and traditional storytelling for a variety of audiences.
Photo courtesy Mike Pahsetopah
