Legends, fantasies and wonderous tales entertain

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While children are the most natural audience for a daily story fix, any participant at the 10th anniversary Vancouver Storytelling Festival will tell you, as they awake from a mesmerizing tale of dragons and knights, that a good story well told will never go unappreciated-regardless of age.

From Nov. 2 to 4, more than 30 storytellers from around the world gathered at Vancouver Museum and Sty-Wet-Tan, UBC House of Learning to share age-old legends, personal experiences, and incredible fantasies with an audience, often transfixed with child-like wonder.

Stories were told in as many ways as their diverse contents. The spoken word, music, dance and puppetry were all used to animate, intrigue and delight. But the most masterful of the storytellers improvised according to the audience.

Shirley Sterling said the full moon and the brisk autumn air inspired her to talk about a supernatural encounter with a gorgeous dark horse, which she believes delivered a message from her late brother.

A member of the Scawamux of the Thompson Indians, Sterling also told stories from her tribe that were meant to be passed on, but never written down.

"These stories are sacred," she said before telling one about a coyote and a willow tree that left the audience roaring with laughter.

"Our ancestors told us to never write them down and sell them for money," she added.

Sterling, who received a PhD in education from the University of British Columbia and is now a sessional instructor for the university's creative writing department, says these stories are an important part of First Nations culture.

"They are our history... a way to educate our young about morals and appropriate behavior, and most important of all, respect for nature," she said.

You can imagine her pride when one day, walking through the park with her grandson Morning Star, the child saw a beautiful leaf.

"Sorry tree," he said, "I need your leaf to make my grandmother happy..." As he picked the leaf, "sorry tree," he apologized, before giving it to Sterling.

"Amidst all this urban living," Sterling said, "we must be doing something right."

Cree musical-artist-turned-storyteller Art Napoleon says stories about Cree settlement in Western Canada often help provide perspective on important historic events. After declaring his Indigenous pride with a rendition of the "I-AM-CANADIAN" rant, he proceeded to recount how Peace River in Alberta got its name.

With the sarcastic humor that only a stand-up comedian can pull off, Napoleon poked fun at stereotypes and current affairs.

"With all this talk about tightening up immigration," he said, "we should have done that 300 years ago."

"Great storytelling is an art, a performance, just like great singing or great acting," said Ellie O'Day, spokesperson for the Vancouver Society of Storytelling. Established in 1991, the society's goal is to increase public appreciation of this intimate way of cultural exchange by holding regular performances, workshops, as well as a monthly gathering called "Cric?Crac!". For more information, visit their web site at www.vancouverstorytelling.org or call 604-876-2272.