The elder, Siipista'pinii, could be described as a communitist in the ways in which he
uses stories of personal experience to teach others to value their lives and the opportunities they have. The story of his own brush with death, the aftermath of a headon collision with a vehicle full of young people who had been drinking, is striking in the 189 way he focuses on the lessons he learned from this incident rather than the trauma and discomfort he has suffered from it. Rather than portraying himself as a victim, Siipista'pinii instead tells his story as a way to depict a spiritual understanding of what has happened to him. To have faith in something means to have hope that things will get better. Stories can provide hope when they help people see a purpose, a role in their society, and a concern for the spiritual power in their way of life. (Donaldson, p.193)https://www.uleth.ca/dspace/bitstream/handle/10133/147/MQ83749.pdf;jsessionid=B4FBD20A0BE6D83E336F33A0B9CED8BF?sequence=3
Through telling their stories, elders can reconnect community members to the history and
memories of the people in potentially powerful ways. By speaking from, and to, their
own communities, elders perform the work of "organic intellectuals." They tell their
stories as a way to "draw out and make coherent the latent aspirations and potentialities
already inherent in their people's activities" and memories (Hesch, 1995, p. 100). To work
to reestablish these connections is to promote healing in the community and garner hope for future generations.
First Nations, Inuit, and Metis cultures have long passed on knowledge from
generation to generation through oral traditions, including storytelling.
Storytelling is a traditional method used to teach about cultural beliefs,
values, customs, rituals, history, practices, relationships, and ways of life.
First Nations storytelling is a foundation for holistic learning, relationship
building, and experiential learning.
A Cherokee elder sitting with his grandchildren told them, "In every
life there is a terrible fight - a fight between two wolves.
One is evil: he is fear, anger, envy, greed, arrogance, self-pity, resentment, and
deceit.
The other is good: joy, serenity, humility, confidence,
generosity, truth, gentleness, and compassion."
A child asked,
"Grandfather, which wolf will win?" The elder looked him in the eye.
"The one you feed."
Lesson: Development of good character depends on everyday choices one makes