Storytelling has an important history among indigenous tribes of Turtle Island (loosely, North America), and Creative Nations—a group associated with the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder—is actively working to empower indigenous creators through endeavors like their upcoming First Storytellers Festival. To be held September 30 to October 6 in various Boulder County locations, this is the inaugural event, with plans to make it an annual one.

The founding members of the First Storytellers Festival are Marty Strenczewilk (Ojibwe), Dr. Shannon Epplett (Ojibwe), and Dr. Ashlyn King Baruti (Maidu). They created the First Storytellers Festival after consistently finding that artistic communities that could provide the right kind of support to indigenous creators simply didn’t exist.

“It isn’t uncommon to be the only Native writer in the room, which can turn feedback sessions into awkward encounters, where no one is comfortable giving you the critique that is necessary for the play to develop,” Strenczewilk said.

The goal of this program is to support indigenous creators and help them reach a level of success with their stories.

The oral storytelling tradition has long allowed tribal history to be passed down through the generations, despite the cultural damage of colonization. Even when false information has been passed down in history books and non-indigenous retellings, North American tribes have kept their histories alive through their stories and teachings.

“Storytelling is built into the fabric of culture for many of our tribes,” Strenczewilk said. It has never merely been about telling a story, but about weaving together history, culture, heritage, morality, nature, humanity, legend and more.

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            Even when false information has been passed down in history books and non-indigenous   retellings, North American tribes have kept their histories alive through their stories and teachings.

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Storytelling in this context means more than orally relating a story, and this festival has left definitions of “storytelling” and “onstage” open to interpretation in to avoid pigeonholing interested creators. Performances may feature any combination of artistic expression to tell stories, including movement, dialogue and music. The festival will offer staged readings, panels, workshops and production workshopping.

Festival settings will be equally diverse, as it’s important not to limit indigenous creators’ productions to what a western audience might consider the typical stage. Historically, indigenous storytelling didn’t happen on the common modern definition of a stage, and there’s no reason it has to now, Strenczewilk said.

An open call yielded these chosen pieces to be performed at the festival:

Savage, by Nicolette Blount (Chickasaw) and Lindel Hart; book, music, and lyrics by NicoletteBlount

The Counting of the Heads, by Steve Callahan (Osage)

New Year’s Purun, by Justin P. Lopez (Mapuche)

Embers Borne West, by Maddox K. Pennington (Cherokee/Choctaw)

Pink Man or The Only Indian in the Room, by Marty Strenczewilk (Ojibwe)

A casting call went out in June for actors, singers and drummers, with an eye to solely casting indigenous actors in indigenous roles, as well as an emphasis on diversity throughout the cast. Martinique Barthel (Apache) is the stage manager who will be working with the creators to see their stories realized.

You can find out more about the festival at the First Storytellers Festival website: https://www.creative-nations.org/first-storytellers-festival. And if you’re in Boulder, an entire section of the Dairy Arts Center has been granted to Creative Nations to showcase various indigenous contributions to the arts and as an act to support #landback with more than just words.