Interview · South Dakota · Delores Taken Alive · OSEU 5
Themes: Land & stewardship, Language & revitalization, Storytelling & oral tradition, Education & learning, Spirituality & ceremony, Values & generosity, Culture & continuity, Food & plants, Arts & expression, Listening & observation, Children & young people, Humor & play, Intergenerational learning
Learn About questions
What are some examples of Lakota
stories that teach values and morals?
How do oral storytelling and reading stories from text differ?
Who was Albert Whitehat? What are some things he is known for
Who was Charles White Elk? What are some things he is known for
The Oglala and Sicangu have lots of elders and stories — what are some examples?
Who is Joseph Marshall? What is he known for?
What does “oral tradition” mean?
Learn From questions
What memories of stories do you
have from your childhood? When did
you listen to or read these stories?
Who are people in your life who have special meaning for you related to your learning?
What memories do you have of sleeping over at your grandparent’s house?
What helped you to fall asleep as a child?
What stories have you only learned or do you remember as being shared orally?
Transcripts
Storytelling & Oral Tradition - Delores Taken Alive - OSEU 5
Watch this interview on YouTubeYou know, that is very, like say, you read a story, the stories have values, the Lakota stories have values, there is something that you're going to, the moral of that story, but if you read it, it's not, it's just, you read it and it's gone. But if somebody comes to our classrooms and talks about the stories and the moral of that, what did you get out of it, what was so important?
That's why I believe in oral storytelling, that's because I was always asked to do this at the Sundance Youth Camp, and I try to, you know, tell stories that there's morals to it, because that's the way these stories were a long, long time ago, how our stories have come. Even when you go out hunting, or even to make a hide, scrape a hide, or to beadwork and all that, there's always a moral to that story.
And one that I like about that, he's no longer with us, Mr. White Hat, is how one, was it a cousin that was so appreciative of her male cousin, so she started beading some moccasins for him, for an appreciation, for looking after her, and she said to him, Lena Ohon. So what that male cousin understood was Ohon means to cook something. So he went out and boiled the water and he put those real beautiful moccasins in her.
Sometimes, you know, they don't really get the moral of the story, and that was a joke that he told, and I thought, oh my gosh, you know. So things like that, you know, the oral stories, I really believe in that, because that's why I always like to go to Al and I, you know, and just visit those, especially like Charles White Elk. Boy, I learned a lot from him, but he's no longer with us, but you know what he said to me, or in that room was, he said, I have been teaching Lakota language for over 40 years now, and I am just tired of it.
And you know what, that spring he died. So I said, I'm not going to ever say that, you know, I'm tired of teaching Lakota language. I'm not going to ever say that, I said, after what happened to Charles. But he was really good, and he told stories in that room, you know, where we were getting our training. So things like that, you know, that I used to look towards Oglala and Sicangu, that there's a lot of elders that have really good stories.
And that's where I look to Mr. Joe Marshall III, too, you know, in his books, there's really good stories in there. Some I know, and some are new, because, you know, our grandparents, I used to say to my mother, Mom, can I go sleep at Grandpa's tonight?
Okay, and we used to sleep on the floor, and Grandpa, before we go to sleep, he would be telling us stories, and he was a storyteller. So that's where, you know, I used to go, just to hear those stories.
But, you know, of course, you have to have permission from your parents, and they don't allow us to sleep anywhere else but our grandparents. So you know, this oral tradition is very important, coming from somebody with life experience, and sitting there telling you or talking about, like to the youth group, that is very important.
Resource text
OSEU 5: INTERVIEW WITH DELORES TAKEN ALIVE
WoLakota Project
From the current WoLakota source page:
Storytelling & Oral Tradition
Delores Taken Alive
Transcript
(deep listening, information)
(deep listening, transformation)
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Source materials
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Additional source transcripts
Storytelling & Oral Tradition
Storytelling & Oral Tradition - Delores Taken Alive - OSEU 5
You know, that is very, like say, you read a story, the stories have values, the Lakota stories have values, there is something that you're going to, the moral of that story, but if you read it, it's not, it's just, you read it and it's gone. But if somebody comes to our classrooms and talks about the stories and the moral of that, what did you get out of it, what was so important?
That's why I believe in oral storytelling, that's because I was always asked to do this at the Sundance Youth Camp, and I try to, you know, tell stories that there's morals to it, because that's the way these stories were a long, long time ago, how our stories have come. Even when you go out hunting, or even to make a hide, scrape a hide, or to beadwork and all that, there's always a moral to that story.
And one that I like about that, he's no longer with us, Mr. White Hat, is how one, was it a cousin that was so appreciative of her male cousin, so she started beading some moccasins for him, for an appreciation, for looking after her, and she said to him, Lena Ohon. So what that male cousin understood was Ohon means to cook something. So he went out and boiled the water and he put those real beautiful moccasins in her.
Sometimes, you know, they don't really get the moral of the story, and that was a joke that he told, and I thought, oh my gosh, you know. So things like that, you know, the oral stories, I really believe in that, because that's why I always like to go to Al and I, you know, and just visit those, especially like Charles White Elk. Boy, I learned a lot from him, but he's no longer with us, but you know what he said to me, or in that room was, he said, I have been teaching Lakota language for over 40 years now, and I am just tired of it.
And you know what, that spring he died. So I said, I'm not going to ever say that, you know, I'm tired of teaching Lakota language. I'm not going to ever say that, I said, after what happened to Charles. But he was really good, and he told stories in that room, you know, where we were getting our training. So things like that, you know, that I used to look towards Oglala and Sicangu, that there's a lot of elders that have really good stories.
And that's where I look to Mr. Joe Marshall III, too, you know, in his books, there's really good stories in there. Some I know, and some are new, because, you know, our grandparents, I used to say to my mother, Mom, can I go sleep at Grandpa's tonight? Okay, and we used to sleep on the floor, and Grandpa, before we go to sleep, he would be telling us stories, and he was a storyteller. So that's where, you know, I used to go, just to hear those stories.
But, you know, of course, you have to have permission from your parents, and they don't allow us to sleep anywhere else but our grandparents. So you know, this oral tradition is very important, coming from somebody with life experience, and sitting there telling you or talking about, like to the youth group, that is very important.