Storytelling & Humor with Leander “Russ” MacDonald

Well we’re all storytellers you know so I think that and if you’re a good storyteller you get a little bit popular and people want to hear your stories and I and you I think what happens is that if you if you can combine humor in with that really well then you get to have funny stories and people get to have a good time listening to you but they’re able to learn something at the same time and so I just came from awake on Monday my Sunday night back at Spirit Lake and one of our neighbors passed away and so we went back for that and a older gentleman got up and shared a little bit and that’s what he did he shared the story of the life of this lady and he blended in different funny comical pieces of throughout this life that she had and regard to sharing with her and how that was um how those things were important and at the same time while he’s talking to the crowd he’s kind of picking different ones up and kind of teasing him a little bit you know so you see that happening in regard to that but we’re learning through that and I think the thing is that some of the way we discipline too is tied into that so I remember when I was kind of getting off the path and in my folks that sit me down and my and what said taught us I said on here Tatia I mean my mom was there or something that my dad has seemed like I was catching it all the time I was kind of a crazy guy and so then so then and they would bring something over there to eat and a coffee or something he said and so and I knew I was going ah he’s gonna give me the business here and anyway I don’t think you’re going on the right path here and would talk to me and I and say and say maybe you want to consider going to school or you know I see it lost your job again and tell me these things and stuff that I knew but stuff that he thought I needed to hear and so I was listening respectfully and went to my dad and hear him saying I share these things and my momma kind of had and so then but he didn’t holler at me he didn’t say what the heck’s the matter with you he didn’t talk to me like that he said I just see the man like you’re having some difficulties here and you might want to rethink things and so that’s how I approached me in a respectful way and I was open to hearing what he was sharing with me then and so what happens to all of us I think is that when people holler and I said they come out as hard is that we close up and we back of all we want to haul her back and so this approach I think is a cultural piece that’s important for us for moving ahead you know so I think these are you know in regard to the storytelling pieces I remember when I was young and they didn’t we used to go stay at my grandma’s house and she would tell these stories about Johnny skunk and Johnny’s gone cazali and in the troublesome he maybe that’s what I related to in life you know I don’t know but Johnny’s uncle’s I was getting into trouble and stuff but she would tell me these stories and there was no running water they didn’t have running water they had kerosene lamps and they had a house and you know and so third toilet that you know saw but they were happy and I don’t think anybody knew they were poor anything like that’s just the way it was and he would tell these stories and stuff and then but so there was ours and regard the story town that was always some moral to the story and what happened with this Johnny and then and how he cheated is relative so you hear that and that’s on my head outside across it and then I’m my dad side here my pony and him he’s I was trying to trick you into stuff you know saw so you hear these different stories among those lines and the importance of listening to these things and I think that happens at all levels you know because I still hear stories every wants to know now once again isn’t from different ones and presentations and they just do excellent job at doing and tying in these just know stories that’s what’s happening in today’s society and so but why these things are important for us culturally to have that the values that we need in order to live today we need to continue to treat each other in a good way