Festival theme:  

Honoring the Salmon and Animals So They Will Return 

Friday – Sunday  October 26-28, 2012
at

Portland State University’s
Native American Student and Community Center (Friday)
and Hoffmann Hall (Saturday)

  

Special thanks to our sponsors:  Northwest Indian Storytellers Association, PSU’s Indigenous Nations Studies Program and Native American Student and Community Center, National Endowment for the Arts, Regional Arts and Culture Council, Northwest Indian College’s Nez Perce Cooperative Extension Site, and Wisdom of the Elders, Inc.

Dear friends and relatives,

Welcome to our Seventh Annual Northwest Indian Storytelling Festival!  The Advisory Council members of the Northwest Indian Storytellers Association (NISA) are excited to acknowledge the valuable role of our Northwest at this year’s festival. Our theme is:  Honoring The Salmon and Animals So They Will Return.

We are thrilled that eight very special master storytellers from the Pacific Northwest are joining us this weekend.  Elaine Grinnell, Esther Stutzman, Ed Edmo, Darlene Foster, Johnny Moses, Gene Tagaban, Raven Heavy Runner, Roger Fernandes will all be sharing the old way of life with us. Cornel Pewewardy, Woodrow Morrison, Max Defender,  Toby Joseph and myself will share the podium as we open with prayers songs and introduce presenters to you.

A group of NISA master tribal storytellers are also apprenticing emerging tribal tellers through the winter, sharing their wisdom, knowledge and stories. Since producing the Discovering Our Story Project, we realize that learning and sharing our stories strengthens cultural identity and self esteem, and brings fulfillment and happiness into our lives. We invite you – our family – to also learn your personal history, your tribal/cultural history, and your traditional stories!

Thank you again for joining us! We’re happy that you wanted to attend this weekend of song, story and healing with us.  No matter what your color, creed or identity, we welcome you to make it a tradition to enjoy storytelling traditions with us every winter at our annual Northwest Indian Storytelling Festivals. Our next festival is on October 18-20, 2013 so mark your calendars!

Dogidinh (“thank you” in Deg Hit’an Dine)

Rose High Bear

Rose High Bear, Executive Producer

Wisdom of the Elders, Inc.

 

 

The Seventh Annual Northwest Indian Storytelling Festival

Program for Friday,  October 26, 2012 – 7:30 – 10:00 PM

 

 

7:30 PM                  Welcome audience to Festival
7:35 PM                  Dr. Cornel Pewewardy plays opening song and offers prayer
7:40 PM                  Introduce NW Indian Storytellers Association Advisory Council and Wisdom Board
7:50 PM                 Teller #1:   Darlene Foster (Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Indians)
8:10 PM                  Toby Joseph and Rose High Bear introduce Wisdom, its projects, and Friends of Wisdom
8:15 PM                  Toby and Rose introduces Teller #2 Roger Fernandes (Lower Elwah S’Klallam)
8:20 PM                 Teller #2:  Roger Fernandes (Lower Elwah S’Klallam)
8:45 PM                 Teller #3:  Elaine Grinnell (Jamestown S’Klallam)
9:05 PM                  Short auction break; audience survey distributed
9:20 PM                 Teller #4:  Ed Edmo (Shoshone Bannock, Yakama, Nez Perce)
9:40 PM                  Announce auction winners
9:45 PM                  Close with a prayer and a song. Close hall at 10:00.

NISA Emerging Tribal Storytellers Workshop

Saturday, 27 October 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

PSU’s Native American Student and Community Center

The NISA Emerging Tribal Storytellers Workshop is open to NISA members only
(enrolled tribal members and those who self identify as Native American)
The agenda will be available on Friday evening or Saturday morning at NISA registration table.

Saturday, 27 October 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
PSU Hoffmann Hall

7:00 PM                 Max Defender Drum Group opens event
7:15 PM                  Woodrow Morrison and Rose High Bear welcome audience to Festival
7:20 PM                 Invocation by Max Defender
7:25 PM                 Woodrow Morrison introduces festival theme:  Honoring the Salmon and Animals So They Will Return
7:30 PM                  Introduce NISA Advisory Council and Wisdom Board
7:40 PM                Teller #1:  Esther Stutzman (Komemma Kalapuya and Coos)
8:00 PM                 Rose and Toby introduce the importance of Discovering Our Story Project
8:05 PM                 Mary Elaine Priester introduces Wisdom’s Light A Fire Award and Friends of Wisdom
8:15 PM                 Teller #3:  Gene Tagaban (Tlingit)
8:40 PM                Teller #2:  Raven Heavy Runner (Blackfoot)
9:00 PM                  Short break; audience survey distributed
9:20 PM                 Johnny Moses (Tulalip)
9:40 PM                  Announce auction winners
9:45 PM                  Close with a prayer and song. Close hall at 10:00 PM

Emerging Storytellers Matinee

Sunday, 16 October 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM

PSU’s Native American Student and Community Center

12:00 Noon              Shannon Stutzman with Splac’ta Alla (People of the Valley) sings opening song
12:05 PM                  Invocation by an elder
12:10 PM                  Wisdom Advisory Council welcomes audience and makes announcements
12:20 PM                  Introduce first group of emerging tellers
12:25 PM                  Each of first four apprenticeship recipients give 5 minute presentations
12:45 PM                  Announcements
12:50 PM                  Introduce second group of emerging tellers
12:55 PM                  Second group of four apprenticeship recipients give 5 minute presentations
1:15 PM                     Announcements
1:20 PM                    Introduce third group of emerging tellers
1:25 PM                    Third group of four apprenticeship recipients give 5 minute presentations
1:45 PM                    Acknowledge Friends of WISDOM; invite audience to become members
1:50 PM                    Short break; pass out audience surveys
2:05 PM                    Introduce fourth group of emerging tellers
2:10 PM                    Fourth group of four apprenticeship recipients give 5 minute presentations
2:30 PM                    End silent auction; thanks to sponsors, tellers, emerging tellers, audience
2:40 PM                    Closing song and prayer to wrap up festival weekend
2:45 PM                    Event closes.  Close Hall at 3:00 PM