This unit’s material develops an understanding and appreciation of America’s past, especially its women. Themes include: “Early America”, “Women Who Led the Way”, and “Interpreting the Past”.
“The Role of the Griot”—D’jimo Kouyate—
Talk That Talk
Though not actually a tale, this piece presents a clear picture of the role played by the African storyteller and the debt owed him by his present day descendants. It encourages an investigation of one’s history, emphasizing that a lack of knowledge is humiliation. Further examining the role of storytellers in other cultures and perhaps developing and telling their own stories seems a natural outgrowth for pupils.
“The Black Cloth”—Karen C. Hatch—
The Black Cloth
The orphan, Aiwa, with the usual positive qualities of folktale orphans suffering under the rule of a mean stepmother who her to journey forth until she is able to wash a black cloth white, achieves success only when her song calls forth the assistance of her dead mother. Besides emphasizing the bond between mother and daughter, we see a folktale woman who “led the way” which might be compared with the way in which modern women lead. Children might also compare Aiwa to stepchildren in familiar fairy tales, as well as the roles played by dead mothers, fairy godmothers, or other symbols. Recounting how other females have helped in their lives might be a further development.
“The Case of the Missing Strawberry Pie”—Jackie Torrence as told by Marian E. Barnes—
Talk That Talk
In a more modern setting, Ms. Torrence gives us a picture of her youthful life in North Carolina. She emphasizes the importance of storytelling in her youth and the merger of African and Cherokee stories in her background, as she highlights her inability as a child to resist the minister’s strawberry pie and her mother’s creative method of solving the crime.
Jackie Torrence is a storyteller whom children might investigate further. The theme of childhood “thefts” might be expanded by having children tell of their own transgressions.
