Native American Storytelling Festival this weekend

Choctaw storyteller Tim Tingle performs during the Hané Festival at First United Methodist Church on 2007. The festival featured three native storytellers and a musician telling the tales of their people. [Photo by Brian Leddy/Independent]

Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Staff writer

GALLUP — The days might be growing longer and warmer lately, but it’s still winter, and for Sunny Dooley that means it’s still time for Native American storytelling.

This weekend it will be time for Navajo, Apache, and Laguna storytelling at the Second Annual Hané Festival — Hané being the Navajo word for story. Dooley, a well-known Navajo storyteller, is the festival organizer and one of the featured storytellers. The event will also feature Teddi Duncan, a Laguna/Acoma storyteller, and Adam Teller, a Navajo storyteller.

The festival runs from Friday evening through Sunday morning at the following locations:

• Friday, Feb. 15, 7 p.m.: Evening session at the First United Methodist Church, 1800 Red Rock Drive; admission is $5;
• Saturday, Feb. 16, 11 a.m.: Morning session for children and their families at the Octavia Fellin Children’s Library, 200 W. Aztec; free admission;
• Saturday, Feb. 16, 7 p.m.: Evening session at the First United Methodist Church; admission is $5;
• Sunday, Feb. 17, 8:30 a.m. & 10:45 a.m.: Short, uplifting stories by storytellers during two morning worship services; First United Methodist Church; free admission.

Dooley said the stories will be told primarily in English so audience members of all cultures are welcome to attend.
“It’s for everyone who loves listening to stories,” she said.

A storyteller since 1982, Dooley said she travels around the country telling Navajo stories, but she’s never heard of a festival devoted entirely to Native American storytellers. In her travels, she added, she is always on the lookout for good Native storytellers.

“I’m always scouring around for Native American storytellers,” she joked. “You know, there’s not a directory of them.”

Last year Dooley decided to “start a small festival and see what happens.” Winter was the season chosen for the festival, she explained, because many Native American tribes view that as the traditional time for storytelling.

Nights are long and days are short, and it’s a time when many animals are hibernating or have migrated for the season.

According to Dooley, about 250 people attended last year’s various sessions. She hopes the festival will continue to grow and become an event that helps people from different cultures appreciate and respect each other.

Although Gallup prides itself on being a multicultural community, Dooley believes many longtime residents don’t really know much about fellow residents from other cultures — beyond a superficial knowledge.

“This is kind of like an invitation to learn what Native cultures are all about,” she said.

Dooley said the three storytellers will each share stories during the festival’s different sessions. She estimated that during the evening sessions the stories would be about 30 minutes long, with breaks between the stories.

“That’s really short for Navajo stories,” she said. Last year, Dooley explained, a non-Indian woman called and asked how long the stories would run. When Dooley estimated 45 minutes to an hour, the caller commented that seemed an awfully long time to sit. But when a Navajo audience member arrived and asked the same question, his response was, “That’s it?”

But whatever one’s culture, Dooley believes audience members will enjoy listening to stories that range from funny and entertaining to emotionally touching and poignant.

“It’s a lot of fun,” she said. “I really do hope it becomes an annual community event.”

Information: www.nativestorytellingfestival.com or (505) 722-0862