Canadian island thinks of storytelling as a natural resource

In this story: Quirky stories, pithy endings Gathering at Ceilidh RELATED SITES

VICTORIA BY-THE-SEA, Prince Edward Island, Canada (Reuters) -- Storyteller Erskine Smith sits in his vegetable garden in his vibrant fishing village overlooking the Northumberland Strait on Canada's East Coast and recounts an old island tale.

A man carrying Bible tracts knocks on an old Scotsman's door, eager to promote the word of God. But the Scotsman seems not to understand his preaching, prompting the man of the cloth to burst out: "Don't you know Jesus Christ died for your sins?"

To which the Scotsman replies, "Well, we are a long way from the road here."

Smith, who is also the artistic director of a local theater, believes the tale captures the essence of storytelling on the island, which he feels comes naturally to local residents.

"I think that, in the way you find a musical gene in some communities -- like in Mabu, Cape Breton (Nova Scotia), which produces a number of musicians of Celtic music -- I think there is also a storytelling gene here. Some people are gifted, others work on it," Smith explained.

Island stories are usually quirky and have a pithy ending. Most immortalize characters in the community while also laying bare the soul of a people. They illustrate how islanders deal with everyday life situations such as a birth, work and death.

The stories hark back to a time known to folklorists as "the break" -- a period after the Second World War when the 20th century seemed to hit the island all at once.

The gift of storytelling, although arguably passed down with the Scottish and Celtic origins of many islanders, appears to be a natural resource, not unlike lobster and red potatoes.

Island stories are not very refined, Smith says. "They are still at a much more organic stage and we don't know how they are going to formulate themselves eventually."

Smith believes there are more storytellers on Canada's East Coast simply because they have been around longer than other Canadians and have had more time to acquire stories.

"I grew up on stories. Whatever happened in the community became the grist of the story mill, and there were people who were known as storytellers in the community," Smith said.

He sits on the PEI Storytelling Festival Board, an annual, traveling show that showcases storytellers from Ireland, Scotland, England and the United States. He believes the resurgence of this craft is due in part to the festival.

Part of the resurgence of storytelling can be attributed to the rise of tourism, he said. In local events known as Ceilidh (pronounced kay-lees), people in communities gather together to exhibit their own natural talents, whether it be dancing, singing or storytelling, events often attended by tourists.

"People want to experience what we have to offer, and what we really have to offer is our particular cultural view of the world," Smith said.

The purpose of storytelling goes beyond mere evening entertainment, according to one of the Prince Edward Island's best-known storytellers, David Weale.

"Storytelling is an essential, intrinsic part of human culture. ... We cannot live without stories. We don't know who we are without stories. I have a saying that on the eighth day God declared: 'It's not finished, let there be stories.' "

Weale, best known for his recent book and show entitled "A Long Way From The Road," explained that storytelling allows people to create their own reality and make sense of the disparate circumstances that occur in their lives. Stories also play an important part in people's identity.

"Your sense of who you are is a result of stories, and I think the most sovereign thing we do as individuals is to create the stories of our own life. You can only have your own life if you have your own story and that goes not only for the individual but for a community and for a nation," he said.

Weale's stories reinforce that sentiment. His first collection of stories, "Them Times," includes a telling island tale entitled "Picking Potatoes."

Spending hour after hour picking up potatoes that have been dug up and throwing them in a basket, a boy laments not being quick enough to rest before having to move to another section of the field. Gradually he becomes angry that an older man is riding on a tractor while he has to toil with his hands.

Then, one day, the boy flexes his biceps and imagines his muscles bigger than most boys his age, Weale writes. "There was a kind of aching satisfaction in that moment, and first faint stirrings of emergent manliness."

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For more BOOKS news, myCNN.com will bring you news from the areas and subjects you select.

Prince Edward Island Storytelling Festival
Prince Edward Island Information Center

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.