To celebrate Native American History Month, the Office of Multicultural Affairs presented Native American Storytelling with Ramona Moore Big Eagle in the Cave on Wednesday.
Ramona Moore Big Eagle tells stories and brings her culture to life in places all over the United States and even into Canada. She is a legend keeper for the Iroquois tribe.
She is an oral historian and legend keeper of the Tuscarora nation. She has a master’s of education in reading and storytelling from ETSU.
Her programs of Native American culture and history delivered through the art of storytelling, authentic artifacts, music, drumming, dance and crafts have been empowering audiences of all ages for over 23 years
During the presentation, Big Eagle told stories, brought artifacts, danced and also taught the audience a few basic words in her native language. She said that her stories ranged from “past and present, East Coast to the West Coast.”
She reminded everybody of the talking stick, which in rituals lets whoever holds it be the one to speak. Needless to say she held the talking stick most of the time at Wednesday’s event.
She informed us that in order to have a story you need to have a storyteller, a story and a listener.
Big Eagle also talked about her regalia or the native word for her clothing. Her regalia, she said, “tells a story of who we are.”
Everything she wore was hand made. No sewing machines, no scissors, it was just her, her cloth and a sewing needle.
In order to make clothing, the Native Americans would first have to be invited by an elder. As they would make their regalia they would tell stories. This gave their clothing meaning.
Big Eagle explained that the U.S. Constitution was written from many of the ideologies of the Iroquois.
It was also made known that Iroquois do not live in teepees they live in long houses. The Iroquois also wrote on wampum, not paper.
After clearing up many misconceptions she told the story of “Turtle Island” about how the earth was formed.
According to the legend there was a place called “Skyland.” In Skyland there was a tree called the Tree of Life. One day there was a great wind that blew the tree away. Where it was uprooted there was light shining through.
The chief’s wife looked through the hole and saw another world. Then she fell through and the birds caught her.
This is when Big Eagle showed the crowd the dance that went along with the song. As the birds held her in the sky, she would wave her arms. She ended up on a turtle and the dirt from the sky fell on the turtle and made land. Every now and then when the turtle stirs, the earth shakes. According to the Iroquois, this is what an earthquake is.
She also told a story about four men and their wishes.
Each story the natives have had a moral or historical significance. Big Eagle expressed that what the Native Americans did always had meaning and nothing went to waste.
Other than being a simple storytelling event, the presentation was much more informative and eventful. Big Eagle had a whole culture to present to an eager listening audience.

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