The Oneidas' oral traditions unites generations and communities. Stories that are passed from family to family are tales that may scare, interest, or amuse you.

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The Oneida Oral Tradition

Uniting the Generations

Story Created: Sep 30, 2008 at 4:16 PM EST

Story Updated: Oct 20, 2008 at 11:05 AM EST

Storytelling knits generations together as grandchildren gather to hear grandparents' stories about their childhoods or about things that go bump in the night. The Oneida oral tradition is filled with wonderful tales, guaranteed to scare, scare, interest, or amuse you

Even if the story is not intended to teach a lesson or impart information, telling and listening to stories strengthens the bonds between people in a community. Storytellers have their own style, reflected in their words, the pace of their stories, and the drama they infuse in every event they describe.

"I think that one thing that was so special about having an oral tradition and having stories passed on from generation to generation is that people genuinely learned how to listen to one another and how to spend time with one another and how to entertain one another without having the artificial surroundings of TV and computer games," Sheri Beglan (Wolf Clan) said.

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