Storytelling Influences by Lorraine Gonzalez

When I taught 4^th Grade I used to ask my students to imagine a world with no electricity.  They would make a list of all the things they had to plug in to use.  As they listed television, lights, computers, etc. they came to realize the importance of these “modern day” inventions.  Eventually, they would ask what people did without them. Then, we would talk about other ways to get information or be entertained. This, or course, led to the value of oral history and storytelling.  The lucky ones had some experience with storytelling form parents and grandparents. Others had no frame of reference, and required enlightening

Later, I was lucky enough to land the best job in the school: Librarian.  Once, a year we held a poetry recitation contest.  The winners from each grade level got to spend the day at South Mountain Community College.  Their good fortune continued when they got to hear Liz Warren tell a story.  They (we) were riveted.  Even the most squirrely of children listened intently. It was a great introduction to the power of a great story.

Another perk of running the library came when I met Michael Lacapa.  As a storyteller, artist, and author, he was truly a modern Renaissance Man.  He would tell tales of growing up on the reservation. The trip to the market was no everyday occurrence for his family.  They would pile into the pickup truck with high hopes of obtaining some treasure.  I remember there was an affinity for Spam.  He could take any ordinary circumstance and craft it into the best of stories.  The children loved them.

Mr. Lacapa wrote and illustrated books, based on his life and Native American tales.  He would often make a painting to match the book.  I am fortunate to own one of his original paintings.  My son won it for me in a raffle when he was in the fifth grade and Mr. Lacapa was the artist in residence at his school.  It is still hanging in my office, thirty years later.

Once, he spent the day at our school, and I got to host him, in the library.  We chatted amiably between classes.  I cherished that day even more when I heard he had passed away a few years later.  I was saddened to hear that magical voice had been silenced.  Recently, I dug through my books until I found an audio cassette of his “Coyote Stories”.  Coyote is often the center of stories of natural events in which he plays some mischievous role.  At least, his voice lives on through recordings.

(The image at the top shows Michael Lacapa at the White Mountain Storytelling Festival in 2003.)

Comments

[K Sheffield]

Lorraine, your story of your experiences get to the very heart of what it means to live and make your life into art. I'm not only speaking of Liz Warren and Michael Lacapa, but of you. Just think how many people you've affected! The memories and stories from our childhood are the deepest.

[Kathy Nakagawa]

This is such a wonderful memory and story of Mr. Lacapa--and how lucky for the students to have him, you and Liz to learn from! Your story reminds me of a novel titled The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier. In the book, there is an alternative world where people who have passed away live on and continue to tell stories, as long as someone in the "real" world is still there to remember them. Your memory ensures Michael Lacapa's stories and art live on.