Why we Tell Community Stories
“Stories are memory aids, instruction manuals, and moral compasses.”
In previous posts, we discussed telling children tales about themselves and their families. These two types of nonfiction stories help children develop their sense of self and their place within the family. Community stories take it a step further and push our children to explore where they fit into the wider world in the context of their broader social and civic affiliations. It shows them the interconnectedness they have with individuals outside of their family.
In stories, we get to experience a different person’s life and learn from their experiences. We demonstrate to children what it means to live happily, or not, within a community. We also find opportunities to teach the core beliefs, morals, and values that bind a community together. Communities can be any one of, or a combination of the following; the child’s geographic affiliation (hometown, state, or country), religious community, organizations to which the child and family belong, and cultural community. Below I offer a few examples of community stories from my own life and the way they have impacted myself and my children. I hope they will illustrate how stories can serve as a glue for communities.
The Curse of the Bambino
The Curse of the Bambino from the Boston Red Sox is one famous example of a story binding generations of community members. Year after year, the Boston Red Sox baseball team is usually a solid franchise. However, as the story goes, when Babe Ruth was sold to the New York Yankees in 1920, the Red Sox were cursed to no longer win the World Series. They lived out this curse for 80+ years, many seasons suffering through seeing the detested Yankees win the championship.
Boston fans took the curse to heart and would retell it every year when the Sox season ended in defeat. I joined the Red Sox Nation around 2003 when my boyfriend (now husband) introduced me to them. Being from Oklahoma, I’ve seen dedicated sports fans, usually related to college football. But there is something impressive about the devotion of Red Sox supporters. Their undeterred loyalty even inspired a movie (“Still We Believe” 2004), where the legend of the “curse” is clearly on display.
Red Sox lore was added to in 2004 when, just as in fairytales, the curse was broken. The 2004 team defeated the “evil empire”, the Yankees, for the ALCS title and continued on to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals, becoming World Series Champions for the first time in 86 years. Today, the legend is still told, albeit with a happy ending, brought about by the heroes who included Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Damon, and Pedro Martinez.
The Brownie Story
This story is one that I remember from childhood. At the Brownie level of Girl Scouts, troop members learn a tale about two sisters who overhear their parents wishing for a set of elves called brownies to help with the household chores. They then set out to find brownies to ask them to help their parents. As they search, they meet a wise owl who leads them to an old well and instructs them to look inside.
When they see their reflections in the water, they realize they can be the brownies their parents need. The girls decide to be as helpful as possible in the future.
The story illustrates how being helpful is one of the core values of Girl Scouts. I vividly remember listening to this story as a Girl Scout in my Brownie year and absorbing its message.
Religious Stories
Religious communities are filled with stories. These are told to instill morals, values, and faith in a particular religion’s members. They can be found in religious scriptures, or the stories about the lives of its followers. They often help illustrate hard-to-understand concepts, such as the religion’s ethics, the benefits of upholding the faith, or even cautionary tales.
Here, I will focus on Christianity because it is the religion I practice and am most familiar with. Stories in the Bible and later Christian history are the foundational teaching tools. Much of the Old Testament includes stories that teach the rules of faith, the history of the Jewish people, and the characteristics of God. In the New Testament, Jesus, the central figure, uses parables to teach his original disciples and subsequent followers to live in a relationship with God. The Bible also weaves an overarching story of God’s love for humanity—the creation he loved, lost, sacrificed for, and redeemed. Examples of accounts often used for strengthening community from the post-Biblical Christian tradition include stories of the saints and martyrs who lived and died while proclaiming their faith. The stories found in the Bible and the examples of extraordinary faith found outside of it have connected millions of Christians across time and throughout the world.
Cultural Stories
Today’s world is a very diverse place. Our cultures are mixing and morphing at an ever-accelerating pace. Often a community that was once limited to a specific location now finds it has members spread out across the world. As a result, the community must find ways to stay connected. Stories are an excellent way to maintain that communal bond.
My own Native American heritage is an example of how stories can connect individuals within a culture. I am Lenape, a member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians. Our ancestral lands are in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. However, due to a series of forced removals, the tribe is now mainly located in the Bartlesville/Copan area of Oklahoma. Also, throughout the generations, members moved away. My relatives often referred to this as the Delaware Diaspora.
And this is where I find myself, living on the East Coast of the United States, while my family and tribe are in Oklahoma. Early in my parenting journey, I realized I needed to be purposeful about connecting my kids with their heritage, or else they would not understand what it meant to be Lenape. I turned to stories and began to tell them the ones I knew from my family and the ones I learned from reading Lenape legends. My children have connected with these stories and are excited when we go to Oklahoma for our annual Pow Wow.
Recently, I have also been a volunteer storyteller at my children’s schools. After sharing Lenape stories with their classmates, I have seen some of the stereotypes and misconceptions about Native Americans diminish, replaced by greater understanding and respect.
Community stories are all around us and help shape who we are. Reflect on the ones you want to pass on to the child(ren) you love. Along with their connection to their family, a child’s community is the force that grounds them and shapes their experiences and values. Community stories can give kids a much firmer sense of identity and belonging to a caring group.
