"Well truth be told Brer Bear, I'm making a dollar a minute," said Brer Rabbit.
~ The Classic Tales of Brer Rabbit
The trickster tale provides a little mischief, a dash of fun, and large amounts of the little guy wielding his wit to get what he wants. These stories can become complex as tricksters are sometimes the underdog just trying to figure out how to procure something he wants and is up against larger, taller, or stronger characters. In other stories, in trying to trick, the trickster eventually gets snared in his own trap. Readers will also encounter the trickster who is never remorseful and only has his own interest at heart. Well-known tricksters often are portrayed as rabbits, coyotes, fox, ravens or crows, and spiders, but can also be shape-shifters as well!
Tricksters You Know and Love
Storyknifing is a type of storytelling that dates back to the Inuit culture. Using mud or snow, storytellers would draw the story on the ground with a knife or other devices as they orally regaled their audience.
Add storyknifing to your library program or classroom by using sidewalk chalk, sand and stick, or simply modeling the process with a whiteboard and dry erase marker. Children can also take part by selecting their favorite trickster tale, snagging a little tracing paper, and using a pencil to trace the illustrations. Kids can practice retelling the story while they trace and take home a storyboard of their own making!
For more activity ideas, check out A Treasury of Trickster Tales by Valarie Marsh.
To learn more about the rich history of storyknifing, read Telling Stories on the Ground by Dylan Ogden as he discusses the practice in the Yup’ik communities in Alaska.