Storytelling – Value in Cultural Heritage

In the last weeks I have had opportunity to consider the art of storytelling relative to culture and it has been something of a revelation. Storytelling is close to my heart and I am most comfortable in my skin when I describe myself as a storyteller. But just what is a storyteller and are there ever stories that are not yours to tell, even though they are those that you create?

As a child I grew up with the wonderful story of the Three Sisters, they are three statuesque rock formations, which are famed around Australia. As a child I would eagerly listen to the Australian Aboriginal tale of how they came to be within legend and I searched them in wonder when the opportunity arose, eagerly looking for familiar facial forms in the rocks. It is a romantic and dramatic tale of love, desire and quest and wrapped around the three pinnacles, which sit on the edge of the escarpment at Katoomba.

Aussie Spirit Creatures – The Kitji

One of the most striking things about legends from across the world is the similarities they wear. Always of an interest to me I have now come to search for these markers in legend and lore. From serpents to dragons and the snakes of Eden, all noted as the bearers of knowledge or evil, which can often be considered the same.