Rotary Log: September 5, 2013 (Master Storyteller)

We welcomed back President Dave Underhill, who returned from two weeks of rest and good times in Canada.  He gave kudos to President-Elect Trish Cummings for filling in while he was away, never an easy task with our occasionally unruly group.  Attendance at the meeting was noticeably down, in part because of the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah. 

I was happy to have a guest and noted several other Rotarians had brought guests who they hoped would become future Portsmouth Rotarians.  Given the 4 day week, no doubt others were swamped at work and simply playing catch up, or getting ready for “Fashion Night Out” in Portsmouth that evening, which was a rousing success. 

We had a very unusual presentation by Michael Lang, a master storyteller, who is also known as the “Coyote’s Inkwell”.  Michael started his presentation by telling us an African story, accompanying himself with small drums resembling bongos.  In the story, the spider plays a central role but there is also a very self-centered queen who can control the weather and many different animals that can speak as well. After sharing his first story, Michael shared with us how he became a storyteller. 

As a young child, Michael was diagnosed with a debilitating cornial eye disease that has caused him to gradually become legally blind.  He wears eye glasses that help correct his vision however it is still impaired.  As a child, he was fascinated with Native American folk stories and songs. As a young man, he attended a summer camp for vision impaired and blind youngsters, acting as a counselor.  His first night, as he tried to figure out how to get his young campers to settle down and go to bed, he offered them a story.  To his surprise, they quickly changed into pajamas and were waiting expectantly.  He didn’t have a story prepared, but he combined several of his favorite native American tales to create one and he was an instant hit.  Soon he was travelling from cabin to cabin, telling each group of children a story. Many of his stories contain a moral about life while still being humorous and entertaining.  They provoke thoughts and discussion about the choices we make, and the outcomes, sometimes expected, sometimes not!   He concluded with an equally interesting tale of the famed Chief Moharimet and two young boys who try to pull a fast one on him.  As promised, a very unique presentation on a career we don’t often encounter!