A winter’s tales

Native American stories for the hearthside

CALLICOON, NY — In the spirit of stories told by Native Americans on long winter evenings around the fire, the St. Oakerhater Guild of St. James Episcopal Church will present an afternoon of Native American storytelling at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 11. Stories and poetry of various tribes will be presented by Mary Curtis, Anne Osborne, Nellie Burnham and Fred Howard. Listeners will be invited to participate in an open discussion afterwards.

“Most of the stories we will tell are folk tales, the kind of stories told by the elders on cold winter nights,” said storyteller Mary Curtis. “They are the kind of stories that passed on culture, values and wisdom to the next generations.”

The St. Oakerhater Guild is a group dedicated to telling the story and supporting the legacy of David Pendleton Oakerhater, a notable Cheyenne warrior during the 19th-century Indian Wars. He converted to Christianity and served his people as a deacon until his death in 1931. Known as God’s Warrior, his name was added to the Episcopal Church’s calendar of saints in 1985.

There is no admission charge. A free-will donation will be sent to the St. Oakerhater Center, which serves the Cheyenne and Arapaho people of Watonga, OK.

St. James Church is located on Route 17B in Callicoon, across from Roche’s garage.

For more information call 845/887-4742 or 887-5454.