Programs & Presentations

Classes And Workshops

The following course is offered through the University of Oklahoma, the College of Continuing Education Department. Classroom time is devoted to cultural teachings and numerous voluntary storytelling opportunities for participants. Tim Tingle is the instructor and will perform and teach throughout the week.

Storytelling in the Land of Enchantment, Santa Fe

July 30 through August 6, 2006, Tingle will again lead twenty-plus students and adult auditors on a week-long excursion exploring the stories and culture of Santa Fe, New Mexico. This marks the fifth anniversary of "Storytelling in the Land of Enchantment," a lively combination of interactive classroom discovery and afternoons and evenings spent in the homes and around the hearths of pueblo residents, many of whom have become friends over the past five years. A highlight of every course is a trip to Feast Day at Santo Domingo Pueblo, one of America's most traditional Native American celebrations. Hundreds of dancers emerge from the below-the-ground kiva and perform a stunningly beautiful Corn Dance. Sponsored by the University of Oklahoma's Continuing Education Department, the class can be taken for three hours of undergraduate college credit, or audited by storytelling aficionados. 

Instructors and alumni include authors and storytellers Joe Hayes, Teresa Pijoan, Doug Lipman, Pam McGrath, Eldrena Douma, Doc Moore, the Tipi Tellers of Fort Worth, Jo Sanders, Marge Fallon, Katy Little, Mel Davenport, and Austinites Reba and Granville Ott and Roy and Juanelle Chapman.

For course information, call Dr. Bruce Roberts at the University Of Oklahoma, 1-800-522-0772, extension 5101.

Theater, University, and Festival Concerts

Tingle has collected Native American stories for two decades, and has an extensive collection of recordings of older tribal members telling their stories. From these stories he has created a concert evening that includes Native humor, cedar flute music, and history; as well as contemporary stories of Native people struggling- and finally achieving- a place of dignity in modern America. Many of these stories are selections from Tingle's award-winning book, Walking the Choctaw Road. 

Tingle has performed this concert at theaters and universities in forty-plus states, including Alaska. Select stories were presented at the Thirtieth Annual National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, the 2006 National Storytelling Conference Concert in Oklahoma City, and at a special ninety-minute concert at the Native American Heritage Center in Anchorage, Alaska.

Stories include:

"Tony Byars"- An account of a pre-World War II Indian boarding school experience, based on a recorded interview with Choctaw elder Tony Byars.

"Crossing Bok Chitto"- The Mississippi Choctaws tell many long-remembered tales of aiding runaway slaves. This story depicts the friendship of a young Choctaw girl and a boy whose family lives in bondage, on the eve of the sale of his mother to faraway owners.

"The Choctaw Way"- A powerful teaching story revolving around the final days of a grandfather condemned to die. Choctaw Tribal Historian Charlie Jones told Tingle this story on a "Trail of Tears" re-enactment walk in 1993.

"Willie"- A short story by Choctaw writer and poet Roxy Gordon, describing in haunting detail the lonely life of a woman who spent her days, "serving coffee to cowboys."

"The Lady With The Telephone"- A story of redemption in which an Anglo girl, driving to work in the rain, accidently strikes an older Indian man. Based on a true story recounted by Dr. Lee Hester, Native Philosophy Professor at Oklahoma College Of Arts and Sciences.

This concert also features a variety of vocable songs and Choctaw hymns, Native American flute music, as well as comic relief provided by "Uncle Charlie," an hilarious modern trickster.

Ghost Stories Concert

Tim Tingle and/or Doc Moore present a 45-90 minute Ghost Story Concert, including stories from their first collaboration as authors, Texas Ghost Stories: Fifty Favorites for the Telling. Stories range from the humorous to the deadly serious, and story selection will always be sensitive to the age make-up of the audience. In 2005, Tingle will perform as a featured Ghost Story teller at the National Storytelling Festival. He and Doc are both regulars on the Ghost Story Concert at the Texas Storytelling Festival.

Student Concerts, Kindergarten to High School

Tim performs age-appropriate material to all grade levels, from echo-and-response animal stories for the early grade levels to serious historical narratives for the upper grades. Sample programs for K-12 follow:

Grades K-2 Opening hymn played on the Native flute. "Grandma Spider Brings the Fire," a highly-interactive and humorous Choctaw tale of respect for the older ones. Musical piece in which selected students perform rhythm accompaniment on rattles and drums as Tim plays the flute. "First Robin," a Lakota character lesson.

Grades 3-4 Opening hymn played on the Native flute. "Crossing Bok Chitto," a pre-Civil War Choctaw tale of friendship with an escaping slave family. Musical selection with student performers. "Coyote And Humpback," an hilarious Apache story with a powerful lesson.

Grades 5-7 Opening hymn played on the Native flute. "Danny Blackgoat," a Navajo Long Walk story, with accurate historical setting. "Rabbit's Tail," the most popular of all Choctaw trickster tales. Brief description of styles of Native music, with a Choctaw vocable song.

Grades 8-12 Opening hymn played on the Native flute. "Trail Of Tears," the Choctaw removal story, told through the eyes of a five year-old emerged in the sweep of history. "The Bowl," a Navajo tale of an old woman's greed and redemption. Brief description of how music reflects culture, with short series of flute and vocable songs.

The above stories are only a sampling from the more than two hundred stories available for the various grade levels. Tim will make every effort to co-ordinate his program with your curriculum.

Workshops, Only a Sampling

"Creative Telling For Creative Writing" was developed for middle and high school students as a way to generate realistic fiction from personal experience. Presented on high school and middle school campuses throughout Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana.

"Indian Harvest" is designed to instruct----and inspire----Native Americans to record the memories of family and tribal members. Collecting from within tribal circles becomes increasingly important as younger members leave traditional communities, and collecting can create valuable gifts for our children's children. The workshop is filled with stories and anecdotes of Tingle's experiences, that now span three decades, of recording Indian memories. Presented at the Native American Preservation Conference, Durant, Oklahoma, September, 2006. Sponsored by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

*****"Collecting Stories: The Power of Preserving" is a two to four hour workshop examining the techniques and importance of recording the stories that surround us. As as avid collector and listener, Tingle is the author of six books based on his own experiences in the world of memories. His performance of select stories, after establishing the setting of their origin, always includes recent, uncrafted material. The participant is thus allowed a glimpse at the sensitive work involved in taking the memories of another and creating a written or performance piece.  Presented at the National Storytelling Conference, Bellingham, Washington.

"Easy Steps To Storytelling" is a two-hour interactive workshop for beginning to intermediate tellers, demonstrating a painless method of learning and performing stories. Presented at dozens of storytelling and literary events, including the Young Author's Conference in Heidelberg, Germany.

"Native American Storytelling For The Non-Native Teller" presents Tingle's belief that stories are meant to be shared, knowledgeably and respectfully. Included is a fun and revealing Multiple Choice and True-False exam of Native American stereotypes. Presented at Wintertales, Oklahoma City, and the Betty Weeks Storytelling Conference, Evansville, Illinois, both in 2004.

"Storytelling For The Elementary Grades" is an hour-long workshop for grades 3-5, or grades,K-2, in which students will learn and perform, for their peers, a story of their choosing. Presented to students and faculty in Houston and Dallas area schools.

"The Living Story" is a workshop designed for the Texas State Conference of Social Studies Teachers, and offers a technique of increasing student interest and awareness through historical storytelling.

Christmas Stories Concert

Doc Moore and Tim Tingle present a 45-90 minute concert of Christmas Stories, featuring tales collected from Alaska to Mexico. This enjoyable evening includes folktales, legends, contemporary stories, and heartwarming Yuletide humor, guaranteed to entertain you with a smile and maybe a tear.

"I can't tell you how much we appreciated and enjoyed you at our Christmas PJ Party. Thank you so much for your generosity and for sharing your time and wonderful stories! The way you kept the entire audience mezmorized was amazing! The little ones snuggled in their pjs and blankets and the "young at heart" adults--you had us all! We can't wait to have you back to share your wonderful stories!"

Vicki Partin
Tye Preston Memorial Library
Canyon Lake, TX