Writers and UNM students celebrated the accomplishments of American Indian storytellers Friday at the University's Science and Technology Park.
The event, "Weaving Our Words-Telling Our Stories-A Community Core Educational Conference," was sponsored by UNM's Office of the Deputy Provost and the Native American Studies Department. It also was part of the Wordcraft Circle, an organization that sponsors various storytelling conferences around the country.
The conference covered many types of writing, which in turn, begins the process of storytelling. UNM staff and community leaders spoke at the event as well as a special scholars' panel.
"Writing is an action - an event," said Amanda Cobb, an assistant professor in American Studies at UNM. "The idea of writing is to witness or testimony."
Cobb said writers should take advantage of the many opportunities available to them. She said that 30 years ago, expression through writing by American Indians was shunned.
"At present time, we have reached a sort of plateau in unison. We are witnessing a transition period," Cobb said. "The choice of possibility is scary and risky. And our choices made are what comes next. We are coming to some new topics and ideas that look further into the culture."
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Although storytelling was supposed to be the focus of the conference, organizers left events and direction of the speeches up to the participants.
Many of the attendees were students who have taken Native American studies courses at UNM. This was the basis for the Emerging Scholars Panel.
The panel spoke about how conferences and classes on the subject have opened up a new way of thinking. Many said they were surprised that free, critical thinking could increase their amount of opportunities.
Wordcraft Circle sponsors many conferences or gatherings across the nation.
The organization was founded in 1992, with the first conference held at New York University in 1993.
"There has been incredible growth of writings by native people," said Lee Francis, coordinator and national director of Wordcraft. "These are important stories to the world and it takes people to their land."
Francis, who also is an associate professor at UNM, said that Wordcraft is about celebrating and honoring all forms of writing since its beginning.
"Hopefully, we will always have a conversation," he said. "We are assisting in helping people understand how important a story is."
Cobb said that many people stay stuck in a certain period in their lives because they don't try to get out of it. She said people must come to an end of a period in life, look back on the situation, move on and then assess. After those steps, a story is ready for telling, she said.
"The world is made up of stories and we are not only storytellers, but story livers," Cobb said. "Now, what we have is the choice of keeping a story and telling about it, or go on through the situation and live through it. That's what makes the difference."
