Storytelling is a traditional aspect of the Mennonite faith. Apart from the religious text, The Bible, the defining aspects, qualities and values of the church are perpetuated through the transferal of the stories of the faith community. This is why, at most Mennonite churches, one can usually find a little church library tucked into some neglected corner, where there are scads of Mennonite or Christian children's books, written to educate children in a more receivable manner than lectures or history lessons. These books range in topic and target age-group, though generally stick to the classic subject matter – non-violence, service and the global community, or histories of some sort. Books like The Yellow Star, which is a story from Denmark during World War II, in which the Danish king devises a non-violent method of protecting the Jews from the Nazis, are staples of the childrens’ section of Mennonite church libraries.
Children in the Mennonite church are raised on storytelling (children’s time during worship being a highlight of every Sunday Service for some kids) but it isn’t only children who enjoy hearing stories. Adults in the church also enjoy “story time,” and for reasons beyond those of the childrens’ enjoyment. Stories of the faith are highly important to people of Mennonite ethnicity. Stories are a way of passing on not only history but values. As the church evolves with every generation, becoming less and less separate, and gaining more secularity, the stories are a reminder of the way things used to be, and can serve as an inspiration to maintain the values of the past in the church of the present.
Jack Dueck tells a story about how a woman used her Mennonite values (love, compassion, service) to help some troubled young boys try to stay out of trouble. It is this type of story that demonstrates the relevance of the values of the Mennonite church and helps inspire those who have not had the privilege of being surrounded with stories like these since childhood to maintain the faith and the ethnicity, even as the definitions of these evolve.
Another way it seems that Mennonites use their stories is in attempting to reach the outside world, especially in trying to inform regarding Mennonites. An excellent example of this is Sydney King’s film, Pearl Diver. Though most Mennonites would recognize that King does a lot of blending of aspects of Mennonite history, the film remains a good means of introducing Mennonites to those who may be unaware of the faith group. Stories are told as illustrations of who one is, or who a people are, and Mennonites seem to have perfected telling to show.
And then there are Julia Kasdorf's poems in Sleeping Preacher. While some poems are less "story-telling" oriented, there are some, especially many of htose in the first half of the book, like, "I Carry Dead Vesta" and "Vesta's Father" that have a distinct storytelling element to them. In Kasdorf's poetry, the aim seems to be self-expression and documentation, but also there is a feeling of a desire for continuation of her ancestry and the stories of her ancestors.
These three artists are quite diverse, and they demonstrate how there is no limit to the number of stories to be told or who is able to tell them. All it takes is finding some part of one's identity in the community, and valuing that identity enought o desire to perpetuate it.
Considering these three artists and their work, it is easy to say that the future of storytelling in the Mennonite community is safe. Storytelling is and has long been a primary way of passing on stories that are vital to the identity of the community, and even the secularization of the future generations of Mennonites and increasing technology won't be able to curb the interest of the community in the stories of their origins and their convictions. How better to learn about the present than to examine the past?
Annie, you evoke the church library with such fondness that I suspect it might have been one of your favorite corners on Sunday mornings. It's a great way to begin this essay on the importance of storytelling to Mennonite identity, and the ways in which it is used to pass on the values of the faith and to connect past to present. You've chosen a good variety of works--from the oral tale to the film to a book of poetry--and speculate on the ways in which each artist attempts to read a particular audience, which preserving something of the past to pass on to a contemporary audience. The link you make between storytelling, identity and community is an important one. Your exploration of individual works could be more detailed. Overall, a well-organized and thoughtful essay.
ReplyDeleteReading this, specifically the children's stories, reminds me of a children's book that, I think, my grandmother on my dad's side gave me and my sister when we were young. It is called, "My Book of Bible Stories," published in 1978. In it, it, obviously, has some Bible stories in it. Are there any children's stories that you have had since you were young?
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that even though Mennonites seem to be such great storytellers, the Mennonite literary tradition is only a very recent and not yet well-established one. Do Mennonites view oral and written stories differently for some reason? Why would stories become less accepted when they are written?
ReplyDeleteThere also seems to be a certain Mennonite perspective that stories are frivolous and do nothing for the greater good. I talked to my Grandma Rich and she told me that the scene we looked at in her book, Hannah Elizabeth--where the preacher denounces fiction as unnecessary lies--actually happened. How does this fit into the Mennonite storytelling tradition, I wonder?