Storytelling for Week 10: The Girl and the Frog

It was a cloudy evening and all of the tribe was gathered around among the trees in the forest. Iagoo was on the outside pondering the past. He was the wisest and the oldest of the tribe. He was the reason that the whole tribe was in the forest because he was about to lead a tradition. It was time that he told the sacred stories to pass them on to the younger children. As he turned around he could see that the tribe had already circled up around the fire. There was a place left for him right in the middle as a sign of respect. As he sat down he already knew what story he would share tonight. He would tell the tribe about the girl and the frog.

Once upon a time a girl sat on the very edge of a lake and she was very sad. Her name was Kimi, and no one in the tribe could figure out what was making Kimi so sad because she would not speak to anyone. Day in and day out she sat there pondering. She thought about how lonely she was and that she wanted a friend. However, Kimi felt like she didn’t fit in with the rest of the tribe. She thought she was different from everyone else.

Then one day as she was sitting there like she always did, she spotted a frog in the water struggling to swim. He was grasping onto a nearby rock and and looked to be fighting for his life. Kimi knew she had no choice but to save him. She jumped in the water and reached out to save the little fellow. She scooped him up in her hands and returned him safely to land. She feared he might not make it and she was so worried. After a couple minutes his little eyes opened and he thanked Kimi for her kindness and introduced himself as Lenape olelu. Then, something amazing happened. Kimi spoke back to Lenape olelu and without hesitation. In fact, the talked the whole rest of the day. She didn’t even realize until a couple hours later that she had made her first friend in this frog, but for some reason Lauren felt so comfortable with Lenape olelu. 

(flickr)

They spent a lot of time together over the next couple of weeks and they grew closer and closer. Everyone else in the tribe had taken notice. The girl who would never talk to anyone was now inseparable from a slimy little frog. It was all anyone could talk about because no one quite understood it. Then, one day as Kimi and Lenape olelu were alone together down by the lake where they met, Kimi began to express herself to Lenape olelu. She spoke of her great feelings for him and how much these past few weeks have meant to her. Then without even thinking she picked him up and planted a kiss right on his head.

Something magical began to happen. There were sparks of light and glitter and she could see Lenape olelu changing, and then it happened. There before her stood a handsome young man and Lenape olelu the frog was gone. Kimi was scared because she didn’t understand. Lenape olelu explained to her that her had been cursed and turned into a frog only to wait for true love's kiss. Kimi could see that he was still the same Lenape olelu he’d always been. The two were to be married the next day. And they lived happily ever after.

“The End,” said Iagoo.

Author's Note: I wrote this story by coming up with a new kind of story for Iagoo to share with his tribe. In the original story it sets up who Iagoo is as a person. It explains his purpose of storytelling, and it is the basis for the rest of the book because the remaining stories are the ones being told be Iagoo. Since I had been reading about American Indian Fairy Tales I decided to add in some more aspects from the traditional fairy tales I heard growing up. Most of the stories I read in this unit were not ones that I have previously read so they were still a very foreign for the most part. I wanted to add in some of my post knowledge. I tried to add in a little bit of the frog prince. I found this to be a particularly interesting story growing up and for some reason it just seemed like a good fit in this unit and this situation. My story is a different take on the princess and the frog and also a new edition to Iagoo’s stories and stories for the tribe. It is intended to teach a lesson to the tribe.

Bibliography: This story was created based on Iagoo, the Story-Teller. This story is part of the American Indian Fairy Tales unit. Story source: American Indian Fairy Tales by W.T. Larned, with illustrations by John Rae (1921).