The Estevan Public Library celebrated Aboriginal Storyteller Month with a visit from Norma Jean Byrd on February 23.
Byrd, who is of Cree descent, told those in attendance that First Nations people use storytelling for three purposes: to entertain, to share history and to teach morals. Those stories, in turn, become a source of humour and an opportunity to teach others.
Stories encourage people to remember the four sacred gifts: water, fire, air and Mother Earth; without them, there is nothing, Byrd said. And they speak of the need to respect other people, their history and the planet.
The stories have also been used to pass down traditions orally from generation to generation.
Stew and bannock were served after Byrd was finished.