Storm Fool
"Among my people, the Chippewea, there is a tradition of wandering storytellers--medicine men; teachers really--that travelled from lodge to lodge in the winter. These were usually older men without family, so that they were taken in by the different clans and family lodges to share the ancestral teachings through stories. It was the obligation of the people to put these guys up for the duration of a storm. It was the duty of the visitor to share the myths and teachings of the Chippewea through stories. They would arrive during a blizzard, adding a supernatural feature to their persona, and were expected to depart as soon as the next change in weather came. These hermit storytellers were known as Storm Fools. Their appearance was a work of dramatic costume art and extreme shamanic creativity. Effect was all-important. The more magnificent and fearful the first impression, especially to the children, the greater the welcome. And the respect engendered by awe. Parents knew that if it they were going to be stuck with a Storm Fool for a considerable length of time, it was best to have one in that appealed to the children. An in-house baby setter racked considerable points. Their appearance was often a mixed blessing, since these winter blizzards would sometimes last for days or even weeks, and larders would would begin to run low. Patience would also become strained, though it seemed these fools could go on forever with their stories. They were even accused of ad-libbing if the repitoire of traditional teachings came to an end. Occassionally, a Storm Fool would just make a nusiance of himself, lusting after a younger daughter, afflictions of chronic flatulance, meddling in family disputes as if he were a blood uncle, and generally becoming a freeloading nuisance if the digs were good and the people of the lodge were of good heart. But for the most part they were held in high regard and the people suffered through their winter ordeals with compassion and generosity. With their cache of intellectual lore, clarvoiance and humor, the Storm Fool provided relief from the long winters and they were respected for their strong medicine.----Sun Bear Interview, 1986