"Telling Stories the Kiowa Way" is a twofer.
Telling Stories the Kiowa Way is a twofer, for Gus Palmer is a good storyteller as well as an anthropologist. In this short book he explains how Kiowa people tell stories by recreating the context of their telling--so that we get to know the members of his family and close circle of friends. He then analyzes the stories to make their characteristics and social values clear. As a result, Palmer concretely shows that besides relying on a number of familiar rhetorical devices, storytelling is open-ended and depends on the active participation of the listeners. So the story produces a number of points of view as well as the often humorous interaction of the people gathered, thereby reinforcing social ties and tribal values.
