ABSTRACT
Stories have long been told as a way of presenting, transmitting and preserving the collective memories and knowledge of a culture—the settings in which it has been, its characters, events and practices, and its points of view and beliefs. As such stories of the past have been a way of making sense of the present. In addition the content of stories may explain a reason for something, provide a moral caution, or describe exemplary behavior to which to aspire. Thus oral stories have always had an instructive or teaching function, as well as that of entertainment and wonder.
