To make high quality recordings of the voices of elders among the Canadian storytelling community available for transmission on the Internet and on CD. The intention is that, beginning in 2002, the voices of two storytellers will be added each year.
The objective is not so much to create an archive of stories as a representative sampling. Storytellers are asked to choose the material that is closest to their hearts. The recordings include not just the stories but also the tellers’ comments. These comments illuminate the tales told and set those tales within the context of the tellers’ lives.
Recording is carried out in a variety of settings, according to each teller’s needs. This has disadvantages for, undoubtedly, studios produce the best sound. In each case, however, the recording has become part of a process, with the relationship between teller and recorder/listener making a contribution of its own. In every instance, a comfortable environment and freedom from unnatural time constraints has proved of the utmost worth.