Abstract
This chapter seeks to draw on the age-old wisdom of a Goan Folktale from India. This chapter charts the desire to reconstitute a Folktale that was told to my mother by her grandmother. This particular folktale speaks to the wisdom of love and courage in times of upheaval. I draw on the plight of two sisters in the story and draw parallels between their journey and our own individual and collective predicament in trying to survive the global pandemic of COVID-19. I also highlight the problematic encroachment of humans into intact ecosystems and the costs of not respecting the natural world. This folktale provides a mirroring of the dangers we face if we do not honour our planet. Moreover, I discuss the value of dreams as a way to create new folktales for our times. The lesson plan set forth in this chapter speaks to the need for generational reciprocity and the importance of valuing oral storytelling and dreams. In this chapter you will find an unfurling of wisdom, causation, boundary crossing, followed by a lesson plan that encourages younger generations to seek out their own folktales and dream narratives. Inherent in this chapter is a reverence for generational wisdom, the transformative power of folktales, and a love for the Earth.
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Todd, K.L. (2023). Remembering a Goan Folktale in the Midst of a Global Pandemic. In: Eizadirad, A., Wane, N.N. (eds) The Power of Oral Culture in Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-18537-3_12
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