GENE TAGABAN of WASHINGTON STATE
THE 2008-2009 JUSTSTORIES FELLOW

CHICAGO, IL.  8.1.08. The JustStories Fellowship, an initiative of Angels Studio, Chicago and O’Halloran Communications, Evanston, Illinois has awarded its 2008-2009 Fellowship to professional storyteller, actor and musician, Gene Tagaban. The JustStories Fellowship supports professional storytellers in developing, writing and performing their own original personal story based on issues of race and inclusion. 

Gene currently lives in Ferndale, Washington and is a Tlingit/ Cherokee/Filipino American. His new story is titled I Am… Indopino!

In this story, Gene shares his own as well as his family’s exploration and eventual acceptance of all of who they are. Born in Alaska, Gene felt like a true “other” because his mother’s Cherokee heritage was, at times, not accepted by other First Nation groups. In addition, the levels of other-ness expanded in Gene’s life because of religion. His grandmother was Catholic, his mother Baptist, his Native background had no word for religion and Alaska was a primarily Russian Christian Orthodox.

And what about being a Cherokee-Tlingit-Filipino American? The messages of outsider-ness were deeply embedded for many Native people as a cascade of broken promises. mistreatment on reservations and the memory of the U.S. Navy bombing Alaskan Indian villages in the early 1900s were passed down from generation to generation. Still, today, as Gene travels about this country he encounters people’s ignorance and prejudices toward Native groups.

But Gene’s journey to becoming a noted storyteller, musician, dancer and actor moves far beyond a mere acceptance of his cultures to an inspiring celebration that teaches all of us more about both our uniqueness and our deep universal connections. Gene’s original story comes to life with animated telling plus traditional flutes, drums, rattles, dance, masks and ceremonial regalia. His themes of family, lineage and our relationship with the natural world will resonate with anyone who has searched for their “place” and a sense of belonging. 

This is the seventh JustStories Fellowship awarded to professional storytellers. Past recipients have included: Antonio Sacre (Cuban American), Dovie Thomas (Lakota-Kiowa Apache Nations), Gerald Fierst (Russian Jewish American), Gayle Ross (Cherokee Nation), Olga Loya (Mexican American), Arif Choudhury (Bangladeshi American) and Michael McCarty (African American).  

Many of the professional storytellers have premiered their JustStories Fellowship pieces at the Chicago-area JustStories Storytelling Festival, which just celebrated its sixth year. These stories continue to be performed in high schools, colleges, storytelling festivals, professional conferences and non-profit settings of all kinds in the U.S. and overseas.

For more information, please visit www.racebridges.net/juststories