Traditional storytelling can serve many purposes: explaining why things are the way they are, exemplifying how to be a better person, or… poking fun at your friends.

The Indigenous storytellers at the 2024 Smithsonian Folklife Festival shared all these types of stories and more. On Sunday, June 30, all four storytellers gathered in the National Museum of the American Indian’s Amphitheater for a one-time-only Storytelling Roundtable, each taking the stage for a delightful, participatory performance. Across the continent and across cultures, the troublemaker character of Rabbit made multiple appearances.

In this unabridged video of the session, you’ll hear:

• Perry Ground (Onandaga) tell a teasing story about a contest to win the most beautiful lacrosse stick
• Gene Tagaban/Guuy Yaau (Tlingit/Cherokee/Filipino) recount a meeting among all the animals and Rabbit’s constant disruptions
• Amy Burton Bluemel (Chickasaw) explain why Rabbit has a line down the middle of his nose
• Robert Lewis (Cherokee) take a surprising twist in Rabbit’s need to follow the crowd

Elisa Hough is the editor of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.