Storytelling Creatures

“there are things known only to the rabbits 

living between the train tracks and the road”

– the soft pockets

In issue 7 of Tamarind, I was curious about the possibility of storytelling in chimpanzee communities. I suppose I was hoping the research would suggest it is possible, but came to wonder more about why humans have and need narrative.

“My question for Gal Badihi was: “If other animals have episodic memory and a communication system, is there a reason to doubt their storytelling capacity?” Her thought-provoking response: “In short, I think while scientifically it’s possible that other animals could be able to tell stories (we now have evidence of things like episodic memory and referential communication in non-humans) one of the outstanding questions is whether they want or need to.”

“It was rather human of me to assume that non-human animals would have a need or desire for stories. Somewhere in Badihi’s question lies the matter of our need.”