Lloyd Arneach
"A wonderful and rewarding experience...riveting storyteller, enthralling program, captivating stories...the strength of Lloyd's performance is his ability to share not only his personal background and his people's rich history and heritage but his gift of narrating stories about the triumph of the human spirit that all people can relate to..." - Onslow County Public Library
Master Cherokee storyteller Lloyd Arneach relates his stories in a style that is humorous, gentle, informative and extremely moving. His repertoire ranges from the "old stories" of the Cherokee, ancient creation stories, and contemporary stories from his experience as a Native American.
Lloyd Arneach is an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee. He was born and reared on the Cherokee lands in Cherokee, North Carolina and learned his first legends from two storytelling Uncles in the tribe. His father was Vice-Chief of the Eastern Band, his mother was the first woman ever selected to the Tribal Council, and his Grandmother (Lula Owl Gloyne) was a Beloved Woman of the tribe.
Lloyd considers himself a non-traditional storyteller as he sometimes includes an inspirational story or two of great Americans from all backgrounds and walks of life - celebrating with his audiences those who have triumphed over adversity in life. Lloyd also tells tales and legends from many different Native American tribes as well as the Cherokee. He tells in the tradition of oral storytelling as a way to pass on values, moral lessons and rich personal histories, Lloyd helps audiences find the best lessons, the positive outcomes, the real gifts within the tales.
Lloyd has told stories on the Discovery Channel. In 1992, Children's Press published his book, The Animal's Ballgame, based on one of Lloyd's favorite Cherokee animal stories. His book of Cherokee stories, Long-Ago Stories of the Eastern Cherokee, was released in early 2008. The book is now in it's fifth printing (2014). Lloyd was included in an article on storytellers in the 2010 Winter issue of the American Indian Magazine produced by the National Museum of the American Indian and was a featured teller at the museum's opening. And in September, 2011, Lloyd received the Mountain Heritage Award from Western Carolina University.
