Gayle Ross will be at Cahokia Mounds on May 5 at 2 pm as part of the 36th Annual St. Louis Storytelling Festival.  This Festival is sponsored by the University of Missouri – St. Louis.  Gayle is a descendent of John Ross, principal chief of the Cherokee Nation during and after the infamous Trail of Tears of the late 1830s.  Her grandmother told stories, and Gayle’s storytelling springs from this rich heritage.   During the past 20 years, she has become one of the most respected storytellers to emerge from the current surge of interest in this timeless art form.  She has appeared at most major storytelling and folk festivals in the United States and Canada and in concert halls and theaters throughout the U.S. and Europe, often with some of today’s finest Native American musicians and dancers.   To learn more about the UMSL Storytelling Festival, visit; http://extension.missouri.edu/storytelling.  for more information about the storytelling event at Cahokia Mounds, call 618-346-5160.