How the Turkey Got Its Gobble | Ep. 305 (A Podcast Turducken with Terrestrials and Wow in the World)

This Thanksgiving season, we’re teaming up with “Terrestrials” and “Wow in the World” to bring you a buffet of tales about the chicken-stuffed-duck-stuffed- turkey concoction known as turducken!

Since a turducken consists of three things smushed together, we’re smushing three podcasts together! Lulu Miller brings us a “Terrestrials” story debunking the myth that chickens are dim birdbrands. Guy Raz and Mindy Thomas from “Wow in the World” tells the tale of a mysterious quack  in the ocean. And Circle Round brings to life a Cherokee folktale about how the turkey got its gobble!

This episode was adapted for Circle Round by Rebecca Sheir. Original music and sound design is by Eric Shimelonis. Our artist is Sabina Hahn. Voices in our turkey segment include Kevin Corbett and Evan Casey.

GROWN-UPS! PRINT THIS so everyone can color while listening. We’re also keeping an album so please share your picture on Facebook and Instagram, and tag it with #CircleRoundPodcast. To access all the coloring pages for past episodes click HERE. Our resident artist is Sabina Hahn and you can learn more about her HERE.

Now It’s Your Turn

Find a piece of paper and draw your own Thanksgiving feast – but instead of food, draw all the things you’re grateful for!

Once you’ve drawn your Thanksgiving feast share it with someone you love. And if you’d like, share it with us! Grown-ups: snap a photo of your Circle Round fan and their drawing, then email it to circleround@wbur.org. We may feature you in your Circle Round newsletter, “The Lion’s Roar”!

Musical Spotlight: Frame Drum

The frame drum features a drumhead stretched over a wooden frame called a shell. The frame drum’s primary characteristic is that its width is always greater than its depth.

The frame drum’s history goes back at least 5,000 years, with origins traced to ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. Since then, numerous cultures have made the frame drum their own, using different materials and shapes.

Indigenous cultures in modern-day North America traditionally use circular frame drums, with drumheads from deer, bison or goat hide. Circular frame drums have also been used in Latin American regions, as well as regions in South Asia and the Middle East. Other cultures' frame drums are square, rectangular, or even octagonal-shaped!

NARRATOR: Everybody knows that turkeys gobble.

But have you ever wondered how that gobble came about?

According to legend, it all began long, long ago, back in the earliest of times, when animals ruled the world.

In those long-ago days, the turkey – with its large plump body, tiny bald head, and wide, rounded tail – didn’t make any sound. Like the other animals in those days, Turkey could talk. But he couldn’t hoot like Owl.

Or trill like Red-Winged Blackbird...

Or sing like Wood Thrush.

So naturally, he envied them all. But the bird he envied most… was Grouse!

Because Grouse… that reddish-grayish chicken-like bird…could DRUM!

Not with an actual drum, of course. Those had yet to be invented. Instead, Grouse would climb up onto a fallen log and beat his wings in the air… flapping faster and faster and faster, until he produced this amazing buzzing, thumping, drumming sound!

Turkey loved hearing Grouse drum. So one day, he made a decision.

TURKEY: I shall have Grouse teach me how to drum! My wings are way bigger than his, so I could do some serious thumping and bumping! Then I shall make the coolest, grooviest, most special sound of all!

NARRATOR: The next morning, Turkey found Grouse in a clearing, pecking tender young shoots for breakfast.

TURKEY: Hiya, Grouse! I need you to do me a favor!

NARRATOR: Grouse swallowed a mouthful and smiled.

GROUSE: What kind of favor do you need, Turkey? I’m always happy to help out a fellow bird!

TURKEY: Grrrreat! Because I need you… to teach me how to DRUM!

GROUSE: Teach you how to drum???

NARRATOR: Grouse cocked his crested head.

GROUSE: Why would you want me to teach you how to drum?

TURKEY: Because it’s a cool sound! A groovy sound! And in case you haven’t noticed, I don’t make ANY sound at all! Just like the Narrator said, Owl can hoot… and Red-Winged Blackbird can trill and – (forgetting) I’m sorry. What was the other one again?

NARRATOR: Wood Thrush can sing…?

TURKEY: Right! Wood Thrush can sing! (beat) But me? I can’t do anything! I want my OWN sound! I want to be SPECIAL!

GROUSE: But you ARE special, Turkey! You may not make your own sound, but look at your feathers! They’re gorgeous! Rich brown… jet black… gleaming bronze, copper, and green… My feathers are just reddish-grayish. Talk about blah.

NARRATOR: Turkey looked at Grouse’s plumage. It WAS kind of ‘blah.’ And now that Grouse mentioned it, Turkey’s feathers WERE pretty spectacular.

TURKEY: I tell you what, Grouse. If you teach me how to drum… I’ll give you some of my feathers…!

GROUSE: It’s a deal!

NARRATOR: Turkey plucked out a bunch of jet-black feathers. Grouse excitedly took hold of the plumage and arranged it around his neck, in a collar-like ruff. And fun fact? He’s been known as Ruffed Grouse ever since!

GROUSE: Wow! Thank you, Turkey! (beat) Now let’s get started. Watch and learn!

NARRATOR: Ruffed Grouse nimbly hopped on to a fallen log. Then he lifted his head… stretched his body tall… and began to beat his wings.

NARRATOR: He beat them faster… and faster… until a buzzing, thumping drumming filled the forest. Then, he stopped.

GROUSE: See what I did there? The up-stroke and the down-stroke? Now hop on up here and let it rip!

NARRATOR: Turkey scrambled onto the log and tried to beat his wings. But he was  far bulkier and plumper than Ruffed Grouse was, and the bright red wattle on his neck wiggled back and forth as he wobbled to and fro.

TURKEY: (ad-lib efforting sounds – grunts, labored breathing – as he struggles to balance) Uhhhh… How… do you flap… your wings… without… falling?

GROUSE: It’s easy for ME! Maybe because I’m smaller? (beat) Try spreading your legs more! And flap harder!

NARRATOR: Turkey tried following Grouse’s instructions. But balancing his big bulky body was a challenge.

GROUSE: I dunno, Turkey! Maybe you just weren’t meant to drum! Maybe you should appreciate your natural gifts! What you’ve already got!

TURKEY: (ad-lib efforting sounds – grunts, labored breathing – as he struggles to balance) No…. way…!

NARRATOR: Struggling and scrambling to stay perched on the log, Turkey teetered and let out a gurgle…

TURKEY: (ad-lib gurgle)

NARRATOR: Then he tottered and let out a gargle!

TURKEY: (ad-lib gargle)

NARRATOR: Then… just before he tumbled to the ground... he threw back his head, opened his beak…and let out a GOBBLE!

Then another…

…and another…

…and another!

And all this time later, Turkey is gobbling still. He had always wanted to make his own sound, after all. And though it isn’t quite as pleasant as Owl’s hoot…

…or Red-Winged Blackbird’s trill...

…or Wood Thrush’s song...

…or Ruffed Grouse’s drumming…

…that gurgling, gargling gobble definitely sets Turkey apart… and makes him nothing short… of special.