Contemporary Native American theater only emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but it originated from a long indigenous tradition of storytelling. Stories about native American cultures were passed down for generations for entertainment as well as the preservation of native culture. Many were dramatized by storytellers for their audiences, forming the roots of indigenous theatre. In the 18th century Native Americans went from telling stories orally to writing them down in a variety of different genres including novels, poems, autobiographies, and short stories.