Oral history[1] [2] is one of the oldest methods of maintaining and passing on the story of a people and its culture. Today, it is also a field of study for gathering, interpreting and preserving the memories, experiences and voices of participants in past events, or a people and their communities.
This history is generally passed on by the official storyteller or keeper of the history. Storytelling plays a vital role in preserving culture, passing down knowledge, and entertaining listeners. Methods of communication could include the spoken word, music, poetry of dramatization. In American culture, blackface[3] was used to poke fun and demoralize an entire people.[4] There are different terms used for storytellers depending upon the culture and method of communication employed. Some of these terms include griot[3], minstrel[5], troubadour[5], jongleur[6], trouvère[6], skald[7], scop[7], skaziteli[8], and seanachie[8].
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Why should oral history be documented?
- Capturing oral history is an important way to keep a culture and its history alive.
- It enriches a family’s history by providing viewpoints that will supplement documents gathered.
- Today’s use of recording devices ensures the entire interview is preserved.
- Recordings capture voices, tonal nuances, body language, perspectives and memories directly from individuals.
- In visual recordings it provides images of individuals to be compared to others for inherited traits such as the shapes of faces, hairlines, eye color and body structure, etc.
- In auditory recordings it provides copies of voices providing accents, pitch and cadence to be compared to others.
- Items such as pronunciations, use of words or repeated sayings may provide clues to origin.
- Recordings, both visual and oral can be revisited again and again and shared with others who may notice something originally missed.
Why examine family folklore
Family folklore are those stories passed down through the generations. Dissecting family lore should be included in any genealogical research because each story is filled with clues. Turning family folklore into well researched documented information, separating fact from fiction requires creative thinking and much collateral research coupled with patience. Over time the information becomes skewed, with items added and subtracted from the stories. Depending upon who is telling the story, it can be embellished and greatly exaggerated.
Strategies for examining family folklore
- Each portion of the family lore should be dissected and followed for clues.
- Each clue should be analyzed separately.
- Always ask is the story plausible?
- Do not get caught up in the norms of the present. Examine all information in the context (time frame, environment, etc.) in which they occurred.
- Do not allow personal feelings and beliefs to interfere.
- Remain objective and nonjudgmental.
- Focus on expanding your research.
- Examine everything before deciding it is fact or fiction.
- Note that each clue becomes a building block to the entire picture.
What about family secrets?
- Tread lightly.
- Remember their context. Items considered the norm today may have been historically scandalous costing individuals and families, loss of social standing or even exclusion from society.
- Uncovering secrets and their timing may explain why subsequent events transpired.
- Understand the psychological dynamics surrounding the cover-up.
- This information can give rise to previously unconsidered avenues of research.
Explore more about oral history and family folklore in genealogy
- Hiding Out in the Open: Discovering LGBT Family History webinar by Thomas MacEntee at Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Byrne, Hannah. An Introduction to Oral History. Smithsonian Institute Archives, June 9, 2020.
- “Boston Public Library Oral History Backpacks.” Boston Public Library, 2023.
- Monson, Sharon. “Family Secrets: The Court Records Tell It All.” Legacy Family Tree Webinars, November 30, 2018.
- Afifi. T., Merrill, A. F. & Davis, S. M.2015. "Examining Family Secrets from a Communication Perspective". Semantic Scholar.
- "Storytelling Traditions Across the World: Native American". All Good Tales.
References
- ↑ "Oral History: Defined - Oral History Association". oralhistory.org. 2008-09-18. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
- ↑ "Why Oral History is Important". Kansas Oral History Project. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "How the History of Blackface Is Rooted in Racism". HISTORY. 2023-03-29. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
- ↑ This is why blackface is offensive. CNN
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Minstrel. Encyclopedia Britannica
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Jongleur. The Free Dictionary
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Skaldic poetry. Encyclopedia Britannica
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Skazitel’. The Free Dictionary