People as historical sources
Contents
Introduction
Oral traditions and oral histories provide another way to learn about the past from people with:
first hand knowledge of historical events, or
their own experiences, which in themselves form the raw material of history.
Recently, spoken words that make up oral histories have gained importance as primary sources. Historians and others find out about the lives of ordinary people through spoken stories and tales. Oral histories provide important historical evidence about people, especially minority groups, who were excluded from mainstream histories, or about societies that did not leave behind written sources. A good local example of this is the ‘praise poem’ from indigenous
African culture, which predates European contact, and tells us about leaders and events in the time before and during the history writing of white settlers in South Africa.
Oral histories are as old as human beings. Before the invention of writing, information passed from generation to generation through the spoken word. Many people around the world continue to use oral traditions to pass along knowledge and wisdom. Interviews and recordings of community elders and witnesses to historical events provide exciting stories, anecdotes and other information about the past.
Related Pages:
Next page: The value of doing oral history – ‘history from below
References
How to conduct & present historical research
Oral history - an educational tool for educators and learners
Source: Unpublished material from 3 Provincial History Conferences, December 2002, supplied by Claire Dyer, SA History Project, National Dept. of Education.