Historical linguistics, Anthropology & Ethnographic records Sources of Historical Information - History Notes Form one
Historical knowledge is obtained through the examination of sources of historical information. One can obtain historical information from either primary or secondary sources.
Primary sources are original materials that provide first-hand information or direct evidence on a particular event. Primary sources are materials created by individuals directly involved in such events.
Such materials include memos, diaries, letters, artefacts, photographs, interviews, speeches, autobiographies, and official records. In addition, secondary sources are a product of primary sources.
They are created by people who were not directly involved in the original events. Secondary sources analyse, interpret or comment on primary sources. Secondary source materials include books, reviewed articles, dissertations, articles in newspapers and academic papers.
There are various sources for obtaining historical information. These include oral sources, historical sites, written records, museums, archives, archaeology, historical linguistics, ethnographic records, and anthropology.
However, it is important to remember that none of these sources is self-sufficient. Each of them may be used together with other sources.
I. Historical linguistics
Historical linguistics is one of the methods of obtaining historical information by customs, studying languages and their change over time. Through this method, the origin of people can be traced by studying their languages.
By so doing, historical linguists and historians discover past human migrations and interactions. They can even tell when contact between specific groups of people occurred.
For example, Arabic words such as shukrani, shikamoo, madrasa, karafuu, and Alhamis in Kiswahili reveal contacts between Arabs and Swahili people that occurred along the coast of East Africa before colonialism.
The most significant period of the contact can be determined by looking at when many Arabic words were introduced into Kiswahili.
II. Anthropology
Anthropology is a discipline that studies cultural practices and patterns of human societies. In particular, it studies human societies regarding their origin, development, thropologists.
They travel around the world to study and record the cultures of existing societies.
Anthropologists use fieldwork method by staying in such societies for relatively long periods. Through a deep examination of the existing societies, anthropologists give various historical information on matters of such societies. This information enables historians to reconstruct the past.
III. Ethnographic records
Ethnographic information was created by people who stayed in societies other than their own and made intensive observation. Such information include written records and images recorded on tapes and films.
Europeans who travelled across the African Continent for various reasons during the pre-colonial and colonial times made most of these records.
They recorded information on subjects such as cultural practices and customs observed during their stay on the continent.
Activity
Identify any historical event of your interest and suggest various sources of historical information that you can use to study that event. Provide reasons for each source you will use.