Oral Sources of History - 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.
Oral sources
These are sources of historical information by word of mouth. There are two types of oral sources, namely oral traditions and oral testimonies.
i. Oral traditions
These are sources of historical information transmitted from one generation to another by word of mouth. They consist of memorised stories, tales, riddles, narratives, poems, proverbs, jokes, songs, and prayers.
The information given in oral traditions can be presented differently by different people. For example, one Rwandese oral tradition says the Hutu fell from heaven and met the Tutsi on earth. Another tradition holds that the Hutu and Tutsi are brothers.
These two oral traditions refer to one event: the origin of the Hutu and Tutsi. They, however, present different views on the same event. In many African societies, there were professionals or official storytellers and poets.
They used their skills to explain why and how important events occurred in the past. Oral traditions are still used today in research and writing History.
ii. Oral testimonies
These are narrations of the past provided by people who witnessed the event or the process being examined. They provide information on events or processes within the living memory of the narrators. For example, soldiers who participated in the Tanzania-Uganda War of 1978-1979 can provide valuable testimonies about the war.
In general, oral traditions and oral testimonies have one similarity. They are both transmitted orally. The difference between them is that the information provided in oral traditions is about the distant past, while that provided in oral testimonies is about the recent past.
Functions of oral traditions and oral testimonies
Oral traditions and oral testimonies transmit knowledge about cultural beliefs, traditional values, skills and rituals from one generation to another.
They provide education on the past to both literate and non-literate people.
Oral traditions and oral testimonies also encourage people to appreciate and preserve their culture.
Furthermore, they both entertain people during various cultural activities such as weddings, crop harvesting, initiation ceremonies and rituals.
Advantages of oral traditions and testimonies
Oral traditions and oral testimonies provide helpful information on past events and processes, where other sources are unavailable.
Oral traditions and oral testimonies can also be obtained from both literate and non-literate people.
In addition, non-literate people can access historical information easily.
Furthermore, oral traditions and oral testimonies allow historians to capture the point of view of the local people from whom traditions have been collected.
Similarly, they express experiences, emotions and feelings about historical events. This is because one can see emotions and feelings of a narrator.
Limitations of oral traditions and oral testimonies
Oral traditions and oral testimonies are not always accurate.
Sometimes, informants omit essential information due to memory loss because of age or distance in time.
They may also give differing accounts of the same historical events or provide exaggerated information.
Another limitation of oral traditions and oral testimonies is that they can capture events from only a few past generations because traditions only have partial information about the remote past due to memory loss.
Ways of improving the reliability of oral traditions and oral testimonies
These limitations sometimes make oral traditions and oral testimonies unreal. There are two ways of improving the reliability of oral traditions and oral testimonies.
The first is to collect several narratives on the same event or historical process. This can help historians discover and avoid distortion in oral information.
The second way is to discuss with other people who know such traditions or testimonies. After the discussion, compare their different views. Then, draw your conclusions based on the findings.