What Is Oral History?

What Is Oral History? — page 1 — the searCh for history What happens when there is no written history about a time or an event How can you find out what occurred Scientists may be able to make guesses by studying artifacts left behind But artifacts may not tell the whole story What if there is a lot written about a time or event but not about certain groups Such groups can include common people servants slaves those in poverty minorities and women What kind of history do they This early photograph shows enslaved African Americans on Edisto Island South Carolina in 1862 4

What Is Oral History? — page 2 — A young woman tells an African tale Her performance was part of a youth storytelling program during Kwanzaa Vocabulary Artifacts are usually simple objects such as tools or ornaments that show human work These objects represent a culture or a stage in the development of a culture have All groups of people have personal stories memories myths beliefs and more But their history may not be written down Instead it may be in spoken words tales told around campfires at ceremonies and at other events This knowledge is passed down through the generations Oral or spoken history is another way to learn information about the past Let’s explore further 5

What Is Oral History? — page 3 — What Makes Up oral history Oral history can refer to different things It can be an official account of the past passed down by people in charge of keeping traditions Or it can be less formal What about the stories grandparents tell about the old days Those are a type of oral history too Oral history can be passed from one person to another by storytellers or singers of tales 6 Visiting memorials like this one can inspire people to share memories of past events

What Is Oral History? — page 4 — These spoken stories may have been shared over hundreds of years Oral history was common in the past but it still happens today Think about a story you told someone recently Maybe you told your friend about the fun you had at a fair What about when your mom asks you how you got a cut on your knee Those stories are both a kind of oral history though they are probably very short They also may not be reliable The person telling the story may not remember some of the details or may forget to include them in the story Compare and Contrast How are official and unofficial accounts of history different How are they the same Stories that friends tell each other may not seem like oral history but they are an informal form of it 7

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