The point of oral history is not factual accuracy, but the need to maintain identity through a shared discourse. Primary sources consist of original documents, artifacts, or other pieces of information that were created at the time under study. We know the history of the great figures, but not nearly as much about how the average person lived. The oxford history of wetland archaeology is a comprehensive survey of global wetland archaeology. Oral testimonies, on the other hand, are the words of an eyewitness.
There may be evidence of a long oral history combined with the use of the rich literary tableau of the ancient near east in the telling of some of the stories of exodus. Oral history, oral traditions, and archaeology oxford handbooks. Secondary works vary a great deal, from books by professional scholars to. Kirch on his own personal journey, first as a teenager working at hawaiis renowned bishop museum, then later as a scientist, in the study of hawaiian and pacific island archaeological sites. As the first archaeological and historical study of a coal company town that focuses upon the strategies its residents used to manipulate landscape and material culture to achieve personal and social goals, from the miners doublehouse makes a significant. Studying oral histories, archaeological evidence, and cultural histories are methods most often used by.
These interviews are conducted with people who participated in or observed past events and whose memories and perceptions of these are to be preserved as an aural record for future generations. Following a brief history of company towns in the united states, metheny focuses her study on the mining town of helvetia, pennsylvania in the bituminous coal field. Archaeology and landscape in a pennsylvania coal company town metheny has captured the essence of life in a coal mining town. Oral history is increasingly acknowledged as a key tool for anyone studying the history of. When scientists discover what indigenous people have. June 2003 global regents, multiple choice flashcards quizlet.
Wisconsin bookwatch the findings of this book have enormous implications for the establishment of american indian cultural affiliation. His book offers a totally unique integration of the polynesian and hawaiian oral traditions with the compelling evidence provided. Whiteley skip to main content accessibility help we use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. The archaeologist has a narrower field, and studies the past by recovering and analyzing artifacts and evidence of material culture. Michael cosmopoulos archaeology, anthropology, classics. They can be firsthand testimony or evidence created during the time period that you are studying. This book introduces the reader to the historical and archaeological evidence of a significant colonial period habitation on the james river believed to have been seriously impacted by 17th and 18th century floods and hurricanes. The historicity of the bible is the question of the bibles relationship to history covering not just the bibles acceptability as history but also the ability to understand the literary forms of biblical narrative. Consequently, oral testimony becomes oral history with the shift from one generation to the next.
The histories, herodotus the histories of herodotus is the founding work of history in western literature. They also support archival and archaeological evidence, particularly for issues where there is little documentary record. Oxford handbook of wetland archaeology oxford handbooks. Written in 440 bc in the ionic dialect of classical greek, the histories serves as a record of the ancient traditions, politics, geography, and clashes of various cultures that were known in western asia, northern africa and greece at that time. New study debunks tales of mass suicide at custers last stand. In europe, archaeology is not a subfield of anthropology, but oh history.
His book offers a totally unique integration of the polynesian and hawaiian oral traditions with the compelling evidence provided by 20th and 21st century archaeology. Studying oral histories archaeological evidence and. Each chapter pairs an oral history excerpt with an essay in which the oral historian addresses his or her methods and practices. Technically, an anthropologist studies all aspects of humanity physical or biological, cultural, and archaeological. Archaeologists in many other regions of africa soon turned to oral testimonies, both traditions and direct historical accounts, to supplement and question documentary records pertaining to the african past of. One of the ways in which nonliterate peoples can speak for themselves is through oral history and oral tradition. These interviews are conducted with people who participated in or observed past events and whose memories and perceptions of these are to be preserved as an aural record.
Archaeological data, oral traditions and documentary evidence are combined to elucidate the late iron age moloko sequence in the marico region of. The study underscores interpretive risks associated with uncritical acceptance of historical and oral historical accounts and the importance of archaeological research in the reconstruction of. He is a fellow of the national academies of arts and sciences of canada the royal society of. One can extend biblical historicity to the evaluation of whether or not the christian new testament is an accurate record of the historical jesus and of the apostolic age.
They study oral histories, archaeological evidence, and cultural histories. This is possible because of nature of transmission itself. But archaeologists have often wondered at a lack of physical evidence to support the story. Scholars of the hebrew bible have in the last decade begun to question the historical accuracy of the israelite sojourn in egypt, as described in the book of exodus. However, it also discusses the purpose of this type of. Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books. However, although perks and thomson collected diverse examples of oral history for their book, they omitted any consideration of the role that oral history might play in the. This does not mean however, that oral histories place no importance on factual integrity, as their nature emphasizes factual events as the structure for the oral history. Primitive societies have long relied on oral tradition to preserve a record of the past in the absence of written histories. The use of all the three sources in conjunction is crucial if one is to get reliable history. Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. This book is about the tangled relationship between native peoples and archaeologists in the american southwest. Among the most important types of historical evidence are primary sources.
Since historical archaeology gained a foothold in africa during the late colonial era, the use of oral traditions and oral histories has been a hallmark of african archaeology. He directs the interdisciplinary excavation at iklaina in pylos. Most attempted to verify oral accounts by using archaeological evidence, an approach that often led to ambiguous results, compelling investigators to pay. Primary sources may include diaries, letters, interviews, oral histories, photographs, newspaper articles, government documents, poems, novels, plays, and. About oral history oral history research and resources. Oral history methods are widely used by historians of societies shaped by oral forms of cultural and knowledge transfer to find out about the past. Hopi oral tradition and the archaeology of identity uapress. Its primary mission is to explore the nature and significance of oral history and advance understanding of the field among scholars, educators, practitioners, and the general public. Ancient civilizations and global trade commissioned by the department of education after 1994 politicians, historians, educators and parents were included in the debate about the content of history and especially south african history in the school curriculum. Oral tradition does not maintain the same value of the oral history. The focus is the methodology of oral history research. Part of the process is enjoyment and part of the adventure is learning from mistakes.
Oral history is a method of conducting historical research through recorded interviews between a. The practice of queer oral history is the first book to provide serious scholarly insight into the methodological practices that shape lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer oral histories. This is because most cultures in the old world had written languages. History and archaeology both study ancient people and things. Key terms whyreasons different sources archaeology, oral tradition and written records zimbabwes precolonial history period before 1890 zimbabwes precolonial history is hidden in the three sources, archaeology, oral tradition and written records. The determination of the sites of these villages, and a study of their archaeology, would prove to be an important contribution to the knowledge of the origin of the patki clans. Oral history, oral traditions, and archaeology oxford. Archaeology assess the importance of oral history to. When scientists discover what indigenous people have known for centuries when it supports their claims, western scientists value what traditional knowledge has to offer. Although western scholars have often debated their reliability, dr. Oxford handbook of african archaeology oxford handbooks.
The purpose of this chapter is to discuss oral tradition and the research of oral history within communities. What are advantages and disadvantages of using archaeology. The author weaves together documentary sources, oral history, and archaeological evidence to reveal the ways in which mine workers constructed a sense of community in this company town from the late nineteenth century to the midtwentieth. Primary sources include documents or artifacts created by a witness to or participant in an event. In may 1773, a white man, thomas bullit, visited the shawnee indian town of chillicothe on the little miami river in what would become the southwest corner of the state of ohio, which was then still part of the northwest frontier of colonial america. Scientific archaeology and indigenous oral traditions have long been estranged.
Archaeological evidence has been used to assess precontact occupation and. Horalhist is a network for scholars and professionals active in studies related to oral history. In from the miners doublehouse, archaeologist karen metheny uses an interpretive, contextual approach to examine the physical and cultural landscape of the nowabandoned coalmining town of helvetia in western pennsylvania. History is not just whatreallyhappenedinthepast, but a complex intersection of truths, bias and hopes. The methods used by archaeologists to gather data can be applied to any time period, including the very recent past. About oral history oral history research and resources library. Archaeology and oral history examples of current work in many aspects of oral history have been collected by rob perks and alistair thomson 2006 in the oral history reader. The use of terrace farming by the inca and japanese cultures is an example of. Even as this relationship has become increasingly significant for both real world archaeological practice and studies in the history of anthropology, no other single book has synthetically examined how native americans have shaped archaeological practice in the. Primary sources originate in the time period that historians are studying. Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or. Although the transfer of information from memory to history often has its factual limitations, oral history provides a human element to the study of local.
But archaeologists in the new world did not have that resource, with the exception of mesoamerican archaeologists studying the maya whose hieroglyphic language has only recently been deciphered. A glance at two very different historians, the roman tacitus and the byzantine procopius, shows the range and difficulty inherent in the study of the past. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The reason for the rejection of the exodus tradition is said to be the lack of historical and archaeological evidence in egypt. Well known for the spectacular quality of its surviving evidence, from both an archaeological and environmental perspective, wetland archaeology enables scholars to investigate and reconstruct past peoples dwellings, landscapes, material culture, and daily. Michael basil cosmopoulos is professor of greek history and archaeology with the department of anthropology and archaeology. There is a great deal of overlap between the two disciplines. Hopi oral tradition and the archaeology of identity sheds new light on a difficult and sometimes emotionally charged matter. The oxford handbook of african archaeology presents a series of articles by colleagues working across the continent for incorporation within a volume that sets african archaeology within its theoretical, methodological, and historical context and simultaneously spans the entire history of human culture on the african continent.
There is however a difference between oral history and oral tradition, oral history is an oral account made by an eyewitness whereas oral tradition is an account of an event passed down through the generations. The scientific importance of dialogue volume 67 issue 3 peter m. What clues do historians use to study the past answers. The author weaves together documentary sources, oral history, and archaeological evidence to reveal the ways in which mine workers constructed a sense of community in this company town from the. Kirch demonstrates how the extensive archaeological evidence compiled largely over the past half century actually supports this rich oral history. The author weaves together documentary sources, oral history, and archaeological evidence to reveal the ways in which mine workers constructed a. Archaeologists in many other regions of africa soon turned to oral testimonies, both traditions and direct historical accounts, to supplement and question documentary records pertaining to the african past of the last several millennia. The second, and crucial, inconsistency between the site oral history and archaeology is between innookpoozhejooks description of the human skeletal remains he observed at the site and those remains actually recovered from nglj2.