Dear P Papa Sledge,
Oral tradition plays a role in archaeology. However, this role is
disputed, and relies, among other factors, on the geographical and
historical era researched, and naturally also on the culture explored.
With some cultures, it is virtually impossible to achieve empirical
results using oral evidences. In others, it is a supportive or even a
main element in the construction of the research.
In a summary of ?Ethnohistory and Archaeology in Roviana?
<http://www.arts.auckland.ac.nz/ant/200/Ethnohistory%20and%20Archaeology%20in%20Roviana%20200%20notes.htm>
, the problematic nature of oral research is discussed: -
?Mason (2000:242) has presented the following as problems
? Oral tradition is not trustworthy as it depends on memory and
verbal transmission.
? ?The genre by its nature is more an artefact of contemporary
culture than a record of the past.?
? ?Oral traditions are closed belief systems, beholden to authority
and impervious to external challenge.?
? Access to oral tradition may be limited by the keepers.
? More specifically I would add:
? Much oral tradition should not necessarily be conceived of as
literal or lineal history
? Formulaic ways of relating to time or space may be characteristic of
large culture areas and therefore not be reliable accounts of specific
past events.?
(Source: ?Ethnohistory and Archaeology in Roviana?
http://www.arts.auckland.ac.nz/ant/200/Ethnohistory%20and%20Archaeology%20in%20Roviana%20200%20notes.htm).
Naturally, may I add, whereas there is no literal tradition at all,
for example in some areas in Africa, oral traditions are one of the
few sources available. Literal traditions usually lessen the reliance
on oral traditions, and in Middle Eastern archaeology (for example)
this is seldom used.
However, even the existence of the Bible as a source does not exclude
the exploration of oral traditions in the realm (?A number of
Scandinavian scholars have moved away from the patterns of literary
analysis previously discussed and have laid stress upon the importance
of oral tradition in the transmission of Old Testament materials? ,
Source: Gerald Larue (1968): Old Testament Life and Literature:
Chapter 4: Other Methods of Approach <
http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/gerald_larue/otll/chap4.html>).
As demonstrated in the article about Roviana, oral evidences provided
information on :
?? myths or charters which inform on cultural structure and/or power relationships
? Testimony to the function, use or name of things or places
? more or less specific description of historic events or processes? (ibid).
In other words, oral traditions could contribute to our understanding.
For example, regarding the American West, and focusing on an example
from Hopi oral tradition, Peter M. Whiteley ?argues that objective
archaeological explanation can gain a great deal, without any loss of
analytical rigor, by treating oral traditions not as scientifically
unassimilable myths but as a primary source of evidence and
interpretation of past social formations. The need for dialogue, then,
is important not just as a matter of multicultural diplomacy, but for
the enhancement of scientific explanation itself.? (Source: Peter M.
Whiteley, ?Archaeology and Oral Tradition: The Scientific Importance
of Dialogue? _American Antiquity_ Volume 67 Number 3 July 2002,
<http://www.saa.org/publications/amantiq/aqabstracts/aq67-3/whiteley.html>).
Brian Scribe, too, believes that oral traditions in the research of
North American ?First Nations? are an important tool in addition to
other methodologies in archaeology: ?The pursuit of Archaeology and
Anthropology combined with oral traditional teachings of a mother and
a father, a grandmother and grandfather and by the people (relations)
has expanded one First Nations Archaeologist's worldview. The
discipline of Archaeology, combined with the oral tradition, has
certainly added to cultural reeducation and preservation. This
combination, through studies such as traditional land use, delineates
the deeply rooted connection of many First Nations to Mother Earth, in
what is termed to be since time immoral.? (Source: Brian Scribe, ?Oral
Tradition: A Useful Tool in the Field Kit of First Nations
Archaeologists and Anthropologists? Canadian Archaeology Association
2001 Conference, Banff, Alberta - May 9 - 13, 2001., abstract
available at http://scape.brandonu.ca/caa2001p.asp#oral).
Further Reading
============
Genier, Louise. (1999). Working with Indigenous Knowledge
Much more bibliography is offered at Alyce Johnson?s ?Native Studies
383H - Oral Research Methods? <
http://www.trentu.ca/nativestudies/courses/ns383h.html>
I hope this answered your question. I used the internet to search for
relevant material, using terms such as ?archaeology? and ?oral
tradition?.
If you need any further clarifications on this answer, please contact
me before you tip/rate it. |
