ORAL HISTORY

Outcome: To formulate a concept of what the term oral tradition means Oral Tradition – the first way people had of communicating knowledge and beliefs from one generation to the next.

Example (Customs from current culture): Blowing out candles at birthday celebrations (cake on face, spanking, etc) Not wearing white to a wedding, unless you are the bride Babies wearing white at christenings Taking a gift when invited to someone’s house for dinner Throwing a baby shower for a mother-to-be Having bachelor or bachelorette parties before a wedding Having a bridal shower for a new bride Tip a waiter or waitress for good service Greetings like a nod, bow, smile, handshake or verbal greeting Removing shoes before entering a home

Oral Storytelling http://study.com/academy/lesson/oral-tradition-of-storytelling-definition- history-examples.html At its essence, oral storytelling is a story spoken to an audience. Throughout history, it's taken many forms including songs, poetry, chants, dance, masks, and so on

Definitions Storytelling: Stories could last several days and included singing, dancing and feasting.   Creation Stories – accounts of how things came to be. They often involve divine beings. Legends – traditional stories from the past about human beings and their interactions with divine beings.

Definitions Tales- imaginatively treated stories about usually fictitious people or animals that behave like people.   Oral History – the telling of what took place on the past. It includes descriptions of people and places, family trees and stories of far away places. It is often the only way of knowing about certain events from the past.

Key Elements Key elements of oral tradition Provides cultural continuity Keeps the family and community strong Can relate to real life situations Can teach skill – cooking, building a house Source of cultural identity and personal pride  

Stories were changed to: be more relevant to each generation, capture the interest of children, become a tradition, become a source of entertainment, to remember the history – there was no other way to record it.

Read the Mi’kmaq Legends “How Glooskap Found the Summer” and “The Invisible One and the Rough-Faced Girl.”