ORAL GENEALOGIES

Oral genealogies are family histories, or genealogies, that are memorized and recited, often by specially chosen members of families and communities. In some cultures people are chosen and trained from their youth to become remembrancers for their families or tribes, with the responsibility of remembering their family history.

Many localities throughout the world have no written records—or had no written records until relatively recently—and oral genealogies may be the only records available for genealogical research. Oral traditions may exist in societies with oral cultures, where family groups are based on descent from a common ancestor, and genealogy guides social life and customs, including the selection of a spouse, property ownership, succession, and inheritance.

On this website, many oral genealogies are gathered in what are called "Community Trees," which link genealogies from specific time periods and geographic localities.

Oral genealogists sometimes use chants, stories, and other memory devices to help them remember specific names and relationships. Communal knowledge may aid and validate an oral genealogy at the time of its delivery. Some oral genealogies may have other supporting sources.

COMMUNITY TREES AND SEARCH STRATEGIES

Community trees are genealogies from specific time periods and geographic localities around the world that have been linked according to family lineages. These genealogies may include oral genealogies that have been recorded and perhaps even transcribed. The community tree also includes supporting sources, where such are available. Each community tree is a searchable database that allows views of individuals, families, ancestors, and descendants and allows for printing options.

Some oral genealogies on this website are not attached to a specific community tree, but you can find them by clicking on Advanced Search on the home page and then by doing the following:

Some genealogies have transcripts, pictures, or videos, which may be accessed by clicking on Advanced Search from the home page and then by doing the following:

1.    Move the mouse pointer to the upper right corner of the page so it is over the Media drop-down menu.

2.    When the menu appears, click on Histories or Photos. 3.    Type the ancestor's name or another search term in the search box and click Search or browse through the listed resources. VERIFYING ORAL INFORMATION When using oral genealogies as a research source, remember that the information may vary from one informant to another, especially when the recitation is from memory without the use of a family book, a chant, stories, or other memory devices. You should see if more than one oral genealogy exists for the same lineage or clan and determine if they are consistent with each other. You can also verify oral information by comparing it to any written records that may be available. TOOLS TO AID YOUR SEARCH Oral genealogies include one or all of the following buttons to help you search through the resources for individual genealogies. (The buttons below are for display only.) Tree Use this button to go directly to information about an individual and information given regarding his or her ancestors and descendants. The button will take you to records of the lineage-linked individuals identified by the person in giving the oral history. Audio This link will take you to a recording of the interview in MP3 or other format. A genealogy may have more than one button, depending on the length of the interview. Transcript This button leads to transcripts of audio-taped interviews in the native language, with some English transcriptions. The Permission button includes information sheets for some records, as needed. Photo This button links to a photo of the informant at the time of the interview. A listing may have more than one button if there is more than one photo. SEARCH STRATEGY You can search from the home page according to the names of individuals. The default search is "Contains," which means that the search engine will look for any page that contains the name or any part of the name. Just enter the individual's name in the search fields, and click Search. ADVANCED SEARCH The Advanced Search screen provides additional search options. To do an advanced search: 1.    Click the Advanced Search link, which is located on the screen under the search fields. 2.    In the page that opens, locate the right-hand column of search fields and enter the search terms that you would like to use. 3.    In the left-hand column, choose the search operator for the search terms that you have entered. The default for most fields is "Contains"; however, the pull down menu provides other options, such as "Soundex" (for variant name spellings) and "Equals" (for a search for an exact term). 4.    You limit your search results by entering information into more search fields. If your search doesn't give very many results, try using fewer search terms. To see which media is available for oral histories, do the following: 1.    From the Search People screen, move the mouse pointer to the upper right corner of the page so it is over the Media drop-down menu. 2.    Select Recordings or Histories or Photos to see a complete listing of what resources are available. The media files are sorted alphabetically by surname, and if no surname is available, the files are sorted alphabetically by the first given name. 3.    Scroll down the list or results, or search by your relative's name to see if the resource list includes something for that person. See Oral Genealogies Alphabetical Index Page See Complete Listing of Oral Genealogies Return to Oral Genealogies Home Page