oral tradition

Oral tradition is the cultural knowledge and information that has been passed down through speech from one generation to the next. Oral tradition can also refer to this mode of communication.

Tradition means something that is handed down from generation to generation. Oral means transmitted by speech, and it is used in the term oral tradition to specifically distinguish information passed down through speech, song, or demonstration, as opposed to writing.

Despite widespread literacy and modern electronic recordkeeping, oral tradition is still the most widely used form of communication in the world.

Once upon a time, there were no books and not a single person knew how to read or write. Yet people still had rich cultures and stories that were important to their way of life. All over the world, societies kept their folklore, rituals, and traditions alive for many generations through stories, songs, speeches, sermons, dances, and other non-written forms of communication. Even today, cultures continue to pass on important information through oral tradition.

Oral tradition can happen informally (telling Grandma’s stories around the fire), but in many cultures, the people tasked with passing on their culture by word of mouth are highly trained, and their stories are highly rehearsed. This is especially true in primarily oral societies where oral tradition is still dominant. Many of the indigenous peoples of the Americas rely on storytellers to pass on their rituals and sacred stories. In western Africa, storytellers called griots have the responsibility of keeping an oral history of their tribe or village and entertaining with stories, poems, songs, and dances. Across the world, the method by which oral tradition is transmitted is often highly structured, allowing the storyteller to recall large amounts of information and maintain the same story or lesson from one generation to the next.

People from literacy-focused societies sometimes view oral tradition as obsolete or an unreliable form of recordkeeping. However, many of the traditions kept by oral societies remain largely unchanged over centuries due to successful transmission of oral tradition. While oral tradition and literacy are often contrasted to each other, many societies have relied on both forms of communication.

Oral tradition is alive and well in the city of New Orleans, where people perform “toasts,” long poems or stories about folk heroes.

Despite the prevalence of modern technology, oral tradition is still an important part of how we communicate with each other.

As an islander, there is always a sweet spot for your grandparents. They passed down so many life lessons through oral tradition by telling us stories, proverbs, and memories of them growing up… Your heart is at its fullest when you’re with your grandparents🥺💛… https://t.co/BP9WxPX8in

— Anita Tunoa🇦🇸 (@AnitaTunoa) October 30, 2019

Watch: Today marks the 61st anniversary of the birth of Author, Actor & Poet uMama Gcina Mhlophe. Since the early 1980s, uMama Gcina Mhlope has dedicated her life to encouraging young South Africans to read whilst preserving our history through the oral tradition of storytelling. pic.twitter.com/Rpp0DibSCf

— Min. Nathi Mthethwa (@NathiMthethwaSA) October 24, 2019

 

• oral history
• history
• culture
• folklore
• myth
• tale
• ritual
• literacy

Which of the following is an example of cultural knowledge that has been passed on through oral tradition?

A. Folklore
B. Religious teachings
C. Songs and dances
D. All of the above