Folklore and Oral History
Written by PA Heritage Staff in the Oral History Feature category and the Summer 1981 issue Topics in this article:Oral traditions, including folklore and oral history, are an important aspect of any culture. At times, however, it is difficult to distinguish between the two. Both oral historians and folklorists, for example, are interested in the spoken word, the orally-transmitted tradition or version, and in identifying the source of the material. Both are not so much interested in the actual event as they are in how people remember, interpret and perpetuate that event or story.
What they collect, however, differs. Folklorists look for “traditional” materials that appear and reappear in slightly changed forms in various cultures – legends, jokes, personal stories called memorates, proverbs, songs, tall tales and superstitions passed on informally by word of mouth between members of the community. Oral historians, on the other hand, are interested primarily in establishing an historical perspective-a subject’s personal view of the chronology of an event. In oral history, the interviewing technique relies heavily on a dialectic, a give and take between interviewer and subject in questioning, designed to elicit hidden feelings and opinions often ignored in survey questionnaires, official pronouncements and folklorist material.
Frequently, however, the line between oral history and oral folklore is blurred: oral history can include pieces of traditional folklore, and often folklore contains a useful historical account of past events. Oral folklore, though, has a ritualistic and communal quality about it. The tales, jokes and proverbs have been told again and again. The retelling has shaped the material into folk art. The collection and study of this folklore should offer some insights into the people of the region. Oral folklore, especially in a “traditional” or “oral” culture, can give a wider focus on the inner personality of an entire culture.
