Oral tradition
Jan Vansina published Oral Tradition as History in 1985 to establish a working definition for historians. He stated that the message must be oral statements spoken, sung or called out on musical instruments only. There must be transmission by word of mouth over at least a generation. Joseph Ki-Zerbo wrote Methodology and African Pre-history in 1990 for UNESCO International Scientific Committee for the Drafting of a General History of Africa. He defined oral tradition as being a testimony transmitted verbally from one generation to another. Its special characteristics are that it is verbal and the manner in which it is transmitted. The information is mentally recorded by oral repositories sometimes termed walking libraries who are usually also performers. This medium allows societies to transmit oral history, oral literature, oral law and other knowledge across generations without a writing system. It remains the most widespread medium of human communication throughout modern times.
A traditional Kyrgyz manaschi performs part of the Epic of Manas at a yurt camp in Karakol. West African griots constitute a hereditary position existing in Dyula, Soninke, Fula, Hausa, Songhai, Wolof, Serer, and Mossi societies among many others. They perform a range of roles including historian, musician, poet, mediator of family and tribal disputes, and spokesperson. When Sundiata Keita founded the Mali Empire he was offered Balla Fasséké as his griot to advise him during his reign. Griots often accompany their telling of oral tradition with a musical instrument like the balafon or kora. In Burundi traditions were short because most were told at informal gatherings and everyone had to have their turn. Neighbouring Rwanda saw many narratives become longer because a one-man professional had to entertain his patron for a whole evening. Every production checked by fellow specialists meant errors were punishable. The climate in which traditions are told influences its content significantly.
Ancient Indians developed techniques for listening memorization and recitation of their knowledge in schools called Gurukul while maintaining exceptional accuracy across generations. All 1,028 hymns with 10,600 verses of the Rigveda were preserved through specific methods. Samhita-patha involved continuous recitation of Sanskrit words bound by phonetic rules of euphonic combination. Pada-patha marked a conscious pause after every word and after any special grammatical codes embedded inside the text. Krama-patha used step-by-step recitation where euphonically combined words were paired successively and sequentially. This method to verify accuracy is credited to Vedic sages Gargya and Sakalya in the Hindu tradition. Milman Parry and Albert Lord indicated that Homer's verse passed down not by rote memorization but by oral-formulaic composition. Stock phrases like eos rhododaktylos meaning rosy fingered dawn fit into modular fashion within poetic form. These formulas allowed extempore composition aided by expressions regularly used under same metrical conditions to express particular essential ideas.
Milman Parry published L'epithèt traditionnelle dans Homère in Paris in 1928 to begin his research on traditional epithets. Albert B. Lord released The singer of tales from Cambridge University Press in 1960 to expand upon these findings. Walter Ong wrote Orality and Literacy with Methuen in 1980 to contrast cultures defined by primary orality versus secondary orality. John Miles Foley compiled Oral-Formulaic Theory and Research in New York in 1985 to consolidate oral tradition as an academic field. He founded the Center for Studies in Oral Tradition at the University of Missouri in 1986. Foley developed Oral Theory beyond mechanistic notions presented in earlier versions of Oral-Formulaic Theory. His key works include The Theory of Oral Composition published in 1988 and Immanent Art released in 1991. Geoffrey Kirk published The Songs of Homer in 1962 questioning Lord's extension of oral-formulaic nature to Homeric epic. Eric Havelock revolutionized how scholars looked at Homeric epic with Preface to Plato in 1963 arguing that oral formulas preserved cultural knowledge across generations.
The Quran meaning recitation in Arabic is believed by Muslims to be God's revelation delivered to Muhammad from 610 CE until his death in 632 CE. It was carefully compiled into standardized written form known as Uthman about two decades after last verse revealed. Hadith meaning narrative or report in Arabic records words actions and silent approval of Muhammad transmitted by oral preachers and storytellers for around 150 to 250 years. Each hadith includes chain of human transmitters who passed down tradition before it was sorted according to accuracy. At least one third of the Quran is made up of oral formulas according to Alan Dundes estimates. Scholars like Andrew G. Bannister used computer databases to find between 52 percent and 23 percent are oral formulas depending on phrase length. The Catholic Church affirmed in 1965 that teachings of Jesus Christ were initially passed on to early Christians by Apostles through oral preaching example and observance. Eastern Orthodoxy maintains one Tradition incorporating scriptures and teaching of Church Fathers without addition alteration or subtraction.
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Common questions
What is the working definition of oral tradition according to Jan Vansina?
Jan Vansina defined oral tradition as messages that are oral statements spoken, sung or called out on musical instruments only. He required transmission by word of mouth over at least a generation for it to qualify.
Who were the griots and what roles did they play in West African societies?
West African griots constituted a hereditary position existing in Dyula, Soninke, Fula, Hausa, Songhai, Wolof, Serer, and Mossi societies among many others. They performed roles including historian, musician, poet, mediator of family and tribal disputes, and spokesperson while often accompanying their telling with instruments like the balafon or kora.
How did ancient Indians preserve the Rigveda hymns across generations?
Ancient Indians developed techniques for listening memorization and recitation in schools called Gurukul while maintaining exceptional accuracy across generations. All 1,028 hymns with 10,600 verses of the Rigveda were preserved through specific methods such as Samhita-patha, Pada-patha, and Krama-patha credited to Vedic sages Gargya and Sakalya.
When was Oral-Formulaic Theory consolidated as an academic field by John Miles Foley?
John Miles Foley compiled Oral-Formulaic Theory and Research in New York in 1985 to consolidate oral tradition as an academic field. He founded the Center for Studies in Oral Tradition at the University of Missouri in 1986 and published key works including The Theory of Oral Composition in 1988 and Immanent Art in 1991.
What is the timeline for the revelation of the Quran and its compilation into written form?
The Quran meaning recitation in Arabic is believed by Muslims to be God's revelation delivered to Muhammad from 610 CE until his death in 632 CE. It was carefully compiled into standardized written form known as Uthman about two decades after the last verse revealed.