Thus, our ancestors began the great oral tradition of passing down their stories and experiences from one generation to another so that the next generation could learn and benefit from them. ... The great oral tradition is a collection of brilliant oral stories and myths, each of which have the purpose of either passing down cultural practices or teaching specific morals and lessons to the listener. ... Moreover, many of the same themes and morals transcend both European and Native American oral traditions. ... For the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico the oral tradition of storytelling is an in...

• Word Count: 2543
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Oral traditions have played and continue to play important roles in the history of Africa as well as its present. ... Clark and Soyinka are evidence of the continued dependence and belief in oral traditions by a lot of Africans, even after extensive western education. ... It was important for Africans in historical times to repeatedly acknowledge the oral traditions so they would not forget any parts of it and this is also one of the reasons why African writers usually add some elements of oral tradition into their works. ... However, with the colonization of Africa, a lot of Africans are now ...

• Word Count: 1278
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The Oral Tradition:Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali How Can A Historian Use Oral Tradition When Writing History Oral tradition is a history or a story passed down from generation to generation through word of mouth. ... Oral tradition is significant in all cultures and societies. The oral tradition tells stories of the past and of how things use to be. ... In this paper I will explain how historians can use oral traditions like Sundiata, African storytelling, and Native American oral traditions, in writing of history and historical reconstruction. ... Writing traditions do consist in ancien...

• Word Count: 1350
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

Traditions, which may appear fixed in society, are often subject to changes and adaptations as future generations attempt to mould these traditions to fit their contemporary values. ... This is also true of the epic tradition. ... Although the authorship of The Iliad and The Odyssey are traditionally attributed to Homer, both poems were actually formed through the oral tradition (Beye 3). The oral tradition refers to a process where stories were formed by sharing through word of mouth and not transcription. ... With culture shaping early epics through oral tradition, there could be no individu...

• Word Count: 1343
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

I also understand that the USMC has several traditions. What I don't understand is how a tradition can be made mandatory. Tradition - The unwritten or oral delivery of information, opinions, doctrines, practices, rites, and customs, from father to son, or from ancestors to posterity; the transmission of any knowledge, opinions, or practice, from forefathers to descendants by oral communication, without written memorials. ... We are definitely taking these traditions, customs and courtesies too far. ... It is tradition to attend a USMC ball around the time of the birthday. ...

• Word Count: 371
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

Thomas-Builds-The-Fire also holds a very cultural place in this tale as he fills the role of storyteller and continues the oral tradition common to many indigenous peoples as Mary Pat Fisher indicates in her book Living Religions. Her text labels the position of storyteller as a spiritual specialty among indigenous religions and states, "Because the traditions are oral rather than written, these people must memorize long and complex stories and songs so that the group's sacred traditions can be remembered and taught, generation after generation" (Fisher, 59-60). ... Lee indicates on pages...

• Word Count: 1919
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

When examining ancient Greek works, however, it is important to recognize that they are the products of a chiefly oral tradition. This is not to say that oral and literate traditions are conflicting with one another, but rather that the guiding principles of early Greek art revolve around the notions of memory and orality. The Iliad, in particular, represents the step out of an oral tradition and the beginning of western literature. ... Oral traditions pass down historical and cultural knowledge from generation to generation by means of spoken language, song and poetry. ... Repetition was ...

• Word Count: 1357
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

When examining ancient Greek works, however, it is important to recognize that they are the products of a chiefly oral tradition. This is not to say that oral and literate traditions are conflicting with one another, but rather that the guiding principles of early Greek art revolve around the notions of memory and orality. The Iliad, in particular, represents the step out of an oral tradition and the beginning of western literature. ... Oral traditions pass down historical and cultural knowledge from generation to generation by means of spoken language, song and poetry. ... Repetition was ...

• Word Count: 1392
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

These tribal traditions represent a rich and varied cultural history. ... They are one of the few peoples without any trouble in keeping the oral tradition alive. They use the oral tradition as a means of enlightening those who have not witnessed the past. ... The oral tradition is where their heroes are born. The passing down of their culture through the oral tradition helps to keep their autonomy, yet many Native Americans have abandoned the practice of oral tradition to adapt to modern times. ...

• Word Count: 822
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Aboriginal people are diverse groups; each has their own language, traditions, and teachings. ... In the Aboriginal tradition, oral literature reflects importance, as that is how many of their myths, stories, and legends have been passed on. Oral literature is words which are spoken, not recorded on paper. ... Oral tradition in song and story has given form to many types of literature written by the aboriginal people. ... Oral literature is meaningful and useful to us in many different ways. ...

• Word Count: 720
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The Pharisees are the creators of Rabbinical Judaism, and hold Oral Torah to the highest degree. ... While the Pharisees were occupied with Oral Torah, and the traditions of oral communication, the Greco-Roman influence would soon begin to swallow up these ancient traditions. During the prominence of the Greco-Roman culture, scribes began copying oral stories and traditions into print. ... "The use of written literature, however, did not replace the use of oral tradition, but was simply constructed in order to be read aloud. ... It appears as though with the rising influence of written litera...

• Word Count: 1866
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

HISTORY TELLS A STORY Man's understanding of past civilizations has been passed down in the form of oral traditions. Oral traditions are stories that covered topics from all aspects of life and even includes how that civilization came about. ... Sundiata shows how important oral traditions are to our history. ... With the help of oral traditions, we as society are better able to understand the past cultures and practices of ancient people. Oral traditions have helped historians see the development of different cultures through time. ...

• Word Count: 1061
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Learning to Transform When asked to explore the relationship between learning and transformation in the Native oral tradition one has to wonder. ... The correlation between learning and transformation in the native oral tradition has a duel nature. ... The relationship between learning and transformation in the Native oral tradition was used as a tool to control or survive, to teach one how to be a good person, and to teach one how to live a specific spiritual life. ... This idea of community was probably the most important lesson the oral tradition has to teach. ...

• Word Count: 928
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

The oral of these proverbs sometimes increases the impact. "For the westernized elite, oral traditions are useful resources for placing an authentic African stamp on writings and they can aid in the reconstructions of traditional life." ... Thus oral tradition gives more emphasis to the rhythm of the language, with repetition and short phrases making the stories, riddles and proverbs easier to understand, and in turn to recall from memory. ... This is true with all cultures where oral tradition is prevalent. When a culture relies on oral tradition to pass on legends, stories and proverbs, the...

• Word Count: 2075
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

This was the transition from the written torah to the oral tradition. This new priestly tradition established rules that focused on acts of mercy and justice. Rabbinic Judaism emerged between the second and fifth century and the oral torah was written in to what became known as the Talmud. Hillel and Shammai both were teachers of the oral torah. ...

• Word Count: 591
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

This means there was several hundred years where what is now written in the bible existed as oral traditions. By around 1000 BC, written language was developed and people thought it important to write down oral traditions that were passed down from generation-to-generation.2 Through historical critical method, biblical scholars interpret ancient texts against the background of what we know of their historical settings. ... Different authors, in different time periods, addressing people of their time and sharing different traditions is why there are two different accounts of Genesis. ...

• Word Count: 525
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

In traditional Nigeria, oral literature was used by women to communicate customs, beliefs and traditions to their children and the young. Many of the African communities adapted oral folktales and legends that best suited their territorial beliefs. ... African food production is firmly rooted in Africa's tradition and gender division of labor. ... One of the ancient traditions that historically existed in Nigeria consisted of women trading and bartering. ... Oral tradition told of female kings (obas). ...

• Word Count: 1726
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

However, Wilson puts an interesting twist on this theme by giving his audience a perspective in African traditions and mystical beliefs. ... In his article, Ghosts on the Piano: August Wilson and the Representation of Black American History, Michael Morales argues that the piano is a direct link to the past that serves as both a "sacred ancestral altar" and a tool used to "transmit" oral history. (106) The only way this illiterate civilization could pass on their history and traditions were through art and oral history. ... The songs played on the piano by Boy Willie and Whining Boy are als...

• Word Count: 732
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Albert King once stated: "The Blues its twelve-bar, bent-note melody is the anthem of a race bonding itself together with cries of shared self victimization and trouble, which are always present, and always the result of others, pressing upon unfortunate and down trodden poor souls." The music within the novel "Beloved" presses upon the reader's own emotional boundaries by presenting to us the treatment of slaves through an entirely different medium; not only through language but through sound; through the "soul" of those who give their voice melody. It further accumulates within Toni M...

• Word Count: 3100
• Approx Pages: 12
• Has Bibliography

The oral tradition, which was used in the days before people were literate, is now essential to the continuation of knowledge to our children. ... In general, all the knowledge that is learned via the oral tradition, pictographic lessons, and musical memorization are vague and tend to fade from people's memories over time. ... Customs and traditions that are important to individuals rely heavily on passing them down through the generations. ...

• Word Count: 904
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Myths have generally originated from a Greek history that used an oral tradition to explain events that occurred before the written word. ... Each culture has a myth explaining how man was created that they believe is correct based on their oral tradition. The Greek's believed that the Gods were responsible, while the Indians believed that spirits accomplished the creation of man based on taught tradition. ...

• Word Count: 697
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

These repetitions are essential to the oral style of composition called oral-formulaic. In oral-formulaic traditions, generations of poet performers develop a special poetic language that consists of a number of musical phrases and longer story elements out of which long narrative poems are constructed. ...

• Word Count: 552
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

Even though the indigenous people suffered great loss in land and culture their pride and traditions live on. It is through these surviving traditions stories of early times are salvaged. Most of the Native American traditions distinguish between songs and narratives. ... Original Native American stories were performed orally in the native language of their tribe. ... Through these orators and the stories passed down orally, eventually essays and books are written. ...

• Word Count: 1765
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

In her essay, Marshall identifies with her mother and the African-American tradition that her mother expressed. ... Marshall equates her being a writer to the oral heritage of her mother and explains how they both transcend the everyday. Through identifying with her mother, Marshall finds that they have things in common because they both express their creativity in an art form: one in the oral tradition and the other in the written tradition: The role of art in this tradition unifies the seemingly disparate themes of motherhood and orality. Mother love physically ...

• Word Count: 3271
• Approx Pages: 13
• Grade Level: High School

Things Fall, Some Fall Apart All cultures throughout the world have their differences, varying in social traditions, religious practices, and types of government. ... Unlike European societies, the Igbo tell legends about spirits and other oral traditions (i.e. proverbs and poems) that drive their ideological beliefs as well as give them a sense of their history. ... Regardless of the costs, Okonkwo tends to cling to tradition, creating major conflicts in his life. ... Tribal members gradually change their traditions, hardly taking a stand against the intruding culture. ...

• Word Count: 519
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate