Junior Ranger: Tell Me A Story

What is ‘oral history’?

Oral history is when someone learns about the past by conducting interviews with people who have personal knowledge of historical events. These interviews are recorded so that they can be studied later by historians. The National Park Service, museums, and research universities are examples of institutions that conduct and store oral history recordings.

Example: Chesley Wilson, Apache elder

This is an oral history recording of a man talking about his childhood and his memories of his ancestors.

• Chesley Wilson - in English

  
  

  A song and interview with an Apache elder.

  Credit / Author:

  NPS

  Date created:

  05/10/2020

  Audio Transcript

  This is a song that's for a sunrise dance.

  My name is Chesley Wilson Senior. I am San Carlos Apache. My native language is Apache. I was born at San Carlos, Arizona. I've been living at San Carlos Reservation, well, since I was born. I made an Apache violin and it's made out of agave stalks- century plant. Short, about 12 inch long, one string. I perform with dad on the flute and sing Apache song.

  My family's been here since way back. As far as they know, 1800, chief eskiminsin is doing a big business here. In Tucson everybody treated him nice. He was a nice guy. He don't fight anybody around, kill anybody, just fight for peace. But the government locked him up just for no reason at all. Because some other Apache, they kill some people somewhere so they just want to get even.

  Our tradition started when we were kids -- how to be Apache. And also your land was. We gotta learn how to survive at night by looking at the stars if you're lost somewhere. And then they teach you how to gather the food, acorn and agave.

  Songs, all the songs, they teach you at night. You learn all of those. Just about work. We don't have a written-down song. Creator make it for us. That's mean, "de ya," that's mean "I'm going." When you get up to your whole life - the end of your life.

Make Your Own Oral History

Have you ever wondered what school was like when your older family members were in middle school? Maybe your teacher’s stories about growing up on a farm have made you wonder, “what was that like?” Perhaps you’ve always wanted to know more about your friend's mom's experience growing up in Puerto Rico. Oral history is a great way to get a personal perspective on the past. In this activity you will be conducting your very own oral history interview. To complete the activity, follow the steps below.

1. Find someone to interview and choose a topic.
   • Ask a guardian, relative, teacher, or other trusted adult if they would like to be interviewed. Explain that this is a Lake Roosevelt Junior Ranger Program activity. Let them know that this is just for fun and that you will not be sharing the interview with Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area.The topic can be anything that the person you are interviewing is comfortable sharing. Try to find a topic that you both find interesting. Good topics are narrow and focused. Examples include: “What 8^th grade was like in Madison, WI, in 1982” and “Peace Corps experiences in Chile, 1994”.
2. Figure out a recording method.
   • There are many smartphone apps and online tools to choose from. An old-fashioned tape recorder works, too, or even a pen/pencil and paper!
   • If you don't want to record or write notes, perhaps creating a drawing or poster of the interview would work better. Another option is to create a model of a scene that the person described using items you may have around the house. Find a way to remember the interview that feels comfortable to you.
   • Another option is to make a video recording of the interview. This can be done with a camera with video capabilities or even a smartphone. You can find a place to set the camera or phone nearby. Make sure you run a test video to make sure your interview is in the picture.
3. Create the questions.
   • Develop five to ten questions to ask during the interview. Ask open questions that invite more than a Yes or No answer. A closed question would be “Did you find going to the Grand Canyon fun?” An open question would be “What part of your trip to the Grand Canyon did you find enjoyable and why?”
4. Do the interview!
   • Schedule a time for a half-hour (30 minute) interview.
5. Introduce yourself and thank the person for agreeing to speak with you .
   • Ask if they are comfortable being recorded. Remind them that this is just for fun and that they can stop the interview at any time.
   • Begin recording. Introduce yourself with your name, the date, the location of the interview, and the topic. Then introduce the person you are interviewing. This way, when you go back and review the interview later, you know when and where it was and who you were talking to. This is super important if you decide to interview more than one person.
   • Start asking your questions. Be polite and listen while the person is talking. Wait until they are done talking before you ask the next question. Make sure to ask follow-up questions if you find something confusing.
   • At the end of the conversation thank the person for their time. Turn off the recording if you are using one.
6. Analyze the results.
   • Listen to your recording and write a one to two paragraph summery of what you learned about your topic. This helps remind you of things you might want to ask in a follow-up interview, or to think of other ways you could have asked a question.

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Things to think about:

• What can the experiences of others help us understand about the past?
• Think of a famous person in the past. What questions would you like to ask them if they were still alive?

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NPS

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If you are interested in learning more about oral history, the National Park Service has a resource page with webinars, online manuals, and many other materials to help you begin your journey.

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