Studying Oral Histories...

Builds a sense of personal and cultural identity

• People develop pride and a sense of identity when they study the day-to-day life skills and traditional stories of their culture.
• When learners, younger children, parents and grandparents come together to share a common goal, there is an exchange of ideas, skills, knowledge, beliefs and values that reflects traditional society and yet serves modern needs.

Brings Elders back to the teaching role they held traditionally

• Parents and grandparents once had children with them for the whole day in all seasons and could gradually pass along skills, knowledge and values. Elders’ involvement in oral history and literacy projects could help restore them to their traditional role as teachers.
• Elders’ wisdom becomes more accessible to the whole community when their knowledge is recorded.

Helps people understand their own culture and heritage

• Studying oral history helps people understand themselves and their place in the world.

Records important cultural and historical knowledge

• It is critical to record Elders’ knowledge before they pass away.

Empowers

• People get a sense that they are part of history.
• In books and history classes people are lead to believe that history is all about important people – queens and prime ministers. Oral history gives people a sense that they are important.

Strengthens communities

• Studying oral history creates opportunities for respectful communication.
• Studying oral history creates a common understanding of the social forces that have shaped the community.
• Studying oral history allows students to feel that they belong and that their input is important.

Strengthens Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun language skills

• Young people listen to the Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun of the Elders and increase their vocabulary and understanding of traditional language forms.
• Today English is everywhere in the environment; when people study oral history, knowledge of Inuktitut or Inuinnaqtun is important and necessary.
• Oral histories provide an interesting and absorbing topic for Inuktitut reading and writing projects.