A Guide to Oral Tradition as Documentation

Guidelines for the Recognition and Approval of Oral Tradition in the Arts and Sciences

These are the guidelines for using oral tradition in Ansteorra as set by the Society MOAS in 2022

  1. Above all, be courteous, respectful, and mindful of cultural sensitivities. Some cultures whose arts and sciences we are interested in recreating are present in our contemporary world and may have regulations and/or traditions within their culture regarding how, when, and by whom some of their arts and sciences may be demonstrated, performed, or used.
  2. Provenance specifies when and where information was collected, ideally including from whom and by whom. Citing “an old story”, “legend”, “mythology”, or “folktale” without specific provenance is not acceptable documentation.
  3. Evidence of oral tradition for that culture before the 17th Century. Consider the reputation of the source. Was the source known for accuracy, or exaggeration?
  4. Consider context. Is this information intended as a historical list of leaders, events, procedures, or items, or is it intended as an allegorical story? Consider the context of the original audience. Has the information been passed down through generations of
    tribal elders, or is it an uncorroborated story relayed only by a modern person?
  5. Consistency with any known archeological record(s), or possibly corroborated by traditions of neighboring peoples, and consistency with any existing academic approaches to oral tradition.
  6. We will honor the designation of an oral tradition expert with some information on the tribal or cultural expert’s credentials. They do not have to have an academic degree but must be well-known as experts.
    • For example, “Amel Tafsout is a recognized expert in Amazigh dance and music. The culture does not have written sources. Amel is considered an expert because she grew up in the traditions of dance and music in the Atlas Mountains in Algeria before immigrating to the UK. Living now in California, she is designated as a dance ethnographer who teaches traditional North African dances and music throughout the world.”