Oral Tradition as a Reliable Source of Historical Writing: Arguments for and Against and Implications for Historical Writing in Education

Abstract

Oral tradition is a reliable source of historical writing. This paper therefore examined oral tradition as a reliable source of historical writing: arguments for and against and implications for historical writing in education. To do this, efforts were made to define the concept of oral tradition, arguments for the use of oral tradition as a reliable source of historical writing, arguments against and implications for historical writing in education. It was therefore concluded that oral tradition can be used in historical writing in education. However, the historian must be cautious of some factors, such as the need to be patient to go to the root of the oral tradition in order to ensure that the facts collected and gathered are authentic and genuine.

Keywords: Oral Tradition, History, Historical writing, historian of education, implications