Oral History
Exhibition: Dagumisaatiy (We Persevere)
Artist: Seth Cardinal Dodginghorse
Overview
In Dodginghorse’s exhibition, the stories of his grandparents are collected through audio recordings and preserved for the listener. Through these recordings, he was able to document a narrative that was previously missing from a collective history.
We all have stories to tell, we have lived those stories and we organize the memories of our lives into stories. Oral history listens to these stories, it is the collection of living people’s testimony about their own experiences. The stories collected can be everyday memories of everyday people and have significant historical importance. If we do not collect and preserve those memories, the stories will one day disappear. Our stories and stories of people around us are unique and valuable for our families and our community. In this project, participants will use oral history techniques of asking and listening to create and learn about narratives within their own family history.
Objectives
Learn oral history techniques
Explore their role in storytelling and preserving history
Materials
Paper, pencil
Audio recording device, if available
Instructions:
Step One
Choose a family member that you would like to interview. Gather background information on them so that you are able to formulate a central topic for your interview. Once you have chosen your central topic, you can formulate your questions. Your questions play an important role in directing the topic of the interview.
Sample 1
Family Member — grandparent
Topic — Rural School
Where did you go to school? How did you get to school? How many kids went to your school? etc.
Sample 2
Family Member — Grandparent
Topic — Occupation as a pilot
Why did you choose to become a pilot? How did you train to become a pilot? What type of airplane did you fly? What was your most memorable flight? etc.
Step Two
Arrange a time to interview your family member.
Step Three
Conducting the Interview:
-Means of collection can vary. You can use an audio recording device or take notes by hand with a pen and paper.
-Come prepared to your interview with your questions.
-Begin your interview by asking your first question and listen carefully to the responses. -Depending on the interview, you may not need to use all of your questions as your family member may provide you with enough information on their own.
-Before exiting the interview, be sure you have all of the important background information you need to properly document the oral history. This should include your family members full name, their date of birth, location where the story took place, and the date the interview was conducted.
-Be sure to thank your family member for their time and for sharing their story with you.
Step Four
Process the interview:
Listen to the recording or review your notes. You may decide to transcribe and document the recording in written form.
Whatever format your oral history is in, be sure to properly document and store it so that the history is preserved for others to access in the future.