Posted by Chester Morton / Friday, 14 April 2017 / No comments
The sources of African history
THE SOURCES OF AFRICAN HISTORY
Introduction
The sources from which the African
historian obtains his information for the reconstruction of African history can
be divided into two broad categories. These are documentary and non-documentary
sources. The various types from the two sources shall be discussed below.
Written documents
One very important source of African
history is written documents. These documents capture events as they happened
in the communities. They are captured in newspapers, personal diaries, missionary
reports, magazines, and records of court proceedings, accounts written down by
travelers, colonial official reports and correspondence.
Oral traditions
Another important source of African
history is referred to as oral traditions. These are traditions handed down
from one generation to another generation. These oral sources are embedded in
myths, taboos, customs, folklore, folktales etc. By their very name, they are
not written down, they are carried by word of mouth, told and retold over the
years. The historian is able to find information from this source to write his
history.
Findings of archeologists
Archeological findings also
constitute another source of African history. The field involves the study of
excavated objects from particular areas to be able to have an insight into how
that particular society may have lived in the past. With the study of the objects
excavated from the area, the historian is able to reconstruct the past of that
community.
The study of languages
The study of languages also helps the
historian in his or her writing of the history of Africa. It is a field that is
technically called linguistics. A detailed study is made of the language of the
people, including the history of the language and its relationship with other
languages. The information so obtained helps the historian in writing the
history of Africa.
The use of Numismatics
This is another important source of
studying African history. It involves the study of coins and other mediums of
exchange employed by the people in the exchange of goods and services. This
study affords the historian a clear view of the African past that formed the
basis of writing African history.
Ethnography
Last, but not least, is the study of social
institutions of present-day people. This is a field called ethnography. The
experts study the evolution of crafts and skills of the people over the years
to reconstruct the history of their early days.
SAMPLE QUESTION(S)
1. What are the sources of materials
for the writing of African history?
2. What sources are available for the
writing of African history?
3. Highlight six sources of African
history.
4. Outline the main sources of
information for the writing of history.
5. How reliable are the sources
available for the writing African history.
