COLLECTING ORAL LITERATURE: APPROACHES AND FIELD TECHNIQUES

The importance of fieldwork in oral literature

Oral literature and oral history face similar problems in that who tell the oral literature are
mortals and are susceptible to forgetting. Once an active traditional bearer passes away, all his or
her knowledge and skills are also gone.
This state of affairs is sad because there will be no continuity; cultural transmission will be
halted. This calls for conducting research into oral traditions in order to have a record of oral
literature for modern education.
However, one cannot come with recorded oral literature without fieldwork. Fieldwork is the
practical academic or social work done outside the laboratory or classroom.
From this definition we can say that fieldwork in oral literature requires the researcher to go into
the village and talk to the people to get the information needed. Fieldwork is research conducted
in the field, not in the library, and it involves dealing with people. A fieldworker or researcher
needs to be equipped with the knowledge and skills of field techniques.
It is not the purpose of this course to explore the various field techniques that the researcher
could use. However, it must be emphasized that the field researcher or collector must have the
ability to adjust to new situations and new personalities that may be different from those with
which he or she is familiar.
This adjustment might not be a problem if one is collecting material from one’s own village or
town or among one’s own relatives.
Important points for any field researcher
Field work is done with a purpose in mind. In order to achieve the objective, it is important that
the researcher actually knows what he or she would like to conduct research on and how he or
she is going to conduct the research. Otherwise, the fieldwork could be a waste of time and
resources. Here are some important points for any fieldworker. The points are given like
questions which the researcher needs to answer.
(i) What does he or she want to collect from the field? Before embarking on any field
work, researchers need to know exactly what they want to collect from the field. For
example, do they want to collect riddles, proverbs, myths, legends, folkstories,
folksongs, or jokes?

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(ii) Where is the fieldworker going to collect the material? The researcher needs to know
the location of his or her research work, whether rural or urban, a village area, a
district or region.
(iii) How much time is needed in order to do the research effectively? The research needs
to have some idea of the time required for each phase of the research work.
(iv) What methods and techniques are to be employed in order to collect the material
effectively? The researcher needs to be familiar with various method and techniques
in sampling the population, including data collecting techniques and instruments
(interviews, questionnaires etc).
(v) What is the researcher’s ability to carry out the necessary work? Here, the researcher
needs to identify both his or her strengths and weaknesses in research work, and how
many additional personnel are available to assist with the data collection, for
example, how many research assistants will be needed? Will extra help be required
when analyzing the data collected?
Preparation for field work
After the researcher has provided answers to the above questions and has a clear picture of
the proposed research, he or she needs to do some preparatory work before the research
actually begins. Some of the preparatory work to be done includes the following:
(i) The fieldworker needs to read available literature on the area and the people among
whom he or she will be living when collecting oral literature data. This includes
finding out the history of the people, their beliefs and their politics.
(ii) He or she will contact any previous researchers who have done work in the area. This
step may reveal first hand information not available in the books.
(iii) He or she will correspond with people who may help with introductions to members
of the community, ease resistance. These people include; District Commissioner
(DC), District Education Manager(DEM), chiefs, community development officers,
teachers, traditional and political leaders or any other people who may have a special
interest in oral literature.
(iv) He or she will have adequate supplies and equipment for use during the stay in the
field. In addition to note books, paper and any other writing materials, the collector
must be sure that he or she has, if possible, the proper equipment for recording and

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 filming information. Researchers need to know how to handle equipment efficiently
before they go to the field.
Procedure in the field
Thorough preparation for field work is not an end in itself; it is a means to an end. The
researcher is now ready to put practice whatever he or she has prepared.
For fieldwork to be done effectively, the researcher needs to endeavor to be systematic,
orderly and well-regulated when he or she collects the oral literature data. Data collection
should not be haphazardly done.
Not only should researcher be systematic, they also need to be comprehensive. That is, they
should be able to cover the field as widely as possible leaving no stone unturned.
Researchers need not to be exhaustive. They need to gather as much information as possible
on the material collected.
How a researcher can be systematic, comprehensive and not exhaustive?
In order for the researcher to be systematic, comprehensive and exhaustive, he or she needs
to:
(i) Concentrate on oral literature of one community or one group.
(ii) Identify, through observation and inquiry, the most experienced and competent
performers and informants available.
(iii) Attend as many performances as possible, preferably in several different places and
with different performers and audiences.
(iv) In urban areas, locate storytelling groups and describe accurately the circumstances in
which they function or, in rural areas, choose those situations where storytelling takes
place without any interference or instigation.
Background and field notes
When in the field, the researcher needs to note carefully all circumstances and details
surrounding the performances. Several items to record include the following;
a) The age, sex, social and educational background, experience and occupation of the
performers and the informants.
b) Occasions and times when the performance takes place including the actual dates of the
performance.
c) Activities, happenings or movements that take place during the performance.

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 d) The nature of audience and participants (who attends, and how they participate).
e) Details about the delivery of the performance itself, including the voices, gestures, facial
expressions and social techniques used.
f) The attitudes towards performances, including information about what members of the
community believe about their oral literature.
Processing data/material collected
Having collected the data/material, the scholar proceeds to analyze the data/material and present
it for study.
Main stages of operation
1. Recording
The researcher needs to record the material on tape recorder. Records can also be on paper.
However, the scholar must be very careful not to interfere with the performance, by interrupting
the performance while he or she takes the notes down.
2. Transcription
This is word-for-word record in written form of each performance in the original language;
absolute accuracy should be ensured in transcription.
3. Translation
Since the scholar will have to share the findings with others who may not be familiar with the
language of the original performance, he or she will have to translate the material into a centrally
accessible language such as English or Chichewa. The translation could either be literal, giving
the meaning of each word against the original; or free, giving the general meaning rather than
precise words.
4. Analysis
Using the literary techniques and drawing on experience of and notes about the performances,
the scholar proceeds to give a literary assessment of the material collected.

Importance of fieldwork in oral literature

 Fieldwork in oral literature is important because we want to preserve oral literature
before those who know it die, so that we can use it in education.
 Research in oral literature is important because the amount collected so far is only a small
fragment of what actually is available.

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Problems in the collection and analysis of oral literature
The work of collecting and analyzing oral literature is not easy. Problems involve the collectors
themselves, the performers, informants and the environment in which the fieldwork takes place.
The problems in collecting and analyzing oral literature are;
i. The first problem with researchers in oral literature is called ‘observer paradox’. When
you are in the field conducting research, you want to get true and accurate information.
However, the moment you are there as a researcher, your presence may result in a
distortion of information. The presence of the observer may hinder the respondents avoid
the researchers because of social restrictions.
Some oral literature performances, such as songs performed during initiation
ceremonies, are not supposed to be performed or told to non-initiates. When the
researcher wants to obtain accurate information in the field but is given inaccurate
information , this is called observer paradox.
ii. The second problem a researcher of oral literature faces is that some information and
performances are collected out of context or in a way that does not truly represent the
situation. Context is very important for any oral literature performance and without
context the performance remains lifeless.
Remember we earlier said that oral literature is closely related to its society and that
each performance is closely related to its context or occasion. For example,
performances could take place at funerals, harvests, initiation ceremonies, traditional
weddings, or when a traditional leader is settling court cases.
All these performances take place at specific times of the day, and sometimes in
particular seasons. Researchers then ask for information through interviews about
certain forms of oral literature or ask performers to perform even when it is not the
time to perform that particular form of oral literature.
Since there is a close association between the oral performances and the labour,
leisure, and educational cycles and rhythms of society, the performances of forms of
oral literature in the absence of context dilutes its purpose, even though it is
performed to satisfy the wishes and intentions of the researcher.

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iii. The other problem in collecting oral literature comes from the attitudes of the researchers
or collectors themselves. Some researchers go out in the field with preconceived ideas
about a particular form of oral literature. In such a situation, the collectors are bound to
censor whatever they observed during the oral performance.
iv. The language of oral literature is also central to a discussion of the problems of its
collection. Ideally, the vernacular language is supposed to be presented as the only
authentic rendering of the original. However, oral literature has been translated, retold
and even improved upon, to meet different demands. The effect of this trend is that the
original material is to some extent transformed.
Problems with interpreting stories
(i) Lack of objectivity. Researcher’s biases may distort the truth.
(ii) Another problem when collecting oral literature is the need to set boundaries to
demarcate the area where a particular form of oral literature is found.
Setting boundaries becomes a problem because some forms of oral literature may
originate in one area and spread through a larger geographical area. In such
situations, it is hard for the collector to specify exactly where such a form of oral
literature is dominant.
(iii) Once a researcher has collected forms of oral literature, he or she should identify
the source of the form. But when the source of oral literature is being performed,
it can be difficult to determine whether the performer is also the composer.
You recall that oral literature spread verbally from one generation to another;
there is no barrier. People with innate talent may copy the form and polish it up,
and eventually claim it as their own composition.
(iv) Finally, the interpretation and analysis of the findings also becomes a problem.
This is because the other results may be difficult to interpret. Similarly, the
interpreter may wish to classify forms oral literature into different classes or
categories. This exercise causes problems because some forms may be classified
as, for example, proverbs, whereas some scholars may classify them as riddles.
This scenario comes into effect because of differences in schools of thought.
Some scholars may classify a form of oral literature as a folk story or folk
narrative, while others may classify it as a folk song.

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Minimizing the problems encountered when collecting oral literature
Knowing the problems that the researchers face when collecting forms of oral literature does
not solve the problems; they still need to be resolved or minimized. Here are some
suggestions on how to minimize the problems;
Overcoming observer paradox
(a) Adaptation of the interview situation

One method of data collection is to conduct interviews. But the presence of the
observer or researcher may hinder the respondents, who may distort information out
of fear or to please the researcher. To overcome these problems, various devices may
be employed to divert the interviewee’s attention from the formality of the situation
and to induce him or her to speak. This could be achieved by inserting a break in the
interview during which other things may be discussed.
(b) Organizing group sessions
The oral literature researcher may organize group sessions. Speakers often display their
normal speech behavior in natural interactions with friends. This approach has a great
impact, as systematic observation is reduced to a minimum.
(c) Conducting rapid and anonymous interviews
When conducting interviews, in most cases the demographic data of every interviewee
are known, including their name, age, education qualifications and so on. However, all
the demographic data are dispensed within anonymous interviews. The situation can be
informal.
(d) Unsystematic observations
The collector can conduct unsystematic observation. This approach could be done as a
follow up, to verify whether the information collected in the interviews or group sessions
is actually representative of what that particular ethnic group does in relation to a
particular oral literature performance.
(e) Use of mass media
Oral literature data can also be obtained from radio and television broadcasts. The oral
literature researcher can collect a considerable amount of oral literature this way.
(f) Problem of content

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 Oral literature researchers who collect their data out of context may insist that the
performances be collected as part of specific occasions. If the researcher would like to
collect wedding songs, for example, then the collection should be done when there is a
wedding. The researcher then becomes an observer participant.
(g) Minimizing bias
The researcher should go out in the field without any prejudices. He or she should be
encouraged to collect whatever performances they come across. They may minimize the
chance that researchers may do their research with negative attitudes about the people
they will be working with and the form of oral literature to be collected.
(h) Language problem
The issue about language could be minimized by providing the translation side by side
with the vernacular version. This will make it easy to appraise the quality of the exercise,
since other straight translations can suffer from going through several hands.
(i) Setting boundaries
The problem of setting boundaries where a particular form of oral literature is performed
can be minimized if the researcher does not remit him or herself to small areas, such as
villages, but rather chooses large ones, such as district and regions.
(j) Originality/ authenticity
The issue of misidentifying the source or original form of oral literature could be
minimized by asking several other people in the area, apart from the performer for their
comments on the authenticity or originality of the work being performed. This does not,
in any way, overlook the fact that it is possible for a folk (a group of people) to come up
with a composition.