Personality and Family Folklore There

Personality and Family Folklore

There are a variety of ways to look at culture from a societal and/or anthropological bent. In the 19th century there were a number of grand, and often inaccurate, studies of native cultures due to placing far too much emphasis on comparisons to European traits. In the 20th century, sociology and anthropology formalized research and as the 20th century evolved, so did a movement to look more at the individual cultural unit of the family as a way to capture traditional behaviors and understand the cultural underpinnings of diversity.

One of the more exciting aspects of this type of scholarship is that it can be done in a way that is accessible to most people -- scholars or not. The artifacts of family folklore consist of traditions, photographs, diaries, memorabilia, stories (written or recorded) and any other material that is passed down to and from family relatives. Some of the ways this can be accomplished are:

Holiday Analysis -- Oftentimes, holidays are the time of year when more family members converge into a location, allowing for greater access to out of the area relatives. Too, typically there is some down time at holidays that can be turned into a memorable event with the sharing of family history and events.

Family Interviews -- Interviews are often crucial parts of the folklore process, but must be used within the parameters of appropriate research; understanding that memory is not always accurate, and the point-of-view given may often be biased. Piecing together interviews and finding commonalities, though, can often ensure at least a starting point for further investigation.

Family Stories -- Stories may often be written down, collected in family documents, etc. or, in some families, part of an oral tradition that can also be documented.

Keepsakes/Diaries/Artifacts -- Bibles, photographs, keepsakes, memorabilia (programs, medals, awards, etc.) often contribute to storytelling and folklore.

Family folklore units can also be a vibrant and active educational activity for all ages, and a way to teach research methodology, sourcing, critical thinking, historical events, and writing. Indeed, using the family unit as a way to discover history also helps individuals, especially children and adolescents understand that history does not exist in a vacuum, but instead, is made up of events from real people and real events. This also tends to involve more family members and encourage stories and events from the past that may also spur memories and take on new meaning to show that each family has often made important contributions to historical processes.