Transmission's end? Cataclysm and chronology in indigenous oral tradition

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

    Abstract

    Debate around the value of oral traditions for the reconstruction of deep history has generated two opposed camps of thought: optimistic claims by enthusiastic geomythologists for the recall of events thousands of years in the past, and their rejection by sceptical historians, characterised by David Henige’s maximum limit of about 150 years for the accurate oral transmission of memories of events. Volcanic eruptions, as discrete events that can be dated scientifically but that also feature widely in oral traditions, provide a particularly useful field for consideration of this debate. A pair of case studies from the Pacific, both relating to volcanic eruptions, provide access to some of the mechanisms that enable long-term transmission by societies with profoundly different historicities.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationThe Routledge Companion to Global Indigenous History
    Editors Ann McGrath and Lynette Russell
    Place of PublicationUK
    PublisherRoutledge Taylor & Francis Group
    Pages571-602
    Edition1st
    ISBN (Print)9781138743106
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2022

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Transmission's end? Cataclysm and chronology in indigenous oral tradition'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this