That is called oral tradition.
well ancient africans had people called griots who orally spoke about the history of Africa. this happened because they had no written alphabet so oral history played a huge part in everyday African society!
Where there are no written records of a culture's history, such as its beginnings or what wars were won or lost, the oral, hand me down, verbal histories can be a source of its history. An oral tradition may have flaws or have long spans of time that cannot be accounted for. In either case, besides from archaeology, the oral tradition is all historians have left. If however, nearby societies, have confirming oral histories, the past may be revealed. In some cases the written records of a nearby society may confirm the other's verbal traditions.
Many early civilizations' history has been passed from generation to generation by verbal means in order to explain events of the past. This is often referred to as "oral history".
why was oral tradition important before writing was invented
history is normally written down and oral tradition isn't.
the main difference is reliability, written history generally is recorded closer to the event
Oral means spoken, so no. But it can be written down later, at which time it is written history, not oral history.
Mary M. Flekke has written: 'Oral history' -- subject(s): Bibliography, History, Sources, Oral history
Mark Amodio has written: 'Writing the oral tradition' -- subject(s): English poetry, History, History and criticism, Oral communication, Oral tradition, Oral-formulaic analysis, Written communication
Linda A Barnickel has written: 'Oral history for the family historian' -- subject(s): Genealogy, Local History, Methodology, Oral history
history
Manfred J. Waserman has written: 'Bibliography on oral history' -- subject(s): Bibliography, Oral history
Shona Kennealy has written: 'Oral histories of Wanneroo Wetlands' -- subject(s): Wetlands, Oral history, History
Oral tradition is information passed down through generations by word of mouth, while written sources are recorded information in written form. Oral tradition tends to be more fluid and changeable, influenced by the storyteller, while written sources are usually more fixed and can be referenced repeatedly. Written sources allow for greater precision and detail, while oral tradition relies on memory and interpretation.
That is called oral tradition.
Robert Perks has written: 'The oral history reader'