HISTORY O LEVEL(FORM ONE) NOTES – SOURCES AND IMPORTANCE OF HISTORY

SOURCES AND IMPORTANCE OF HISTORY

Meaning of History

History is the study of man and his activities in different times. These activities enable man to obtain his needs. Man’s basic needs are food, clothes, and shelter.

Importance of Studying History

1. History enables us to understand how man has been working on his environment.
2. History helps us to understand the past and the present, which helps us to predict the future.
3. It helps us to understand the relationship between people in different periods.
4. It helps us to understand technological transformation in human life, e.g., from Stone Age to Iron Age.
5. It helps us to gain knowledge about society.
6. It helps us in investigating different problems.
7. History helps us to understand our origin.

Two Levels of Looking at Studying History

1st level: History explains man’s struggle to master his environment, e.g., people irrigating because of drought.

2nd level: History shows the relationship between man and man’s past, e.g., hunters and gatherers who met in hunting, killed the prey, and shared it.

Sources of History

We can obtain historical information through various sources. The main sources are:

• Oral tradition
• Historical sites
• Written records/documents
• Archives
• Museums
• Archaeology
• Audio-Visual records, e.g., cassettes, CDs, TV programs, etc.
• Anthropology
• Linguistics

1. Oral Tradition

This involves passing information by word of mouth through talking and listening.

Oral tradition passes historical information in two ways:

1. Through cultural practices like art, music, religion, riddles, songs, proverbs, superstition, poems, and stories.
2. Narration of past events.

Functions of Oral Tradition

1. It preserves historical information of society.
2. It collects and passes historical information between generations in society.
3. It helps researchers in data collection.

Advantages of Oral Tradition

1. It preserves and reveals historical information which is not recorded.
2. Both illiterate and literate people can obtain historical information.
3. Within oral tradition, there are warnings and teachings.
4. It is the easiest and cheapest method of obtaining information.
5. It is a more live source since it involves physical interaction.

Disadvantages of Oral Tradition

1. It requires much attention and a good memory.
2. False information can be given by a storyteller.
3. Narration of past events often centers on people of status, e.g., kings, queens, chiefs, while talking little about common society.
4. There are language problems when narrators use vernacular languages.
5. It is difficult to distinguish what is real and what is imaginary information.
6. Translation is very difficult because some languages are no longer in existence.

2. Historical Sites

These are special places where past human remains can be found and shown to the public. These places contain remains of humans who lived in the past.

1. They comprise man’s physical development and tools that were made and used over time.
2. In these areas, we find past human products and animal bones.

Examples of historical sites include Isimila, Olduvai Gorge, Kondoa Irangi, Bagamoyo, Zanzibar, Kilwa, Mafia, Engaruka, Kagera, etc., in Tanzania; Nsongezi, Biggo, Ntubi, Rusinga Island, Magosi, and Ishago in Uganda; Lake Rudolf (Turkana), Lake Naivasha, Njoro, Olorgesailie, Lake Magadi, Lamu, Mombasa, and Mt. Kenya in Kenya.

MAP OF EAST AFRICA SHOWING IMPORTANT HISTORICAL SITES.

Functions of Historical Sites

1. Preserve historical information for coming generations.
2. They are useful sources of information to reconstruct history.
3. They are symbols of social and cultural heritage to society, concerning past human tools, rock paintings, etc.

Advantages of Historical Sites

1. They help with practical historical learning, e.g., through observation of past human tools and rock paintings.
2. Used to reveal past settlement patterns, levels of technology, economic development, and political organization reached by past societies.
3. Act as centers of tourism.
4. They help transform theoretical teaching of history into practical historical learning.
5. They act as resource centers for researchers.
6. They provide employment opportunities, e.g., guides.

Disadvantages of Historical Sites

1. It can be confusing to interpret the remains found in historical sites.
2. Many historical sites are found in remote areas, making them difficult for many people to visit.

3. Archaeology

Archaeology is the scientific study of past human remains.

• This is the study of the material remains of man’s past through scientific methods.
• The specialist in archaeology is called an archaeologist.
• Archaeology involves excavations (digging) of remains at historical sites and their interpretation.
• The famous archaeologists in East Africa were Dr. Louis Leakey and his wife Mary Leakey.
• Archaeology involves the use of carbon-14 dating to determine the age of plants and animal remains.

Functions of Archaeology

1. Gives important information about man through different stages.
2. It is a useful method of revealing soil-covered historical remains.
3. It arouses curiosity about searching for past human historical information.

Advantages of Archaeology

1. It helps to know when and how people lived in a certain place.
2. Past objects tell us about the life and culture of past people.
3. It helps us to know and reveal the technology, pastoral, agricultural, and commercial activities of past man.
4. Through excavation, we gain knowledge of artifacts, e.g., pottery, buildings, etc.
5. It reveals the religious beliefs of past man.
6. We can complement other sources of information through archaeology, e.g., history.
7. We can know the past relationships between different people, such as trading activities, migration, marriage, birth, death, and political relations.

Disadvantages of Archaeology

• It consumes time because of excavation.
• It cannot reveal the past people’s language.
• It cannot explain reasons for historical events such as wars.
• It requires full experts and advanced technology.
• Poorly interpreted remains can bring false information.
• It cannot tell anything about past social organization.

4. Archives

These are places where collections of private and public documents and old records are preserved. These documents include personal letters, early travelers’ and missionary records, traders’ writings, personal and government files, political party documents, etc.

Function of Archives

• Archives preserve public and private records that have enduring value to society.
• The records in the archives are made available for use by the public; however, not all records can be viewed by everyone.
• Archives collect records of enduring value from various places. For example, the national archives have records from different regions of the country.
• Archives staff maintain registers of the records in the archives.
• Archives promote awareness of the availability and use of non-current records to the public.
• Archives have facilities for restoring damaged documents of enduring value.
• The historical information in the archives ensures continuity. For example, company policies from previous years can still guide employees today.

Advantages of Archives

1. Easy to identify ideas and literacy levels of past people.
2. It is easy to identify the exact date of historical events.
3. It is used to store historical information.
4. Easy to get historical information from different places and different people.

Disadvantages of Archives

1. It may lead to false information if the author is biased.
2. Illiterate people cannot get historical information.
3. It is not easy to get information about societies whose information is not documented.
4. It is difficult to get remote information from archives.
5. It is non-renewable once disrupted either by wind or other external forces.

5. Museums

• These are places or buildings where information and objects are preserved.
• They involve all items which show culture, political, economic, and technological development from the past to present.
• Objects can be early coins, clothes, minerals, cowries, religious and ceremonial symbols.
• Museums can be national, regional, district, or village level.

Examples: National Museums in Dar es Salaam, Bagamoyo, Butiama, Kalenga – Iringa.

Functions of Museums

1. Preserve historical documents and objects.
2. Show concrete remains of objects.
3. They are places for tourists and study tours.
4. They are centers for cultural and national identity.

Advantages of Museums

1. They preserve objects which are used as teaching aids.
2. Museums preserve culture and national identity.
3. They are used by researchers as sources of information.
4. They act as tourist centers.
5. People learn about technological development.
6. Enable learners to arouse creativity.

Disadvantages of Museums

1. They need knowledgeable people.

2. It is possible to distort information through biases by museum attendants.

3. Poor preservation of past items, e.g., coins, pieces of cloth, slave chains, can distort information.

4. They need extensive care to maintain their beauty or origin.

6. Written Records

These are documents which comprise written historical information.

• These include books, letters, maps, magazines, journals, newspapers, minutes of meetings, and conferences.
• Written records can be found in libraries, schools, colleges, universities, internet cafes, offices, etc.

Function of Written Records

(a) Written records provide pictures of society.

(b) These records reflect public opinion at the time of writing. For example, letters to the editor in newspapers express readers’ feelings on current issues.

(c) Written records serve as stores of a large variety of information, including discoveries, government policies, statements, religious beliefs, fashion, speeches, and agreements.

(d) In-depth reports of daily events are kept as written records, e.g., in diaries, newspapers, or biographies.

Advantages of Written Records

• It is easy to get information.
• Easy to make references.
• It is helpful in doing research.
• They can be kept for a long time.

Disadvantages of Written Records

1. They can give false information if biased by the author.
2. It is difficult to read everything from written records.
3. They are sometimes badly written.
4. Illiterate people cannot get information.

7. Linguistics

Linguistics is the scientific study and analysis of language. It includes the study of sound, structure, information, and relationships between various language groups.

Advantages of Linguistics

1. It helps to get information from various sources.
2. Enables discovery of links between different people.
3. It helps to determine dates of historical events, e.g., “Aluta Continua” (period of struggle for independence in Mozambique).

Limitations of Linguistics

1. It consumes time and finances to learn a particular language.
2. Through translation, some important work can be lost or altered.
3. The present language may be corrupted.

8. Anthropology

Anthropology is the study of society’s cultural systems, beliefs, ideas, etc. The study can give important information about movements, settlements, and production activities of the past.

Dating Historical Events

Historians usually divide time into several categories, namely:

• Day – a duration of twenty-four hours (24 hrs).
• Week – a duration of seven days (7 days).
• Month – a duration of four weeks (4 weeks).
• Year – a duration of twelve months (12 months).
• Decade – a duration of ten years (10 yrs).
• Century – a duration of one hundred years (100 yrs).
• Millennium – a duration of one thousand years (1000 yrs).
• Generation – the average difference in ages between a child and his/her parent.
• Age – a period based on man’s economic activities and the type of tools used, e.g., Stone Age, Iron Age, Industrial Age, Science and Technology Age, etc.
• Period – determined by one continuous event lasting for a number of years.

Examples:

• Period of slave trade in East Africa
• Period of long-distance trade
• Period of colonial rule in Africa

Some points have been chosen to divide time:

• Year ZERO – represents the year when Jesus Christ was born.
• It is known as Anno Domini (A.D.), meaning the year of the Lord.

All years before Year Zero are called B.C., meaning Before Christ.

How to Determine Dates

Dates are important in the science of history. Historians divide dates into four ways:

1. Recalling events: Important events are recalled or remembered, e.g., drought, farming, floods, birth, eruption of diseases, etc.
2. By studying languages: Some names help people remember dates of some events, e.g., the word “Karafuu” started when cloves were introduced in Zanzibar.
3. Carbon-14 dating: A scientific method of determining dates. It is used to find dates for remains of animals or plants which died beyond 5,000 years ago.

• Carbon-14 is a gas found in carbon dioxide which exists in the atmosphere.
• It is absorbed by plants or other living organisms. When they die, the carbon-14 that has been absorbed starts to decay at a fixed rate from the time of death.

Orders of Events

Ways of showing order of events, periods, and ages include:

• Time graph
• Time chart
• Timeline
• Family tree

Example of Time Chart