Getting started in oral traditions research, a case study in applied anthropology in the Northwest Territories

Abstract

This thesis presents a manual call d, Getting Started in Oral Traditions Research, which I wrote for Aboriginal people in the NWT who want to get started in oral traditions research but do not know how to begin or what is involved. The manual was written for a grade 8 level of literacy to accommodate use by those with English as a second language and for high school students. The manual is written in a 'how to' format. It provides an overview of terminology associated with this research and outlines planning, preparing and doing interviews as well as processing information and follow-up tasks. The manual is presented in the context of applied anthropology. I describe how, as an employee of the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, Government of the Northwest Territories, I put my anthropological knowledge to use in trying to address a need that I perceived of Aboriginal peoples in the Northwest Territories. ftn Permission to include the manual, Getting Started in Oral Traditions Research, was granted by Dr. Charles D. Arnold, Director, Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, Department of Education, Culture and employment, Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT). GNWT holds the copyright of the manual.