Saving Your Tribal and Village Heritage: FamilySearch Oral Genealogy Initiative
Global Oral Genealogies (OGEN) is a FamilySearch initiative to collect, preserve, and safeguard tribal, village, and family histories that exist primarily through oral tradition, especially in communities with few or no written records. We have preserved 2.7M Oral Genealogy interviews and family stories from 24 countries for indigenous populations in North America, MENA, Africa, and APAC. We preserve ~15,000 interviews each week. Many indigenous and undocumented populations pass family history and heritage verbally from generation to generation. As social structures change and tribal and village leaders pass away, these genealogies are at risk of being lost permanently. OGEN focuses on preserving these records‑at‑risk before they disappear. In this session we will discuss the details of this initiative, what we capture in an Oral Genealogy, what impact it will have on your country and community, and how we save these records-at-risk!
Fakamatala ne Fokotuʻu Maí
The Cambodian Oral History Project
For various reasons, family histories are uncommon in Cambodia. Many of the few records that did exist were destroyed during the Khmer Rouge period (1975 to 1979). With up to one-third of the adult population killed during the purges, the population is young and the remainder of the older generation’s stories are being rapidly lost. Many of Cambodia’s younger generation hardly know their families’ backgrounds.Formally launched in January 2016, The Cambodia Oral History Project seeks to capture these stories by engaging local youth in the process. Youth and young adults in Cambodia interview family members to learn about their lives and stories. The project represents a broad partnership between null (faculty, staff, and students) and family history specialists, with the cooperation of local Cambodian leaders of null.