Abstract
Stresses the applications and value of oral testimony, which can provide information on three chronological planes: direct experience of the informer; historical tradition that can extend over several centuries; and a mythological component indicating the cultural heritage of a group of people. Oral sources are more directly connected to the events of which they speak and their manipulation is less mediated than with written records. As with other sources, however, oral testimony is best used in conjunction with other types of sources.