Interview Guide
Family Folklore Interviewing Guide and Questionnaire
During the past three years the staff members
of the Smithsonian Institution's Family Folklore Project have interviewed
hundreds of persons about their family folklore. To prepare for these interviews
we drew upon our academic backgrounds in folklore and American studies and upon
our personal backgrounds as members of families. In addition, we reviewed the
major instruction guides in genealogy, oral history, family history, and
folklore fieldwork. Although these publications were all helpful in some way,
no single book was completely adequate since family folklore combines aspects
of all the above disciplines. Over time we have developed guidelines and
questions that have proved successful for us; we hope that the following
suggestions will be helpful to anyone who wishes to collect the folklore of his
or her own family.
Before You Begin:
Family folklore is not static. It exists only
as part of the day to day living of a family. To separate it from this natural
context would be to rob it of its vitality and its existence as folklore; the
material thus gathered would become simply a report about family folklore and
not a collection of family folklore. It is essential to remember that the story
itself is as important as the information it conveys. This is the essential
distinction between family folklore and the closely related disciplines of
genealogy and family history. The following suggestions are designed to help
you focus on these folkloric aspects of your family's past. A word of warning.
Because family folklore exists only within the context of a living family, it
is constantly evolving. Each generation will forget or alter the lore that it
has received; on the other hand, that same generation will add new verbal lore
and new traditions. This creative aspect of family folklore affects the
researcher in two ways. First, no matter how hard you try, you will never
record the entire body of your family's folklore since there will never be a
moment in which it will be totally static. Don't despair. Record what you can
and encourage other family members to do the same. Just think of collecting
family folklore as a pastime for which you have an infinite supply of raw
material close at hand. The second way in which the creative aspect of family
folklore affects the researcher is in his time orientation. The family
folklorist cannot be so absorbed with preserving the past that he neglects to
record the present. Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. A tradition does not
have to be old to be worth recording. In fact, a good part of any family's
tradition is ephemeral and may not last long enough to pass from one generation
to another. Collecting family folklore is one case in which too much is better
than too little. Tapes can be edited and transcripts can be discarded, but the
tradition, story or expression that you neglect to record today may exist only
in memory next week. As self-appointed family folklorist you now have two tasks
ahead of you; to learn your family's folklore and to record it for others to
enjoy.
The Equipment:
Note-taking and tape recording are the usual
means of recording family folklore. The tape recorder is the means of choice.
Writing during an interview or family event has a number of disadvantages. Most
people find note-taking to be both tedious and difficult. It is hard to
maintain a conversation or participate actively in the ongoing activities.
Visual contact is lost. A complete, accurate account of the story -- especially
if is long and detailed -- is difficult to obtain. Although the words may be
written down, the subtleties of the performance are inevitably lost.
Although both you and your informant might be uneasy and uncomfortable with a
tape recorder, you will soon become accustomed to its presence. A small
cassette machine with a built-in omni-directional microphone will give the best
results. It is easy to use and so inconspicuous that its presence will soon be
forgotten. A ninety minute cassette (forty-five minutes per side) is a good
choice since it is economical, unlikely to tangle, and long enough to record
substantial segments of an interview without interruption.
The microphone should be played so that all voices, including yours, can be
picked up. Run a test before you begin the actual interview and adjust the
machine accordingly. The end of a two-hour interview is no time to discover
that you've forgotten to push the record button or that the volume control was
incorrectly adjusted! Read carefully any instructions that come with the
particular tape recorder that you are using.
As far as possible all extraneous noise should be eliminated. Turn off the
radio, close the window, move away from the window fan. A few minutes spent
finding the proper spot for the tape recorder can save you many hours when it
comes time to transcribe the interview and you struggle to distinguish
grandma's voice from the roar of a passing airplane. The recorder should also
be placed where it will not be disturbed during the interview and where you will
have easy access to it when it becomes necessary to change tapes.
Although not as essential as a tape recorder, a camera is a useful piece of
equipment. It provides a visual record of the interview and the informant. It
can also be used to copy any documentary records that the informant might
offer, such as photographs or scrapbooks.
The People:
Who should you start with? Your oldest
relative? The one you feel most at ease with? No. The place to begin is with
yourself. You are just as much a bearer of your family's traditions as any
member of your family. Use yourself as an informant and ask yourself the
questions that follow. You may be surprised at how much you know about some
areas and how little about others. It is very likely that you will know more
about one side of the family than another, for instance. Use your answers as a
starting point for questioning other family members. The best questions come
from a well-informed person. Once you have collected family folklore from
yourself, try to remember family structure. Who are your relatives? Which ones
are most likely to have information and be willing to share it? Who gets along
with whom? What topics are likely to be sensitive? These are all essential
questions that you can begin to answer yourself.
The first outside person that you interview should be someone with whom you
feel very comfortable. Interviewing is not easy and you would do well to get
your introduction to it in the presence of a friendly face. A parent or sibling
might be a good choice. Young children often have great success with
grandparents.
As you continue your interviewing you will pick up clues that will help you
find potential narrators: "You should talk to Uncle Joe about that,"
or "Aunt Jane is a much better storyteller than I am." Whenever
possible ask directly for sources: "Can you tell me who might know more
about that?" As you become more and more involved with the search you will
meet relatives that you never even knew you had! Don't neglect non-relatives, either.
Your grandfather's best friend may be able to tell you things about him that no
family member would know. Don't overlook other members of the household who
were not relatives, such as nursemaids or long-term boarders. Try not to be
misled by terms of address. Aunt, uncle, sister, brother and cousin are
especially troublesome words since they can indicate respect, affection and
brotherhood as easily as blood or marriage relationships. And although they
won't be much help as sources of information on family folklore, don't forget
family pets since they can frequently be found as characters in family stories.
The Interview:
The most productive family folklore
interviews are those that take place in a natural context for the reasons
explained at the beginning of this guide: family folklore is a living part of a
family and cannot be successfully separated from the everyd ay activities of
that family. This can present problems since it will be impossible for you to
be present during every naturally occurring folkloric event. You should make
use of such opportunities whenever possible, however. Some common natural
contexts are family dinners, picnics, reunions and holidays. These are the
times at which families would tell stories whether or not you are there with
your tape recorder. Under these circumstances you will probably not even have
to conduct an interview -- just adjust the recorder, relax,and participate as
you ordinarily would. If no spontaneous natural context seems to be available
you will have to rely on what is called an induced natural context. The
distinction is straightforward. Instead of waiting for a family dinner to occur
in the normal course of events, you initiate one. This approach has the added
advantage of giving you a degree of control over the situation. For example,
you can invite specific relatives who interact well with each other. Try
serving foods that you know will bring back memories from the past.
The group interview context, whether natural or induced, has one major
characteristic that makes it extremely fruitful. The interaction that occurs as
a matter of course serves to spark the memories of the participants. One story
leads into another, one interpretation elicits cries of "but that's not
really the way it happened at all!" The end result of such an interview
will differ greatly from private interviews with the same relatives.
Private interviews can also be either natural or induced. If grandma begins to
talk to you about her journey to this country while you are washing the supper
dishes, fine -- unfortunately, you probably won't be prepared with a tape
recorder. If you wish to privately interview a relative, try not to do so under
formal circumstances. Suggest some activity that will allow you to maintain a
conversation easily but will help keep the session natural and low key -- going
for a walk, sewing, baking. If you know beforehand that a particular activity
is usually a time for storytelling, schedule your interview to coincide with
that event. Familiar surroundings and routine activities will also help to
distract the informant from the fact that he or she is being interviewed and
will lessen the unsettling impact of the tape recorder.
Every interview that you do will be unique. The following questions will supply
some uniformity, although you will probably be selective in using them. The
following brief suggestions should be helpful in most circumstances.
1. Ask evocative questions. Nothing can kill
an interview faster than a long series of questions that require only yes or no
as answers.
2. Face up to the fact that there will be
some information that you will not get. You may be the wrong sex or age. A
relative may simply not trust you with sensitive data. If you feel you must
have the missing material you may be able to solicit the help of another
relative or friend as an interviewer.
3. Be aware that role switching will occur.
Rather than being just a son or daughter you are becoming an interrogator. Both
you and your informant may feel uneasy in these new roles. A low key approach
in a natural setting should help relieve some of the discomfort.
4. Show interest. Encourage your informants
as much as possible. Interject remarks whenever appropriate. Take an active
part in the conversation without dominating it. Learn to be a good listener as
well as a good questioner.
5. Know what questions you want to ask, but
don't be afraid to let your informant go off on a tangent. He or she might just
touch on subjects of interest that you never thought to ask about.
6. Never turn off the tape recorder unless
asked to. Not only does it break the conversation, such action suggests that
you think some of your informant's material is not worth recording.
7. Use props whenever possible. Documents,
letters, photo albums, scrapbooks, home movies and other family heirlooms can
all be profitably used to stimulate memories.
8. Be sensitive to the needs of family
members. Schedule your sessions at a convenient time. Older people tire easily;
cut the interview off at the first sign of fatigue. Don't slight family members
who show interest in your project. Interview them, even if you have reason to
believe their material will be of minimal value. Each interview should be a
pleasant and rewarding experience for all parties involved.
9. If possible, prepare some sort of written
report for the family as a tangible result of their participation. Remember to
save all of your tapes, notes and any other documentation that you have
accumulated (and you will!). Label everything with names, dates and places.
Ideally, all tapes should be indexed and transcribed. You will be more
conscientious about documentation if you place yourself in the position of your
great-grandchild who, many decades in the future, will be using your project as
a source for his reconstruction.
A Question of Ethics:
Most of your relatives will be delighted by
your new found interest in collecting family folklore. Some will undoubtedly
wonder if you've gone slightly mad. Unfortunately, a few may be uncooperative
and even hostile. Because of the personal nature of the folklore that you will
be collecting, you should be very careful to protect the privacy and rights of
all family members. Be honest about your intent from the very beginning.
Explain your reasons for doing the research. Is it a school assignment? Do you
simply want to learn more about your family? Do you plan to publish your
findings? The ultimate disposition of the collection may affect their
willingness to talk about certain subjects.
You may find it difficult to explain what family folklore is and why you want
to record it. Your relatives will most likely equate your research with
genealogy and family history. No harm will be done if you explain your research
in those terms since the areas are so interrelated.
Don't make promises you can't or don't intend to keep. If you say that you will
erase part of a tape, do so, even if it means losing some important
information. Respect confidences and privacy. Let your informants see anything
that will be published before it is too late to alter the manuscript. The
intimate nature of family folklore places burdens on the researcher that are
restrictive and sometimes frustrating. Fortunately, the bulk of your collection
will be non-controversial. One last ground rule: Never, under any circumstance,
record secretly. There is never any justification for such dishonesty. Such
behavior can only result in bad feelings within the family.
In Conclusion:
Please do not be discouraged by all the do's
and don't's that have been outlined thus far. Once you have begun collection
your own family's folklore you will realize that the guidelines are based on
common sense and lots of practice. Vary them to suit your own family
circumstances. Improve them with our blessing and encouragement. And above all,
enjoy yourself, your family and your folklore.
A Possible Questionnaire:
Every family is unique. Every folklore
fieldworker has his or her own special interests and style of interviewing.
Because of this diversity, we feel strongly that no single set of questions
will successfully elicit family folklore from all families. The most useful
questions will be those that you develop through your knowledge of yourself and
your family. For your initial efforts you may find the following list of
questions helpful. Just remember that they are meant to be suggestive, not
absolute. Pick and choose among them as you see fit. By all means change the
wording to suit your own situation and personality.
1. What do you know about your family
surname? Its origin? Its meaning? Did it undergo change coming from the Old
Country to the United States? Are there stories about the change?
2. Are there any traditional first names,
middle names or nicknames in your family? Is there a naming tradition, such as
always giving the first born son the name of his paternal grandfather?
3. Can you sort out the traditions in your
current family according to the branches of the larger family from which they
have come? Does the overall tradition of a specific grandparent seem to be
dominant?
4. What stories have come down to you about
your parents? Grandparents? More distant ancestors? How have these relatives
described their lives to you? What have you learned from them about their
childhood, adolescence, schooling, marriage, work, religion, political
activity, recreation? Are they anxious or reluctant to discuss the past? Do
their memories tend to cluster about certain topics or time periods and avoid
others? Are there certain things in your family history that you would like to
know, but no one will tell you? Do various relatives tell the same stories in
different ways? How do these versions differ?
5. Do you have a notorious or infamous
character in your family's past? Do you relish stories about him/her? Do you
feel that the infamy of the ancestor may have grown as stories passed down
about him/her have been elaborated? Would you like to think your ancestors were
pirates even though down deep you know that they were honest, hard-working
people?
6. How did your parents, grandparents, and
other relatives, come to meet and marry? Are there family stories of lost love,
jilted brides, unusual courtships, arranged marriages, elopements, runaway
lovers?
7. Have any historical events affected your
family? For example, how did your family survive the Depression? Did conflict
over some national event such as the Civil War or Vietnam cause a serious break
in family relationships?
8. Are there any stories in your family about
how a great fortune was lost or almost (but not quite) made? Do you believe
them? Are these incidents laughed about or deeply regretted? If a fortune was
made, who was responsible and how was it achieved?
9. What expressions are used in your family?
Did they come from specific incidents? Are there stories which explain their
origin? Is a particular member of the family especially adept at creating
expressions?
10. How are holidays celebrated in your
family? What holidays are most important -- national, religious or family? What
innovations has your family made in holiday celebrations? Has your family
created entirely new holidays?
11. Does your family hold reunions? How
often? When? Where? Who is invited? Who comes? Who are the organizers and
hosts? What occurs during the reunion? Are there traditional foods, customs,
activities? Are stories and photographs exchanged ? Are records (oral, written,
visual) kept? By whom?
12. Have any recipes been preserved in your
family from past generations? What was their origin? How were they passed down
-- by word of mouth, by observation, by written recipes? Are they still in use
today? When? By whom? Does grandmother's apple pie taste as good now that it's
made by her granddaughter?
13. What other people (friends, household
help, etc.) have been incorporated into your family? When? Why? Were these
people given family title such as aunt or cousin? Did they participate fully in
family activities?
14. Is there a family cemetery or burial
plot? Who is buried with whom? Why? Who makes burial place decisions? If there
are grave markers, what type of information is recorded on them?
15. Does your family have any heirlooms,
objects of sentimental or monetary value that have been handed down? What are
they? Are there stories connected with them? Do you know their origin and line
of passage through the generations? If they pass to you, will you continue the
tradition, sell the objects, or give them to museums?
16. Does your family have photo albums,
scrapbooks, slides, home movies? Who created them? Whose pictures are contained
in them? Whose responsibility is their upkeep? When are they displayed? To
whom? Are they specially arranged and edited? Does their appearance elicit
commentary? What kind? By whom? Is the showing of these images a happy
occasion?
****Source -- Folklife Program Office of
American & Folklife Studies Smithsonian Institution
The 100 page book, FAMILY FOLKLORE, a
collection and discussion of family stories, expressions, traditions,
photographs and memorabilia, is available by writing to: Folklife Programs,
L'Enfant 2100, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560. T he cost is
$3.00. Please make check payable to the Smithsonian Institution.