How to Preserve Traditional Stories
- 1). Pass on the story orally. Find someone interested in continuing the storytelling tradition and teach them the story in pieces, having them repeat it back to you until committed to memory. Literary and history students are good candidates for this project.
- 2). Write the stories down as backup to the oral tradition. Use the original language to preserve the story in its traditional form.
- 3). Have the written story translated into multiple languages as a precaution against loss of the original language. As many cultures blend, some languages become obscure, while others disappear entirely from all but academic knowledge. Translating the story into widespread languages ensures preservation of the story in some form.
- 4). Tell the stories before a camera to preserve not only the story itself, but the nuances of the storyteller as well.
- 5). Digitize the written and visual version of the story using desktop video authoring software for the visual readings and a scanner with desktop publishing software for the written stories. Store the digital images in multiple locations. Libraries, museums and university literary programs may have an interest in the traditional stories. Contact those in your area to find out if they're willing to archive a copy of the files, as they're most likely to have a system in place to back up the files consistently to prevent degradation of digital media.