A Re-Evaluation of Historical Sources

    Cite this article: Eke, U. (2021). “A Re-evaluation of Historical Sources”. Sokoto Journal of History Vol. 10. Pp. 2-11.
    A RE-EVALUATION OF HISTORICAL SOURCES

    Udochu
    Eke
    School of General
    Studies
    Michael
    Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike
    Abia State

    Abstract

    This paper seeks to re  - evaluate sources of historical study and underscore its relevance in historical research. This is aimed at re-establishing their relevance and make for a better understanding of their parameters and position in historical research. It is pertinent and unarguable to state that the past which is the subject concern of history cannot be left to mere speculation. Historical accounts are always presented in consistent, coherent and systematic ordered method of historical inquiry. Thus, this paper is built around history as a subject matter and its methodology in historical research. The study is based on qualitative evaluation of dominant approaches to the study of History and it is methodology. It therefore, subsist that history is deeply rooted in historical inquiry to such extent as to determine what actually happened in the past, why it happened and how it happened. It is not just through a systematic collation of beliefs and practices, but also through critical analysis of all other sources and branches of knowledge that are capable of serving historical ends and in this way, adopt a multidisciplinary approach and root explanation on the principle of causation.

    Keywords: History, Sources, Methodology, Historical inquiry

    DOI: 10.36349/sokotojh.2021.v10i01.001



    Introduction


    History as a
    subject matter engages in inquiry and unraveling of the past. Joseph Brian and Richard Janda reported that the word History originated from Greek word historia, meaning "inquiry, knowledge acquired by investigation"1. According
    to them, history
    is the study of the past, particularly how it relates to humans and
    is an umbrella term that relates to past events as well as the memory, discovery, collection,
    organization, presentation, and interpretation of information about these events. In a broader sense, they
    maintain that history is a systematic account of the origin and development of the humankind, a record of
    the unique events and movements in its life; it is an attempt to recapture
    however imperfectly, the past which is, in a sense, lost forever.



    Alagoa in this
    direction believes that the past as a subject matter of History is often
    underrated. He maintained that the past may be dead but cannot be buried.  He posits that:



    ‗There are
    some people who are willing to act as undertakers and wish to see the past disposed of for good. There are others who have made it
    their business to see that the past
    does not completely disappear from our consciousness. I am pleased to count myself among this latter group. But
    for the majority of people everywhere, the
    past merely lives on in their present without any special effort or
    attention. For most people, the past is not a subject of special notice or interest because it is already such



    1       Joseph Brian and Richard Janda (ed.). The Handbook of Historical Linguistics, Blackwell Publishing, 2008. p.163




    a normal fact
    of life in the present. The continued life of the past in the present is taken so much for granted that most people
    might even deny the fact of its relevance or significance for today. On the
    other hand, certain individuals or even
    entire communities could come to base claims to present
    status on the past achievements of their ancestors. Such persons would then form an
    exaggerated regard for the past must
    be condemned by those who wish to see the past buried, as well as by those who wish
    to see the best of the past live
    in the present‘2.



    Alagoa further
    argued that some people are actually opponents of history as could be gleaned
    from the foregoing consideration. Nonetheless, the reason behind why some
    persons oppose history and lessons of
    the past raises probing question with regard to why responsible thinking people
    should wish the past dead and buried.
    The major objections to history as cited by Alagoa have been stated very well by the seventeenth century French philosopher and
    scientist, Rene Descartes (1596-1650):



    ‗To live with
    men of an earlier age is like traveling in foreign lands. It is useful to know something of the manners of other
    peoples in order to judge more impartially of
    our own, and not despise and ridicule whatever differs from them, like men who have never been outside their native
    country. But those who travel too long end by
    being strangers in their own homes, and those who study too curiously
    the actions of antiquity are
    ignorant of what is done among ourselves today. Moreover, these narratives tell us of things which cannot
    have happened as if they had really taken place,
    and thus invite us to attempt what is beyond our powers or to hope for what is beyond our powers or to hope for what is
    beyond our fate. And even histories, true though
    they be, and neither exaggerating nor altering the value of things, omit circumstances of a meaner and less dignified kind in order to become more worthy
    of a reader‘s attention hence the things which they describe
    never happened exactly as they describe them‘3.



    One cannot
    disagree with Alagoa as this statement till today still contains three main
    issues that continue to be raised by
    historians themselves and problems that they cannot yet say they have solved to the satisfaction of themselves
    and problems or of their critics. First, is the criticism or accusation of historical escapism. That
    is, that historian‘s lose themselves in the past and become ignorant of the present. Second, is that
    of historical pyrrhonism. That is, the problem historians face of falling into a state of total doubt of
    skepticism concerning the validity of their accounts of the past. It is to this extent, considering
    the foregoing explanations that it is well said that Historians need to show that historical methodology
    is able to produce accounts of what really happened in the past4.



    It is in the
    light of the foregoing, that this paper maintains the stance that the problem
    of historical knowledge requires some consideration.




    2.         
    Alagoa J., E.. " The python‘s eye: The past in the living
    present:." An Inaugural lecture
    series, No. 1;.
    University of Port Harcourt Press, 1979. pp. 1-2



    3.         
    Alagoa Op.cit pp. 2-3



    4.         
    Alagoa Ibid



    History and methodology
    of searching the past


    Like other
    scholars, historians become active when they develop curiosity about something.
    Such curiosity should lead to the formulation of questions to which answers
    have to be found. The enquiry or search for answers takes the form of a study of documents, which are the evidence of past
    human activity. Historical documents or evidence appear to the historian in a
    wide variety of forms. They may
    appear as written information on paper, papyrus, tablets of clay, on monuments,
    or even rock.



    In Africa, the
    most significant documents may come to the historian in the form of oral
    literature or tradition, in
    intangible ethnographic practices and customs of communities, in the languages
    spoken by present populations, or in
    material objects such as artifacts from archaeological excavations or implements used in daily life or ritual.
    It is from his documents that the historian makes inferences, draws conclusions,
    and reconstructs or reconstitutes the past.



    To the historian then, Alagoa reports that it is the product of his inferences from and interpretation of the documents
    from the past that constitutes knowledge of the past. He maintains that it constitutes knowledge in two senses.
    First, the evidence of the documents satisfies every reasonable person concerning the reality of the
    actions or events referred to. Accordingly, where the inferences made from the evidence are such as are
    compelling and convincing to the majority of historians presented with the same evidence, it is acceptable as knowledge
    of the past5. Secondly, because the
    historian brings one piece of evidence into confrontation with another, and as he subjects each one to rigorous examination, he is able to obtain knowledge that is not immediately obvious
    as contained in any
    one of the pieces of evidence.



    From the
    foregoing, it is believable that historians are a bit like detectives - using
    evidence to find out what happened
    and why. This is not an easy job. You must be able to recognise evidence,
    decide how useful it is and come to
    conclusions based on what you
    have found out.



    Thus, an
    attempt to look at history in its nature as a subject offer makes us to
    summarily see and describe history as
    an account of what actually happened in the past which has a link to what is happening at present and can help in
    planning or projecting for the future. In other words, history is about yesterday, today and tomorrow.
    Thus, one could safely assert that we study important
    development in human
    existence in the past for the development of today.



    Accordingly in
    a lucid attempt to justify the meaning and relevance of history as a subject
    matter, Oyeweso,6 declares
    that history is built on the conviction that to understand a people, the
    historian must have a recourse to
    what happened in the past, why it happened and how it happened, not just through a systematic collation of beliefs
    and practices, but also through critical analysis of all other sources
    and branches of knowledge
    that are capable of serving historical
    ends and in this way, adopt



    5.         
    Alagoa Ibid



    6           
    Oyeweso Siyan, "The undertakers, the python‘s
    eye and footsteps of the ant: The Historian‘s Burden‘." 22nd inaugural lecture, Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria, 2006. p.5.-6






    a multidisciplinary approach and root explanation on the principle
    of causation. It is in this direction, he had maintained that the tragedy
    of Nigeria for instance is three-fold: a lack of knowledge
    of its history; a lack of understanding of that history and a lack of
    application of the examples and
    lessons of history. This he called the Unholy Trinity. A trinity of ignorance packaged
    as knowledge, falsehood and rumour mongering that should attract
    intellectual contempt from the public
    in which the Nigerian elite are the guiltiest of the charge. They are educated,
    yet they have very little knowledge
    or understanding of Nigerian history and the lessons it handed down. Hence, rather than for history to serve an
    emancipative role for Nigerians it has become the original sin that is held liable for all of Nigerias woes. Upon this sin as he asserts lies the claim of ―amalgamation of  misfits‖,  the  mistake
     of
     1914‖  and  so
     on.  History
     is
     being  blamed  for  a  failed
     project  and buffeted from all angles.



    To this end,
    he posits that the Nigerian past is seen as a burden to all historians and
    students of society of which a proper knowledge
    and understanding of that past is the only avenue of emancipating ourselves from it. Indeed, the past is the father of the
    present. They are forged organically and in an engaging and interlocking
    manner7.



    History is the study of the past, only to the extent that the past exists up to the last micro-second. The goal of historical scholarship is to make the present more
    comprehensible and the past not an unfathomable mirage. Thus, history is wedlock
    of the past, the present and the future.



    Justification for historical
    inquiry


    It is often said by many Nigerians for instance that history has taught us nothing. It always seems



    ―people and governments have never learned anything from history or acted on principles deduced
    from it‖. Hegel8, at an instance doubted its utility but many
    historians have categorically disputed that
    view. A Russian historian further posit:



    ―History, say
    those who do not study it but only philosophize about it and therefore scorn it-Hegel-has never taught anyone
    anything‖. Even if that were true, it does not
    in the least apply to history as a science; flowers are not to blame
    that the blind do not see them. But it
    is not true; history teaches even those who do not study it; it teaches them a lesson for ignoring and
    disdaining it. Those who act without it, or in
    spite of it, always ultimately regret their attitude to it. As yet it
    teaches not how to live by it, but how to learn from it. History is power; when it is good to people,



    they forget
    about it and ascribe their prosperity to themselves; when it becomes bad for them,
    they begin to feel its necessity and value it boons9.



    Among the
    Yoruba, the lessons of history have somehow been preserved in writings,
    proverbs and aphorisms. Just as
    Oyeweso offered two examples, in Oyo history, Bashorun Gaha was a powerful, tyrannical and blood-sucking prime –
    minister who had the unenviable record of raising five Alafins to the throne,
    murdered four and was himself
    killed by the fifth. His corpse was later


    7           
    Carr Hallet, Edward.
    What is History? University of Cambridge and Penguin Books,
    1961.



    8           
    Hegel Georg Wilhelm
    and Friedrich Hegel
    (Eds), Lectures on the Philosophy of World History;
    Introduction: Reason in History. Cambridge University Press, 1975.



    9           
    Rakitov, Anatoly, Historical knowledge: Progress Publishers. Progress
    Publishers, 1982.


    dismembered10. In the aftermath
    of his death, the following
    saying became popular:
    Ronuiku Gahako  se  rere
     
    ―Reflect
     upon
     Gaha‘s
     death  and  mend
     your
     ways‖.  This
     is
     a
     specific  and  clear
    warning to all aspiring tyrants, usurpers, malevolent characters and dictators.
    History is indeed the graveyard of dictators. The thrust of the saying above is to underscore and emphasize the importance of good governance by rulers.



    Alagoa further examined History as the past in
    the living present. He argued thus:



    The past may
    be dead, but we cannot bury it. There are some people who are willing to act as undertakers and wish to see
    the past disposed of for good. There are others who have made it their business to see that the past does not
    completely disappear from our consciousness.11



    The above assertion
    unravels why the past is important and further underscores why people may want the past buried. It irrevocably
    situates the relevance of History. As he opined, it is regrettable that for
    most people, the past is not a subject of special notice.



    It is however
    clear that the past neither repeats itself nor creates a present exactly in its
    own image. Nonetheless, a knowledge or consciousness of the past produces in the individual and the community, a sense of perspective
    and certain wisdom in action. A proper level
    of historical consciousness provides an anchor for the community so that it
    does not get blown away by every wind
    of change. The past provides a standard for the present as well as a starting
    point for forward movement. Also, a
    man walking along a path needs to keep his eyes to the ground;
    to watch his step. History in this
    direction provides the type of knowledge that guides our step, it gives us the patience
    and the alertness derived
    from experience to deal
    with the problems of today.



    The nature of historical pathway


    It is
    pertinent to note that Historical records or accounts are presented in
    sequential, coherent, consistent and
    systematic order. Logical presentation is an
    important ingredient of history but objectivity is the guiding principle.



    The historian
    tries to present issues, incidents or events concerning people and places in
    their unbiased form. He tries to dig
    into important areas of interest. The historian goes beyond ‗they said‘ and seeks to find out why and how it
    happened. A historian is not usually in a hurry. He takes time to evaluate the necessary information
    received. He compares and analyses the information and its sources
    so as to come up with a
    balanced and acceptable account.



    History is an account
    because it aims at balanced
    information of true places, people and events of the past. It cannot be fabricated to suit the interest of the writer or historian
    but seeks to represent the true past into present. History
    gives account of real names of people, places, time and incidents that actually took place at the recorded
    time. History, therefore, is a recreation of the true picture of important
    persons, places, events of the
    past for the present and future
    generation.



     



     




    10       
    Oyeweso op. cit p.12.



    11       
    Alagoa op. cit p. 1.











     



    Nonetheless,
    the word ‗history‘ as mentioned earlier was derived from the Greek word
    historia – which means inquiry. It is
    an important branch of knowledge (discipline) in the study of man and society.



    As an academic
    discipline, history is the reconstruction, study and explanation of changes
    which humanity has undergone. It is
    an organised critical study of past activities of human beings that had produced
    significant effects on subsequent course of events. It is the study of past human activities
    at a particular place over a given period of time so as to record changes
    over time. It is the systematic study of
    the process, events or motion of
    events through the aid of
    records or sources.



    Thus,
    historians are chiefly interested in the past, whether remote or recent. The
    business of History is to find out
    what exactly happened, how it happened, when it happened and ultimately why it happened.
    It then obviously follows to bring to the fore that the subject matter
    of history is ‗MAN‘, not as a
    biological unit but man in society (social man) who is susceptible to change.
    It is the changing activities of man
    over time that constitutes the transformation of societies. However, the central
    issue in History is Change. There would be no history, if there was no change.



    From the
    foregoing discussion, it is then clear that the central issue in History is
    Change. The above statement is deeply rooted in the belief that the changing
    activities of man constitute the transformation of societies as is experienced in
    Nigeria.



    With regard to
    change, Anyakoha in his attempt at
    discussing the influence of unbalanced forces
    upon bodies, the motion of bodies and laws governing such motions stated
    that motion is caused by unbalanced
    forces. In this direction, Anyakoha12 enunciated the Newton‘s laws
    of motion which states that every
    object continues in the state of rest or of uniform motion in a straight line
    unless acted upon by an external
    force. Thus, this paper tends to juxtapose and import the implications of the Isaac Newton scientific explanations
    of the laws of motion to such extent that a body (a society) can be contemplated to be at rest position
    until impacted by certain social conditions which causes changes, which is the subject matter of history. Santayanasin this direction posit that ―Those who cannot remember the past are condemned
    to repeat it‖13. It is
    pertinent to highlight that the central thesis
    of Santayana‘s argument focuses on the imperative that the past is critical and if our world is ever going to make progress, it needs to remember what it
    learned from the past. Thus, this paper follows
    in the step of other studies to present the unique lens of Historyas it is
    clear that History is not mere story
    telling. It is also not a mere fabrication of story but an account of what
    actually happened in the past which
    has a link to what is happening at present and can help in planning or projecting for the future.



    Sources of
    history


    Describing historical documents or historical sources,
    Alagoa declares thus:



    Historical sources
    or documents are thus the raw materials out of which historians construct
    historical accounts by making inferences from them.


















    12. Anyakoha, M. W, Physics for Senior Secondary Schools
    (Based on the New NERDC Curriculum For Senior Secondary Schools.
    Africana First
    Publishers PLC, Onisha,
    Nigeria., 2016 edition. p.19



    13       
    Santayana, George, Santayana George,
    1863 - 1952; The life of reason;
    Reason in Common Sense, Scribner's, 1905,
    .p.284











     



    Thus, from the footprints on a sandy beach, the reasonable inference
    may be drawn that a person had passed that way…14



    Thus, sources
    of history simply refer to all the materials or sources
    which directly reflect and explain historical process and provide
    opportunity for us to study the past. They are the basis of any historical investigation. In this
    direction it is established that there are two classifications of types of sources; which are – primary15
    and secondary16 sources.



    Primary source:


    This simply
    points at sources created by a witness to or participant in an event. It x-rays
    sources that have to do with an eye
    witness account or account of a direct witness. They can be first hand testimony or evidence created during the
    time period that you are studying. Also, primary sources17 that contain materials or information
    which is the direct experience or original thought of the writer or the person giving the writer the
    information he is recording. Primary sources revolve around oral tradition and testimonies. Hence, may
    include diaries, letters, government documents, photographs, poems, plays, drama and music. It however,
    depends on the content and form of these sources. That is to say, if they provide first-hand information of a participant
    in an event.



    Oral Tradition:
    as a primary source


    Oral traditions18are testimonies of past events transmitted from one generation to another through
    the words of mouth. It can be said to be eye witness account. This source has hugely provided lots of
    materials in History. It may take the form of myths and legends, songs,
    folklores, proverbs and poems and so
    on as heighted above.



    Limitations of Oral tradition:


    It is prone to loss of
    details:



    One could
    infer that oral tradition is transmitted from generation to generation and thus
    a lot of details could be loss. This
    is because, it relies on the memory that could be imperfect and unreliable store house of information.



    It may be
    distorted:


    Oral account
    in this direction is prone to be distorted. To this end, a historical narrative
    of a tradition or what happened may
    even represent the narrator‘s own view about an episode. Simply put, the chances
    of exaggeration and oppression are great.



    Lacks a system of precise chronological dating:


    As non-
    literate societies in Africa then largely lacked an effective system of
    chronology of dating because of late arrival
    of writing skills.
    It provided for a system
    of dating which
    was defective.


















    14       
    Alagoa. E.J. (Ed) Oral Tradition and Oral History
    in Africa and the Diaspora:
    Theory and Practice
    , Lagos: CBAAC. pp. 269-273.



    15       
    Mabry Hunter. P., A manual
    for researchers and writers.
    Vol.
    49. Bangalore:BTESSC, , 2011. p.90-95



    16       
    Ruth Finnegan. Using Documents, Data Collection and Analysis‖, 2nd ed. Edited by Roger Sapsford and Victor Jupp. SAGE, 2006. P.138-140



    17       
    Alagoa op.cit



    18       
    Ibid











     



    Thus, there
    was no precise date and that explains why, one could always witness the use of
    such words such as ‗once upon a time‘, and ‗a long time ago‘ in periodising events.



    There are elements of
    contradiction:


    There are elements of contradiction in oral traditions. For instance, there is a myth of Oduduwa been the founder of Ile-Ife and the
    Youruba Culture. One tradition argues that Oduduwa descended from the sky during the time of creation,
    when Oludumare (the High God of the Yoruba) sent him and other emissaries to come and settle on earth. A second
    Tradition holds that Oduduwa led other children
    of his ancestor in a migration from the East. It was said that the killing of
    Lamurudu led to the migration to Ife.



    Notwithstanding the foregoing limitations, it is important
    to emphasis that the collection and analysis of primary sources is central to
    historical studies.



    Merits:



    1.                 
    Indeed, Oral tradition has merits. It remains the oldest source of
    History and was useful in the reconstructing of Pre- Scientific History of societies.



    2.                 
    With Oral tradition, historical truth could be established. For instance, despite
    the contradictions in the myth
    of Oduduwa, both traditions mentioned him as the leader of the Yoruba



    Archaeology:


    Archaeology as defined by Thurstan Shaw19 is a body of techniques or method used by its practitioners
    to derive maximum amount of information from material. These materials may be cultural and physical remains of our
    ancestors which have survived for us to identify, recover and study. This is an important source of
    History. In this paper, it is hugely considered as a primary source for historian. The most important
    source for an archaeologist is an excavation site.Excavated Artifacts are taken to a laboratory where
    they are assigned absolute dates using a technique of calibrated Radio
    Carbon Dating.



    Limitations of Archaeology:


    1.                 
    One unique feature of Archaeology is that, it presents information on
    man‘s activities in the past and is
    typically concerned with the ways of life of an extinct population. Extinct in
    the sense that those about whom it supplies
    information are no longer living.



    2.                 
    The fact should be stressed that a major weakness of this source is
    that it informs principally about the makers of objects but not from the makers themselves. Thus, its greatest
    shortcoming is that it produces
    limited account of the makers
    of tools and objects. It does not supply adequate information about
    the language spoken by the makers of such objects, their race- that is
    whether they are white or black
    and their socio-political organisation.



    3.                 
    Also, there is a problem of interpreting what objects discovered were
    used for. For instance, if
    archaeological findings reveal the ruins of a magnificent building in the
    centre of a settlement, it is as the house of a chief or a gathering
    place or a market. However,
    since



     


















    19       
    Thursthan, Shaw, "Those Igbo-Ukwu Radiocarbon Dates:
    Facts, Fiction and Probabilities." Journal of African History, xvi, 1975: 503-517.











     



    statements, about the uses of tools and objects
    are not from the makers of such objects, we cannot be absolutely be sure that those interpretations by archaeologist are perfectly correct.



    Merits of Archaeology as a source:


    1.                 
    Archaeological discoveries have
    significantly helped in highlighting
    the fact that Africa does not lag
    behind in cultural attainment. It is from Archaeological works that we learn of great cultures
    of Nok, Benin, Ife, Igbo- Ukwu and so on in
    Nigeria.



    2.                 
    Archaeology has been a very useful ally of history in the area of
    dating. One method of dating as earlier mentioned
    is carbon dating.
    Through this method,
    it is possible to determine
    when certain great culture existed. The dates, one must mention are not precise.



    3.                 
    Also, it has helped to take care of what other sources have not been
    able to do. It has enriched our knowledge
    of Pre-history people and society.



    Secondary sources:


    Secondary
    sources are those sources of history that offers interpretation or commentary
    on primary sources. They include second hand accounts or analysis.



    When a
    historian consults books written by somebody or persons who was or were not
    eye-witness (es) to the incident he
    is referring to secondary sources of information. Secondary sources also refer to oral information given out by somebody
    or persons who was or were not privileged to have first- hand information on the event. Hence, like primary sources,
    secondary sources could be in oral or written
    form.



    Secondary
    sources are materials or works based on primary sources. Examples are written
    sources like books, journals, diary, newspapers,
    etc.



    Limitations of Secondary Sources:



    1.           
    They are not evenly distributed in time and space. They are usually not
    relevant to Nigerian history before
    the coming of the Europeans. Some of the secondary accounts of Nigerian history by Europeans are sometimes biased.
    Some are written to suit political or racial interest and this error may be taken up by later generations as
    authentic truth.



    2.           
    Written sources can sometimes be corrupted in the process of
    preservation if proper care is not taken.



    3.           
    It can also be easily lost through destruction by fire, rain or insects
    if not properly preserved. Some people,
    like government officials, sometimes deliberately destroy documents.



    Nonetheless, no single sources
    can adequately supply information on history. The sources work hand
    in hand.



    Conclusion:


    From the
    foregoing, it is discernable that History is a subject matter that engages in
    inquiry and unraveling of the past.
    However, it is regrettable that unraveling of the past engagement of man in the society is however often underrated. In this direction this paper follows in
    the footsteps of Alagoa‘s contemplation as noted previously that the
    past may be dead, but cannot be buried.



    It is in the
    light of the foregoing, that this paper maintains a plausible stance that the
    problem of historical knowledge
    requires some consideration to such extent that is unarguable to submit that it is it
    possible for historians to know
    what happened in the past.



    This paper,
    has demonstrated how historians operate in their search for knowledge of the
    past. Like other scholars,
    historians become active when they develop curiosity
    about something. Such curiosity should
    lead to the formulation of questions to which answers
    have to be found. The enquiry or search for answers takes the form of a study of documents, which are the evidence of past
    human activity. Historical documents or evidence appear to the historian in a
    wide variety of forms. They may
    appear as written information on paper, papyrus, tablets of clay, on monuments,
    or even rock. However, I should
    emphasis at this point that there is no historical record that can be considered as entirely objective, as it is
    written by someone present at the time of the event and to such extent the historical may carry
    personal biases of such informant. As inferred in the foregoing discussion a historian deeply relies on
    primary and secondary sources to a very large extent with the aim at maintaining objectivity. It then follows to posit that when anyone does not know the difference
    between these sources, such a person may usually get carried away with
    misinformation or misinterpretation.
    Thus, it is pertinent to highlight that in order to understand a historical
    event at any given point, the
    historian evokes his or her historian craft to find answers to six questions
    that are 5 Ws (what had happened?
    when did it happened? where did it take place? why did it happen? who was
    it about) and an H (How did it
    happen).



    These
    questions are of prime significance to determine whether they are primary and
    secondary sources. In order to
    determine the distinction between them, the ‗time factor‘ of authoring that
    event plays a prominent role, e.g.
    first hand is usually immediately following the event whereas second hand is
    conveying the experience and opinion of others



    References


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