…oral histories are as old as human beings.
before the invention of writing, information
passed from generation to generation through the
spoken word. many people around the world
continue to use oral traditions to pass along
knowledge and wisdom. interviews and
recordings of community elders and witnesses to
historical events provide exciting stories,
anecdotes, and other information about the
past.…
—library of congress

based on this passage, historians should treat oral
histories and oral traditions as
(1) persuasive arguments
(2) statistical data
(3) unbiased sources
(4) cultural evidence