From names to living family
Typically, families can identify the who’s who in the family line: parents, grandparents, great-grands, aunts, uncles, brothers, and sisters. That is critical. But stories about the people are what turn names and birth dates into a breathing family, with victories and disappointments, with dreams and a mission.
This stage gives you a menu of categories to guide your questions. The answers, given or refused, become stories and snippets that bring the photographs and the family tree to life. Because you will take this course again, you choose a few categories each time, going deeper or in new directions.
Take the time you need. Many students spend two weeks on this stage. Your family and support specialist can help you decide.
How-To Study: Interviewing and follow-up
Open the video in GHL
In Stage I you asked one question and listened. An interview is a longer listening, guided by questions you prepared and follow-ups you didn’t.
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Before
- Make an appointment, or use a family gathering, a car ride, or a holiday. Ask for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Tell them the category you are asking about, so they can think ahead or pull out photos.
- Bring your interview guide, something to write with, and a phone to record.
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During
- Ask permission to record: “May I record this so I get your words right?”
- Start easy, with names and childhood, before harder questions.
- Ask one question at a time. Let silence sit. Elders often need a moment to go back in time.
- Follow the story, not your list. If something interesting comes up, go there.
- Reflect back what you heard: “So what I’m hearing is…”
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After
- Thank them, and ask who else you should talk to.
- Ask which parts they are comfortable sharing, and with whom.
- Write your notes the same day. Label the recording with their name and the date.
- Come back later with follow-up questions. A second visit often brings the best stories.
Open questions bring stories
A closed question gets a word. An open question gets a story.
| Closed | Open |
|---|---|
| Did you like school? | Tell me about a teacher you never forgot. |
| Were you born in Georgia? | What was the place you grew up in like? |
| Did you have a nickname? | How did you get your nickname, and who still calls you that? |
| Was it hard back then? | What did people in our family do when times got hard? |
Follow-up questions
Keep these ready. They turn a snippet into a story.
- What happened next?
- Who else was there?
- How old were you?
- How did that feel?
- Why do you think they did that?
- What did you learn from it?
- Do you have a picture of that?
- Who else knows this story?
A refusal is part of the lore. If an elder won’t answer, or changes the subject, don’t push. Thank them, and note respectfully that the subject is tender. A silence can point to a wound. Later, in Stage V, you will listen for how your family healed it. Every story is not for every ear.
Check yourself
Answer each in your head, then open it to compare. Your graded quiz is in GHL.
Turn this into an open question: “Did Grandma cook a lot?”
Something like: “What do you remember about Grandma’s kitchen?” or “Tell me about a meal Grandma made that you still think about.”
Why start with easy questions like names and childhood?
They warm up the memory and build comfort, so harder or deeper stories can come later.
An elder goes quiet after a question. What do you do?
Wait. Silence often means they are remembering. If they don’t want to answer, thank them and move on without pushing.
What two things should you do on the same day as the interview?
Write your notes, and label the recording with the person’s name and the date.
Family Research: Choose from the menu
At the Araminta level you gather two categories. Naming and childhood is required. Choose one more.
My interview guide
Hold your interviews
- Choose who to interview for each category. It can be the same person or two different people. The family keepers you found in Stage II are a good place to start.
- Make appointments, or use family gatherings and discussions.
- Interview with your guide, following the story when it leads somewhere new.
- Log each interview below on the same day.
Preserve as you go. Save recordings in one folder named for your family and this course. Photograph any documents or photos you are shown, with permission, and note who owns the original.
Personal Reflection
Write your answers here or in your journal. When you’re done, copy your journal and interview logs into your Djeli-in-Training portfolio in GHL.
Demonstration: One story from the lore
First, respond to two tellings
Answer before you call. Respond to two tellings from classmates or from the Ancestor Shelf, using the four moves:
- Name itGive the story a temporary name.
- Take itSay one thing it taught you.
- Ask itAsk the teller one question.
- Link itConnect it to your own family or adopted line.
Then, post your telling
Record 2 to 3 minutes of audio or video, or write about 300 words.
- Introduce yourself: “I am [your name], Djeli-in-Training of the [family name] family.”
- Say who you interviewed and which category you chose.
- Tell one story you gathered, and give it your temporary story name.
- Say what it shows about who your family is.
Only share what you were given permission to share. Check the tier your elder chose in your interview log. When people answer your telling, post an answer back to close the circle.
Bring to your weekend session
Bring your interview guide and logs. In the circle, you’ll practice open and follow-up questions with a partner, and classmates will help you find the story names that fit.
For the family
Your Djeli-in-Training is now gathering stories. Here is how you can help.
“This week I’m asking about names and childhood, and one more subject I chose. I may ask to record our talk so I get your words right, and to see photos or keepsakes. You can skip any question. I’ll always ask before I share anything outside the family.”
Help by making time, pulling out old photos and papers, and pointing the student to other relatives who remember.
Stage III checklist
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