Document Type : Original Article
Author
Assistant Professor, Farhangian University, Shahid Bahonar Birjand Campus, Birjand, Iran
Abstract
One of the key methods for representing the familial and tribal history of villages is conducting oral history interviews. Oral narratives are valuable resources for depicting the multidimensional social history of villages, particularly the history and genealogies of tribes. However, these narratives are sometimes influenced by tribal rivalries or local discourses, leading to myth-making, exaggeration, or trivialization of certain figures and events. To assess the accuracy of such narratives, cross-validation with documented sources, such as familial and household records, is essential. The village of Neshel consists of eight tribes and nine independent households. This article, using a descriptive-analytical approach and through the examination of documents and oral narratives, seeks to answer two key questions: What is the role of documents and oral evidence in representing the historical background and genealogy of the Jurseri tribe of Neshel? And how can cross-verification of these sources contribute to a more accurate depiction of the Jurseri tribe’s genealogy? The Jurseri tribe—the largest of the eight tribes in Neshel—comprises twenty family lineages. The oral narratives related to this tribe mostly provide limited information, only tracing back three generations and mainly extending to the late Qajar era. In contrast, documents such as endowment deeds, purchase deeds, marriage contracts, and settlement agreements confirm the presence of the Jurseri tribe’s ancestors in Neshel as far back as the Afsharid era. These records have also rectified inconsistencies and errors in oral narratives. Furthermore, data within these documents clarify the genealogical relationships among the Jurseri family branches at the upper levels of the tribal tree.
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