Editing Oral tradition (section)

===Oral transmission of law===
{{main|Oral law}}

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| The law itself in oral cultures is enshrined in formulaic sayings, proverbs, which are not mere jurisprudential decorations, but themselves constitute the law. A judge in an oral culture is often called on to articulate sets of relevant proverbs out of which he can make equitable decisions in the cases under formal litigation before him.<ref name="Longman Publishers USA"/>
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[[Rudyard Kipling]]'s ''[[The Jungle Book]]'' provides an excellent demonstration of oral governance in the [[Law of the Jungle]].{{Citation needed|reason=Kipling reference needs source and citation|date=June 2022}} Not only does grounding rules in oral proverbs allow for simple transmission and understanding, but it also legitimizes new rulings by allowing extrapolation. These stories, traditions, and proverbs are not static, but are often altered upon each transmission, barring any change to the overall meaning.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hanson|first1=Erin|title=Oral Traditions|url=http://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/home/culture/oral-traditions.html|website=Indigenous Foundations|access-date=5 May 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518082618/http://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/home/culture/oral-traditions.html|archive-date=18 May 2015}}</ref> In this way, the rules that govern the people are modified by the whole and not authored by a single entity.