Long before anything was written down, the important things were said out loud, more than once, until they were remembered correctly.
What official histories miss
A land dispute settled two generations ago, the real reason a bridge was built where it was, who first planted the walnut trees by the temple — none of this makes it into a textbook, but all of it survives in the way elders tell a story when asked the right question.
Passing it on
The people who carry these stories are not always aware they're doing something worth preserving. That's exactly why writing them down, carefully and with permission, matters more each year.