Gather written records we and our family already have

We can gather the family history information others in our family have already prepared by: • Asking our family members if they have any written information about the family, including ancestral maps (hohoko), whakapapa books, letters, stories, family group records, pedigree charts, school records, certificates, pictures, and artifacts such as wood carvings, tapa designs, etc. • Ask if we may have a copy of what they have. • If it is a carving or design, ask what it means and how it relates to our family. • Make copies of them, photograph them, or write a description of them and where they are kept if we can’t keep the original. • Return the original to the owner. • Write where we got them on the back of the copy. • Keep the papers we write and photos we take in a safe place.