This page is about the West African poets. For the rapper, see Griot (rapper). Griot aka Brewz Bana is a rapper from Basel, Switzerland. ...

A griot (pronounced [gɹi.ɒ] in Englishn or French, with a silent t) or jali (djeli in French spelling) is a West African poet, praise singer, and wandering musician, considered a repository of oral tradition. As such they are sometimes also called bards. In an alphabetic writing system, a silent letter is a letter that, in a particular word, does not correspond to any sound in the words pronunciation. ...  Western Africa (UN subregion)  Maghreb[1] West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. ... The poor poet A poet is a person who writes poetry. ... A musician is a person who plays or composes music Musicians can be classified by their role in creating or performing music: A singer (or vocalist) uses his or her voice as an instrument. ... Oral history is an account of something passed down by word of mouth from one generation to another. ... A bard is a poet and singer, with the particular meaning differing for various countries and epochs. ...

Griots today live in many parts of West Africa, including Mali, Gambia, Guinea, and Senegal, and are present among the Mande peoples (Mandinka, Malinké, Bambara, etc.), Fulɓe (Fula), Hausa, Tukulóor, Wolof, Serer, Mauritanian Arabs and many other smaller groups. The word may derive from the French transliteration "guiriot" of the Portuguese word "criado," which in turn means "servant." Mande refers to: the Mandé people of western Africa the Mande or Mandinka people of western Africa any of the Mande languages the Mande or Mandinka language This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Mandinka (also known as Mandingo) are a Mande people of West Africa, all descend physically or culturally from the ancient Mali Empire which controlled the trans-Saharic trade from the Middle East to West Africa. ... The Malinké are an African Mandé ethnic group. ... Bambara Mother figure, 15th-20th century The Bambara (Bamana in their own language, or sometimes Banmana) are a Mande people living in west Africa, primarily in Mali but also in Guinea, Burkina Faso and Senegal. ... The Fula or Fulani is an ethnic group of people spread over many countries in West Africa, from Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mali in the west to Cameroon and as far as Sudan in the east. ... The Hausa are a people of northern Nigeria and south-eastern Niger. ... The Toucouleurs (or Haalpulaaren) are an ethnicity of West Africa. ... The Wolof are an ethnic group found in Senegal, The Gambia, and Mauritania. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

In African languages, griots are referred to by a number of names: jeli in northern Mande areas, jali in southern Mande areas, géwal in Wolof, gawlo in Pulaar (Fula), and igiiw in Hassaniyya Arabic. Griots form an endogamous caste, meaning that most of them only marry other griots and that those who are not griots do not normally perform the same functions that they perform. Wolof is a language spoken in Senegal, the Gambia, and Mauritania, and it is the native language of the ethnic group of the Wolof people. ... The Fula language is a language of West Africa, spoken by the Fula people from Senegal to Cameroon and Sudan. ... Hassaniya is a dialect of Arabic derived from the Arabic spoken by the Beni Hassan tribe, who extended their authority over most of the Mauritanian Sahara between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries. ... Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... pertaining to or characterized by the custom of marrying only within the limits of a clan or tribe ... Caste systems are traditional, hereditary systems of social stratification, enforced by law or common practice, based on classifications such as occupation, race, ethnicity, etc. ...

Griots and jeliya

The Manding term jeliya (meaning "transmission by blood") is sometimes used for the knowledge of griots, indicating the hereditary nature of the class. Jeliya comes from the root word jeli or djeli (blood), which is also the title given to griots in areas corresponding to the former Mali Empire. Though the usage "griot" is far more common in English, some griot advocates such as Bakari Sumano prefer the term jeli. Mande (or Manding) is the name of a group of languages which are spoken in several countries in West Africa, including Mandinka and Bambara. ... The Mali Empire or Manding Empire or Manden Kurufa was a medieval West African state of the Mandinka from 1235 to 1468. ... Bakari Sumano (1935 - July 21, 2003) was head of Malian association of griots (wandering poet-musicians) from 1994 until his death. ...

In the Mali Empire

The Mali Empire (Malinke Empire), at its height in the middle of the fourteenth century, extended from central Africa (today's Chad and Niger) to West Africa (today's Mali and Senegal). The Empire was founded by Sundjata Keita, whose exploits remain celebrated in Mali even today. In the Epic of Sundjata, King Naré Maghann Konaté offered his son Sundiata a griot, Balla Fasséké, to advise him in his reign. Balla Fasséké is thus considered the first griot and the founder of the Kouyaté line of griots that exists to this day. The Mali Empire or Manding Empire or Manden Kurufa was a medieval West African state of the Mandinka from 1235 to 1468. ... (13th century - 14th century - 15th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 14th century was that century which lasted from 1301 to 1400. ... Sundiata Keita or Sunjata Keita (1190? - 1255?) is a semi-historical hero of the Mandinka people of West Africa and is celebrated in the Epic of Sundiata as founder of the Mali Empire. ... Sundiata Keita or Sunjata Keita (c. ... Naré Maghann Konaté was a semi-historical 12th-century king of the Mandinka people, in what is today Mali. ...

Each family of griots accompanied a family of warrior-kings, which they called jatigi. In traditional culture, no griot can be without jatigi, and no jatigi can be without a griot; the two are inseparable, and worthless without the other. However, the jatigi can accept a "loan" of his griot to another jatigi.

Most villages also had their own griot, who told tales of births, deaths, marriages, battles, hunts, and hundreds of other folktales.

Griots/Jeli in Mande Society

The Jeli in Mande society was as a historian, advisor, arbitrator, praise singer (patronage), and storyteller. Essentially, these musicians were walking history books, perserving their ancient stories and traditions through song. Their inherited tradition was passed down through generations. Their name, "Jeli", means "Blood" in the Manika language. They were said to have deep connections to spiritual, social, or political powers as music is associated as such. Speech is also said to have power as it can recreate history and relationships.

Griots today

Bakari Sumano, head of the Association of Bamako Griots from 1994 to 2003, was an internationally-known advocate for the importance of the griot in West African society. 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In popular culture

In the Malian film Guimba the Tyrant directed by Cheick Oumar Sissoko, the storytelling is done through the village griot, who also serves to provide comic relief. Guimba the Tyrant (French: Guimba, un tyrant, une époque) is a 1995 Malian film in the Bambara language (with some Fula language components), directed by noted Malian director Cheick Oumar Sissoko. ... Cheick Oumar Sissoko (born 1945 in San, Mali) is a Malian film director. ...

In the late novels of the Ivorian writer Ahmadou Kourouma, Waiting for the Wild Beasts to Vote takes the form of a praise-song by the Sora, the Griot, Bingo to the president-Dictator of the ficitious République du Golfe. His final novel Allah is not Obliged also promimently features a griot character. Ahmadou Kourouma, (November 24, 1927 – December 11, 2003) was an Ivorian novelist. ...

Also a storyteller with very good memory.

List of Griot artists / groups

• Abdoulaye Diabaté (Mali)
• Alpha Oulare (Guinea)
• Amadu Bansang Jobarteh (Gambia)
• Ba Cissoko (Guinea)
• Baba Sissoko (Mali)
• Badenya les Frères Coulibaly (Burkina Faso)
• Balla Kouyate (Mali)
• Balla Tounkara (Mali)
• Dan Maraya (Nigeria)
• Dembo Jobarteh (Gambia)
• Dimi Mint Abba (Mauritania)
• Djelimady Tounkara (Mali)
• Djimo Kouyate (Senegal)
• El Hadj Djeli Sory Kouyate (Guinea)
• Foday Musa Suso (Gambia)
• Habib Koité (Mali)
• Kasse Mady Diabate (Mali)
• Lamin Saho (Gambia)
• Malamini Jobarteh (Gambia)
• Mory Kanté (Guinea)
• N'Faly Kouyate (Guinea)
• National Instrumental Ensemble of Guinea (Guinea)
• Papa Susso (Gambia)
• Pape Kanoutè (Senegal)
• Prince Diabaté (Guinea)
• Salieu Suso (Gambia)
• Seikou Susso (Gambia)
• Sherrifo Konteh (Gambia)
• Toumani Dibaté (Mali)
• Vieux Diop (Senegal)
• Yacouba Sissoko (Mali)

The four band members Ba Cissoko is a Guinean world music band, featuring four members, two of which are playing the traditional Kora harp. ... Baba Sissoko (born 8 March 1963 in Bamako, Mali) is a musician (tamani, ngoni, kamalengoni, bala, calabass) and vocalist. ... Dan Maraya Jos (born Adamu Wayya in 1946) is a Nigerian Hausa musician best known for playing the kontigi. ... Dimi Mint Abba is Mauritanias most famous musician. ... Djelimady Tounkara Djelimady Tounkara is one of the foremost guitarists in Africa. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Habib Koite is a Malian musician known primarily for his unique approach to playing the guitar by tuning it on a pentatonic scale and playing on open strings as one would on a kamale ngoni. ... Mory Kanté (born February 24, 1950 in Kissidougou, Guinea) is an acclaimed vocalist and player of the kora harp. ... One of the members of the Afro Celt Sound System ...

See also

• List of Sub-Saharan African folk music traditions
• Ahmadou Kourouma

This is a list of folk music traditions, with styles, dances, instruments and other related topics. ... Ahmadou Kourouma, (November 24, 1927 – December 11, 2003) was an Ivorian novelist. ...

External links

• Lavender, Catherine (2000). "African Griot Images." (Webpage for a course at CSI/CUNY)
• Salmons, Catherine A. (2004). Balla Tounkara "Griot"

References

• Charry, Eric S. (2000). Mande Music: Traditional and Modern Music of the Maninka and Mandinka of Western Africa. Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology. Includes audio CD. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Hale, Thomas A. (1998). Griots and Griottes: Masters of Words and Music. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press
• Hoffman, Barbara G. (2001). Griots at War: Conflict, Conciliation and Caste in Mande. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press

Phylicia Coley Syracuse University