A griot (pronounced "gree-oh") is a West African poet, praise singer, and wandering musician, considered a repository of oral tradition. Griots today live in many parts of West Africa, including Mali, Gambia, Guinea, and Senegal, and are present among the Mande peoples, Fulbe, Tukulóor, Wolof, Serer, and Mauritanian Arabs. The word may derive from the French transliteration "guiriot" of the Portuguese word "criado," which in turn means "servant." 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. West Africa is the region of western Africa that is generally considered to include the countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte dIvoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. ... Poets are authors of poems, or of other forms of poetry such as dramatic verse. ... A musician is a person who plays or composes music. ... Oral history is an account of something passed down by word of mouth from one generation to another. ... 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. ... Categories: Africa-related stubs | Burkina Faso | Cameroon | Ethnic groups of Africa | Fulani Empire | Mali | Nigeria ... Takrur was one of the minor Iron Age states of West Africa, which flourished roughly parallel to the Kingdom of Ghana. ... The Serer (also spelled Serreer, Sereer, Sèrèr, Sérér, Seréer, Sèréer, Séréer, etc. ... 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. ... Jump to: navigation, search Arabic (Arabic: العربية; transliterated: al-carabiyyah, less formally, عربي transliterated: carabÄ«) is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... pertaining to or characterized by the custom of marrying only within the limits of a clan or tribe ... Jump to: navigation, search Caste systems have existed throughout history and throughout the world, but the most well-known caste system today is the Indian Varna system. ...

Griots and jeliya

The Malinké 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 (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. The Malinké are an African Mandé ethnic group. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Mali Empire was an Islamic Empire of the Mandinka people in West Africa from the 14th to 17th centuries. ... 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, 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 Sundiata Keita, whose exploits remain celebrated in Mali even today. In the Epic of Sundiata, 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. Jump to: navigation, search The Mali Empire was an Islamic Empire of the Mandinka people in West Africa from the 14th to 17th centuries. ... (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. ... Jump to: navigation, search Sundiata Keita or Sunjata Keita (meaning the Lion King )(c. ... 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.

Griots today

Bakari Sumano, head of the Association of Malian Griots from 1994 to 2003, was an internationally-known advocate for the importance of the griot in West African society. Jump to: navigation, search 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Jump to: navigation, search 2003 (MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In contemporary art

Jean-Michel Basquiat, the American painter, produced several works depicting griots. The influence was mostly derived from his Haitian heritage and its relation to West African culture. Jean-Michel Basquiat (bäs´´k-ät´) (December 22, 1960 - August 12, 1988) was an American artist born in Brooklyn, New York. ... West Africa is the region of western Africa that is generally considered to include the countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte dIvoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. ...

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