A West African oral epic form performed by griots (jeliw), hereditary praise-singers, historians and musicians of the Mande and neighboring peoples, who recite and musically accompany long narrative accounts of founding heroes and historical rulers, transmitted across generations of trained performers rather than fixed in a single written text.
Facts
Place of OriginWest Africa, Mande-speaking peoples of the former Mali Empire and neighboring regions, oral tradition of great age. 1 StructureExtended sung and spoken narrative, unrhymed, accompanied by traditional instruments (the kora or balafon), performed rather than fixed to a single written text and varying between performers and performances. 1 Notable ExampleThe Epic of Sundiata, recounting the founding of the Mali Empire, the best-known griot epic. 1 Connections
Form Of Genre
Epic, Genres Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Africa, originated there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Mali, originated there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: West Africa, originated there.
Sources
1. Encyclopaedia Britannica
Wikipedia: Griot
Lead paragraph
Griots are masters of communicating stories and history orally, which is an African tradition.
Role section
Griots have the main responsibility for keeping stories of the individual tribes and families alive in the oral tradition, with the narrative accompanied by a musical instrument.
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