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This page is about the West African poets. For the rapper, see Griot (rapper).

This ancient Baobab tree in the Réserve de Bandia, Sénégal, forms a living mausoleum for the remains of famed local Griots.

A griot (pronounced [gɹi.ɒ] in English 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. According to Paul Oliver in his book "Savannah Syncopators", "Though [the griot] has to know many traditional songs without error, he must also have the ability to extemporize on current events, chance incidents and the passing scene. His wit can be devastating and his knowledge of local history formidable." Although they are popularly known as 'praise singers', griots may also use their vocal expertise for gossip, satire, or political comment.

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."

In African languages, griots are referred to by a number of names: jeli in northern Mande areas, jali in southern Mande areas, guewel 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.

The Manding term jeliya (meaning "musicianhood") 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.

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.

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, affairs, and hundreds of other folktales.

The Jeli in Mande society was as a historian, advisor, arbitrator, praise singer (patronage), and storyteller. Essentially, these musicians were walking history books, preserving 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.

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.

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.

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 fictitious République du Golfe. His final novel Allah is not Obliged also prominently features a griot character.

There's also references in the Alex Haley's book Roots of a Griot that passed his family history through oral tradition. When Haley traces back his history, passing from his previous generation through the slave time, back to Africa, he there should be griots telling his history and the history of his ancestor, known in the family as "The African", who was captured in the bushes when he was seeking timber to make a talking drum. When he arrived in Africa to make researches to his book, he actually found Griots telling his history. It was through them he learned the ancestor's identity, Kunta Kinte. Since he had first heard the story from his grandmother and later refreshed by his older cousin, he believed that they were griots in their own way until someone put the story to writing. He later learned that his cousin had died within the hour of his arrival at the village.

• Abdoulaye Diabaté (Mali)
• Cheick Hamala 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)
• Famoro Dioubaté's Kakande (Guinea/New York)
• Kasse Mady Diabate (Mali)
• Lamin Saho (Gambia)
• Malamini Jobarteh (Gambia)
• Mory Kanté (Guinea)
• N'Faly Kouyate (Guinea)
• National Instrumental Ensemble of Guinea (Guinea)
• Alassane Sarr (Senegal)
• Papa Susso (Gambia)
• Pape Kanoutè (Senegal)
• Prince Diabaté (Guinea)
• Salieu Suso (Gambia)
• Seikou Susso (Gambia)
• Sherrifo Konteh (Gambia)
• Toumani Diabaté (Mali)
• Vieux Diop (Senegal)
• Yacouba Sissoko (Mali)

• List of Sub-Saharan African folk music traditions
• Ahmadou Kourouma
• The skalds performed a similar function in Scandinavian societies.

• Lavender, Catherine (2000). "African Griot Images." (Webpage for a course at CSI/CUNY)
• Salmons, Catherine A. (2004). Balla Tounkara "Griot"
• The Maninka and Mandinka Jali/Jeli
• Keita: The Heritage of the Griot - Film Notes

• 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
• Freestyle Fellowship's second album is entitled Innercity Griots.

Phylicia Coley Syracuse University