Our Core Concentration blog assignment for today was to write about griots and what role they played in West African society and history.
A griot, pronounced gree-OH, is a West African storyteller who is responsible for keeping the oral history and record of a certain community. Being a griot takes skill in memory, oral recitation, and public presence. As a result, griots are valued highly and respected in their villages and community. No major early West African civilization had a written language, so griots were completely responsible for passing down local history. Another thing to know is that griots were not usually paid -- they did their service out of love for the community and its history.
In addition to reciting stories and history, griots also teach moral lessons by reciting old local proverbs or epic poems. Like the more famous Greek epics, West African epic poems told lessons in history and morals by using fantastic or mythical creatures and beings. Griots were found in all sorts of West African communities and empires. Often it was a griot who was responsible for teaching the king or a young monarch the history of their family. There were and are several griots in West Africa. Many grandparents teach lessons to family members and took on a griot role, whether or not they had been appointed.
A griot's area of performance and expertise is not limited to oral stories and myths. Oftentimes several griots got together and acted out a historical event like a scene from a play in order to build an accurate picture in the learners' minds. Many of these plays, myths, and stories told of local events like the birth of a great king or the founding of the society and empire. For example, here are many legends surrounding Sundiata, the first emperor of Mali. Often, griots retelling this story would get names mixed up and history would be distorted. This does, however, make tales of the story unique, as every rendition has different elements and morals.
A griot, pronounced gree-OH, is a West African storyteller who is responsible for keeping the oral history and record of a certain community. Being a griot takes skill in memory, oral recitation, and public presence. As a result, griots are valued highly and respected in their villages and community. No major early West African civilization had a written language, so griots were completely responsible for passing down local history. Another thing to know is that griots were not usually paid -- they did their service out of love for the community and its history.
In addition to reciting stories and history, griots also teach moral lessons by reciting old local proverbs or epic poems. Like the more famous Greek epics, West African epic poems told lessons in history and morals by using fantastic or mythical creatures and beings. Griots were found in all sorts of West African communities and empires. Often it was a griot who was responsible for teaching the king or a young monarch the history of their family. There were and are several griots in West Africa. Many grandparents teach lessons to family members and took on a griot role, whether or not they had been appointed.
A griot's area of performance and expertise is not limited to oral stories and myths. Oftentimes several griots got together and acted out a historical event like a scene from a play in order to build an accurate picture in the learners' minds. Many of these plays, myths, and stories told of local events like the birth of a great king or the founding of the society and empire. For example, here are many legends surrounding Sundiata, the first emperor of Mali. Often, griots retelling this story would get names mixed up and history would be distorted. This does, however, make tales of the story unique, as every rendition has different elements and morals.
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