griot

noun

gri·​ot ˈgrē-ˌō 

: any of a class of musician-entertainers of western Africa whose performances include tribal histories and genealogies

broadly : storyteller

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An African tribal storyteller and musician is called a griot. The griot’s role was to preserve the genealogies and oral traditions of the tribe. They were usually among the oldest men in a tribe. In places where written language is the privilege of the few, the place of the griot as cultural guardian is still maintained. In Senegal, for example, the griot—without resorting to fantasy—recites poems or tells stories of warriors, drawing on his own sources of inspiration.

Examples of griot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This is the Miami of sos pwa served over rice at the family dinner table, of griot brought to the communion party of a young relative. —Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2024

The album’s name refers to the anti-colonial cultural movement in Mali led by the griots before the country’s independence in 1960. —Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 27 July 2024

His family included highly accomplished musicians in the griot tradition, including playing a guitar-style ngoni and the kora. —Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 27 July 2024

Born in Bamako in 1965, Diabaté descended from a long line of griots—West African historian-musicians who maintain oral traditions, often with the accompaniment of the kora or the xylophone-like balafon. —Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 26 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

French

First Known Use

1820, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

griot

noun

gri·​ot ˈgrē-ˌō 

: any of a class of musician-entertainers of western Africa whose performances include tribal histories and genealogies