Introduction:
 There
are 2 kinds of Gambian Griots in West Africa: One that
sings and another that plays the Kora (Cora) musical
instrument.
The first reference to the Kora was made by Mungo Park
in his 1799 book describing his trips in West Africa.
It can be described as an African harp held vertically
between one's legs when played. The Bolonbata (also
known a the kontingo by the Mandinka
and as the halam or xalam by the Wolof) is a variation
of the Kora with at most 5 strings and has a bent neck
made of Keno wood and a small gourd body resonator that
is encased in leather. This instrument is played just
by the Fulanis and Mandingo
people in Gambia.
Griots:
 This
is the musical instrument that has a range of over three
octaves, the enchanting music of the Kora is multi-layered
and melodic. It accompanies the Jalis (Griots pronounced
gree-oh) who are praise singers of the Mandinka Tribe
(Mande / Malinke) have a tradition going back hundreds
of years. A master griot often has no need for verbal
accompaniment and uses a technique known as birimintingo
to "talk to the Kora."
In the past, the role of the professional musician was
reserved for those born into the griot caste. It
is sometimes part of an ensemble which includes the
Balafon (a type of wood
xylophone). Their unique role as praise singers is passed,
after a long apprenticeship, usually from father
to son though it can be passed from an uncle. It requires
many years of musical and historic training for a student
to become a master Kora player and to be able to recite
the religious, ethnic and family lineages.
The Bolonbata (also known a the kontingo by the
Mandinka and as the halam or xalam
by the Wolof) is a variation of the Kora with at most
5 strings and has a bent neck made of Keno wood and
a small gourd body resonator that is encased in leather.
This instrument is played just by the Fulanis and Mandingo
people in Gambia.
Griots have long been respected for the power of their
music can carry. Although the role of the griot has
diminished with the evolution of contemporary society
and the passage of time, the griot still remains an
integral part of the culture of Gambia and the strongest
link to centuries of history. For centuries, court musicians
and ‘griots’ (story-tellers) have kept alive
tales of family and village history, and you may find
them singing their oral accounts and stories accompanied
by a ‘Kora’. This tradition gives the Mandinka
people their strong sense of ethnic identity and history.
Griots have long been respected for the power of their
music can narrate over.
They sometimes belong to the household of a nobleman,
appointed to sing the virtues of their benefactor and
master. However, most are independent, singing the praises
of anyone who can pay them and a less generous clientele
might find the song more critical than giving praise.
Because of their deep knowledge of history they are
often viewed with a mixture of fear and admiration.
But the griots of Gambia continue to maintain the traditions
of their people for the generations to come.
Declining Influence:
In the l9th century the religious Soninke-Marabout Wars
and colonial influence caused the break-up of ruling
noble families. The Europeans appointed chiefs who often
had no connection to the traditional ruling houses.
Thus, with prestige and power usurped by the new chiefs
and their resources drained by a French-imposed tax
system, the traditional noble patrons could no longer
care for their griots. Many griots were forced to adopt
several patrons, and others became itinerant freelance
musicians. The griots' new role became more that of
an entertainer and musician and less that of a genealogist
and historian.
Background:
The role of the griot is more than just a story-teller.
He or she is a genealogists, singer, deliverer of social
or diplomatic messages, war rouser, general joke telling
and buffoonery and is highly prized at tribal celebrations.
The belong in one of the lower castes however, their
musically talented role which accompanies the oral tradition
is well respected and as a result many make a very good
living from their social role. They still exist today,
although the role of the musician is no longer held
by the griots exclusively. The Gambian griot is a troubadour,
the counterpart of the medieval European minstrel. This
living archive of speech and song maintains oral traditions,
both local and epic. They are taught by their elders
and are trained over many years to learn the enormous
quantity of traditional songs and to master the melodies
and rhythms. He might be required to sing seven generations
worth of a tribe's or family's history and, in some
areas, to be completely familiar with the songs of ritual
necessary to summon spirits and gain the sympathy of
ancestors.
Because of the low caste of the griot in some sections
of West Africa, they have been denied an earth burial
and their remains were placed in Baobab trees instead
for fear that they would make the ground impure and
shorn or fertility. Today, such discrimination is illegal.
Famous Gambian Griots:
Some famous names include: Foday Musa Suso, Bai Konte,
Papa Susso, Amadu Bansang Jobarteh and Doudou M’Boob.
The most legendary being Balafasé Kouyate who
was the personal griot of great Mandinka leader Sundiata
Keita (also spelt Keyita).
Griots and Modern Music:
Perhaps the most important traditional function of griots
seen from the perspective of modern Gambia is their
role as performing artists. In most cases, griots were
the sole musicians and storytellers. Among the exceptions
to this rule are noble Fulbe shepherd musicians, who
play the riiti (one-string violin) and the flute, as
well as noble Fulbe and Bamana hunters in Mali, who
play the hunter ngoni, a five- to six- string harp-like
instrument, and sing. Fulbe society, which is nomadic
and ranges much further than any of the other societies
in Gambia, seems to have borrowed the caste structure
and possibly even the ñeeño people themselves
from other Gambian groups and can therefore be expected
not to have exactly the same musical taboos.
Still, although certain groups of non-griots traditionally
practice music, it is only recently that they have begun
to move, against vehement social resistance, into the
professional music scene. Despite certain noble non-professional
musical traditions, griots were for a long time the
only professional instrumentalists, singers, or dancers
in most of Gambia, Mali, and neighbouring areas. In
Mande societies, nobles could perform musically in extremely
limited and usually ritual contexts, while in Wolof
society noble men could apparently not perform any music
at all and women could sing in only a few circumstances.
Noble men believed that music was a feminine element
that would drain their powers to work the land or fight.
Griots were banned from both farming and fighting. |
