griot

American  

[gree-oh, gree-oh, gree-ot] / griˈoʊ, ˈgri oʊ, ˈgri ɒt /

noun

1. a member of a hereditary caste among the peoples of western Africa whose function is to keep an oral history of the tribe or village and to entertain with stories, poems, songs, dances, etc.

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griot British  

/ ˈɡriːəʊ, ɡriːˈɒt /

noun

1. (in Western Africa) a member of a caste responsible for maintaining an oral record of tribal history in the form of music, poetry, and storytelling

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Etymology

Origin of griot

1955–60; < French, earlier guiriot, perhaps ultimately < Portuguese criado domestic servant, altered in W African coastal creoles

Example Sentences

A self-proclaimed “griot,” Jenkins throughout his decades-spanning career maintained an art practice grounded in the tradition of those West African oral historians who came before him.

From Los Angeles Times

She knew the basics about the five Paragons of Marvelling—Papa and the griots had helped her with those—but she was still learning about all the different kinds of marvels.

From Literature

“My mother was such a griot in our family,” Due says.

From Los Angeles Times

Perhaps that magical yet iffy omniscience — Sassy calls herself a griot, or traditional keeper of stories — would have felt less jarring in a more abstract production.

From New York Times

“Consider me your time-traveling griot,” she tells the audience with wry buoyanc‌y, evoking the West African tradition of storytellers who propagated endangered legacies.

From New York Times