Hansen/Curtis, 1/e, Ch



World History in Today's World: Women Griottes in Mali

This activity corresponds to the "World History in Today's World: Women Griottes in Mali " feature in your textbook. Once you have answered the Comprehension questions, submit your answers and move on to the subsequent questions included in the Analysis and Outside Sources sections. Each section is designed to build upon the one before it, taking you progressively deeper into the subject you are studying. After you have answered all of the questions, you will have the option of emailing your responses to your instructor.

Introduction

The oral performance of the griot/griotte was one of the most important traditional methods by which African societies recorded their histories. It was not the only one, however, and in some regions it competed with other oral, visual, and written methods. The links and questions below will help you to learn more about how African societies constructed histories, as well as more about the development and contemporary practice of griot/griotte performance.

Comprehension

1. From whom did D. T. Niane transcribe the story of Sundiata?

2. Before 1960, what tended to be the specialty of women story tellers in Mali?

3. With what sort of accompaniment do griottes often tell stories?

Analysis

Go to and read more about the various traditional methods of recording history in Africa. Make sure to click on the images and examine them closely.

1. What do the methods discussed in the essay suggest about the role of history-telling in complex African societies?

2. What do the methods discussed in the essay have in common?

3. How did Christianity and Islam affect the practice of history-telling in Africa?

Outside Sources

1. As you know, one of the great subjects of griot/griotte performance is the story of Sundiata, the legendary founder of the Kingdom of Mali. You can read a version of the story at . How does Sundiata achieve victory, and what does he do to his defeated enemies? How might this story have been performed?

2. Go to and read about the contemporary jeli (griot) Moussa Sissko. What does the discussion suggest about the recent history of the griot's/griotte's art?

3. At , read "Music and Griot Tradition." What does this short essay suggest about the griot's/griotte's profession today?

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