Picture 1 of 1

Stock photo

Griots and Griottes: Masters of Words and Music by Thomas A Hale: New - Picture 1 of 1

Griots and Griottes : Masters of Words and Music by Thomas A. Hale (1999, Hardcover)

AlibrisBooks (457017)

98.5% positive Feedback

Price:

US $104.32

Approximately£77.56

+ $16.61 postage

Estimated delivery Fri, 4 Jul - Tue, 15 Jul

Returns:

30 days return. Buyer pays for return postage. If you use an eBay delivery label, it will be deducted from your refund amount.

Condition:

New

New Hard cover

About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherIndiana University Press

ISBN-100253334586

ISBN-139780253334589

eBay Product ID (ePID)598749

Product Key Features

Book TitleGriots and Griottes : Masters of Words and Music

Number of Pages432 Pages

LanguageEnglish

TopicFolklore & Mythology, Anthropology / Cultural & Social

Publication Year1999

IllustratorYes

GenreSocial Science

AuthorThomas A. Hale

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height1.3 in

Item Weight30.5 Oz

Item Length9.5 in

Item Width6.4 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN98-031798

ReviewsHale (Pennsylvania State Univ.), already well known for his other publications on the griot (masculine) and griotte (feminine), provides here an encyclopedic introduction to and overview of this ubiquitous and important West African figure. His text starts with the obscure and debated etymology of the word and a definition of this role in terms of traditional functions, which include poet, praise-singer, oral historian, and ritual figure, to name only some regular activities. He then moves on to the possible origin of the griot in the dim past of the region's complicated history. Subsequent chapters consider the making of a griot and the complicated social status of these individuals, i.e. both admired and debased, in the numerous societies in which they appear. Other sections, on the significance of female griottes and the spread of this African cultural symbol to other parts of the world, are less didactic and as such provide fresher reading. Taken together with Paul Stoller's more interpretive work The Cinematic Griot (CH, Jan'93), Hale's study is a valuable addition to the literature on both African societies and the African Diaspora. Upper -- division undergraduates and above.W. Arens, SUNY at Stony Brook 1999oct CHOICE., "Hale... provides here an encyclopedic introduction to and overview of this ubiquitous and important West African figure.... a valuable addition to the literature on both African societies and the African Diaspora. Upper-division undergraduates and above." -- Choice, October 1999

Dewey Edition22

Dewey Decimal398/.092/26

Table Of ContentIntroductionChapter 1, A Job Description for GriotsChapter 2, The Origin of GriotsChapter 3, The Verbal Art of GriotsChapter 4, Music Across the Griot WorldChapter 5, The Making of a GriotChapter 6, Would You Want Your Daughter to Marry One?Chapter 7, Griottes: Unrecognized Female VoicesChapter 8, From the Courtyards of the Nobility to a Global AudienceChapter 9, The Value of WordsChapter 10, New Millenium GriotsAppendicesReferencesIndex

SynopsisOn May 17, 1967, the American writer Alex Haley went to Juffure, a village in The Gambia on what was once the western fringe of the Mali empire. There he met a griot, or jali, who recounted a story about Haley's roots in Africa. Haley was trying to reconstruct his past, an African heritage which had been nearly erased by the slave trade and the experience of his African-American ancestors as slaves. Haley used some of this information to write Roots, which appeared in 1976 and led to an explosion of interest in geneology in the United States and other parts of the world. The television version of the story drew the largest single audience in the history of American television. Roots II, a sequel showed how Haley went about the research for the book, and many viewers saw a Mandinka jali, or griot, for the first time, the late Alhaji Bai Konte, playing the role of the man who told Haley the story about Kunta Kinte. Roots introduced griots to the world outside of West Africa and generated an enormous amount of interest in their profession. Griots and Griottes is the first comprehensive portrait of the world of this profession, starting with their discovery by the outside world in 1352 by a North African traveler, Ibn Battuta, up to the time of Alex Haley and the present. Griots in their multiple roles and functions are unique to Africa. They play many roles in society -- geneologist, historian, spokesperson, diplomat, musician, teacher, warrior, praise singer, master of ceremonies, and advisor. Griots and Griottes, based on over thirty years of research and travel in Africa, tells the story of these remarkable wordsmiths and performers., A comprehensive illustrated portrait of griots and griottes including extensive reference materials.

LC Classification NumberGR350.H275 1998