À partir de XIIᵉ siècle
Mande cultural heartland and the western Sudan
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The jeliw were hereditary Mande bards responsible for preserving oral traditions, praising patrons, advising rulers, and transmitting narratives about ancestors and heroic deeds. Attached to ruling households and dynasties, they served as spokespersons and custodians of collective memory. Their performances used songs, proverbs, narrative, and instruments such as the bala, kora, and nkoni. Their privileged position depended on the political power and prestige of their patrons.
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Le récit
Jeliw were hereditary artists who maintained the oral discourse of Mande communities. They recited stories about early ancestors and preserved narratives that expressed how the Mande cultural heartland understood its distant past. Because principal lineages defined themselves through descent from figures celebrated in epic traditions, the jeliw helped sustain both collective memory and social identity across generations.
In earlier times, jeliw served as spokespersons for chiefs and kings. Leading households supported jeli families in return for praise songs, historical narratives, and verbal counsel. A jeli could encourage a ruler by recalling heroic ancestors, expose mistakes through proverbs, or admonish a patron who failed in his duties. Yet this relationship also shaped the content of their performances, since their own security depended on the prestige and political strength of the ruling household.
The jeli repertoire was closely connected to music. Jeliw traditionally played instruments including the bala, kora, and nkoni while singing praise songs and recounting campaigns or ancestral deeds. Female bards, known as jelimuso, performed choruses and played stringed instruments. Their artistry combined memory, political communication, music, and public ceremony, making the jeliw central figures in Mande court and community life.
À partir de XIIᵉ siècle
Mande cultural heartland and the western Sudan
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The jeliw were hereditary Mande bards responsible for preserving oral traditions, praising patrons, advising rulers, and transmitting narratives about ancestors and heroic deeds. Attached to ruling households and dynasties, they served as spokespersons and custodians of collective memory. Their performances used songs, proverbs, narrative, and instruments such as the bala, kora, and nkoni. Their privileged position depended on the political power and prestige of their patrons.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
Jeliw were hereditary artists who maintained the oral discourse of Mande communities. They recited stories about early ancestors and preserved narratives that expressed how the Mande cultural heartland understood its distant past. Because principal lineages defined themselves through descent from figures celebrated in epic traditions, the jeliw helped sustain both collective memory and social identity across generations.
In earlier times, jeliw served as spokespersons for chiefs and kings. Leading households supported jeli families in return for praise songs, historical narratives, and verbal counsel. A jeli could encourage a ruler by recalling heroic ancestors, expose mistakes through proverbs, or admonish a patron who failed in his duties. Yet this relationship also shaped the content of their performances, since their own security depended on the prestige and political strength of the ruling household.
The jeli repertoire was closely connected to music. Jeliw traditionally played instruments including the bala, kora, and nkoni while singing praise songs and recounting campaigns or ancestral deeds. Female bards, known as jelimuso, performed choruses and played stringed instruments. Their artistry combined memory, political communication, music, and public ceremony, making the jeliw central figures in Mande court and community life.
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