why was the oral tradition important in africa

They are very important in keeping the past alive. Oral Traditions and the Verbal Arts (1992); Communicating: The Multiple Modes of Human Interconnection (2002); and The Oral and Beyond: Doing Things with Words in Africa (2007). In this section, we will look at the oral traditions and written traditions of West Africa. Simply put, the term oral tradition refers to a process by which any information about a culture, such as literature, history, medicine, etc., is passed down by being spoken instead of written . Griots are poet-musicians who tell stories, sing songs of praise, and recite poems, often while . One is oral history - what, when and why things happened to a person or a community. The fact that we're dealing in oral medium of story telling is very important to the development of the tradition itself because stories tend to be told in some units that can be passed along . How have West African folktales become a part of the culture in the Americas? A. Songs, folklores, superstitions, etc. Today, historians recognise how important oral traditions are. A griot is a West African storyteller singer musician and oral historian. There is often a lesson or a value to instill and the transmission of wisdom to children is a community responsibility. The most important musical instrument of Africa is the drum. . Many cultures in Africa have rituals of oral storytelling. Oral traditions guide social and human morals giving people a sense of place and purpose. Even more problematically, this Eurocentric bias has complicated the study of African history because, until . What became much more important because of Africa's lack of natural harbors. Oral tradition is how Africans perceived the past. 3. African history was to be the history of Africans, a history that had begun well before the European 'discovery' of Africa. World Oral Literature Series: Volume 1 ORAL LITERATURE IN AFRICA . The 2 largest rivers in West Africa are? Oral tradition was so. . Oral and written storytelling traditions have had a parallel development, and in many ways they have influenced each other. Together, these two groups make oral renditions play a crucial role in passing on cultural values, essential events, lessons and mysteries and sadness and joy. The Djembe is held on a high pedestal in the social communal aspect of the society's daily routine . According to the most recent studies, Christianity and Islam each represent around 40% of Africa's population . Oral tradition allows interviewees to relate changes in societal norms, values, beliefs, traditions and political correctness - something static written documents sometimes can't convey. Master of the oral traditions the griot plays a key role in west African society. What are griots? The songs are often sung in call-and-response form. Introduction. come to form important sources of documentation. Quick Answer: Why Has The Oral Tradition Been So Important In West Africa There is a rich tradition throughout Africa of oral storytelling. Africa has a strong, deep, and rich oral tradition. So the transmission of knowledge history and experience in West Africa was mainly through the oral tradition and per- formance rather than on written texts. Oral tradition is important in west Africa because modern writers add to the oral legacy some have turned oral traditions to novels. They are how we share cultural heritage and beliefs. It was a ritual believed to bring rainfall. E. It helped develop communication between tribes. . The transmission is through speech or song and may include folktales, ballads, chants, prose or verses.In this way, it is possible for a society to transmit oral history, oral literature, oral law and . Naturally, singing is very important to the African society because the melody and rhythm follow the intonation of the song text. Like some other ancient societies, Africa also has a great tradition of preserving and genealogic histories of its people. oral-tradition-a-study-in-historical 1/4 Downloaded from stats.ijm.org on August 13, 2022 by guest . Genealogies are a very important part of Oral Tradition, primarily because their authenticity is less open to dispute. So the transmission of knowledge history and experience in West Africa was mainly through the oral tradition and per- formance rather than on written texts. This is due in part to the areas' origin in colonialism and slavery which brought to the region various ethnic groups each with their own cultures and traditions. In the early formation of societies in Africa dance, music, art, and oral tradition were the primary way that ancient Africans preserved their history, culture . Oral traditions have played and continue to play important roles in the history of Africa as well as its present. The problem was sources. Griots: Record Keepers of the People A griot (GREE-oh) is a verbal artist of the Mande people. Why is oral tradition important? . Oral tradition contributed to understanding are just some of the things that have been passed from generation to generation orally. through an oral tradition was an important element in the success of the mythological lm: The Ram Leela (a celebration . Much of their storytelling revolved around composing, memorizing, and performing all different kinds of poems, war chants, laments, and prayers. C. It helped pass traditions to younger generations. Oral tradition is when history, stories, memories and traditions are spoken about and passed on from generation to generation. See answer (1) Best Answer. The Griot: The Griot is a storyteller in West African culture. Why has oral tradition been so important in West Africa? oral tradition also called orality the first and still most widespread mode of human communication. Ancient Egyptian scribes, early Hausa and Swahili copyists and memorizers, and contemporary writers of popular novellas have been the obvious and crucial transitional figures in the movement from oral to literary traditions. A.) Music and Poetry in African Traditions. He is also important among the Jukan and Angass of Nigeria. Why was the oral tradition important in Africa Brainly? It was a ritual believed to bring rainfall. The answer is Africans taught oral tradition to teach the listener important traditional values and morals pertaining to how to live life. Implications for the study of oral literature. However,in receiving the accounts of oral tradition relating to slavery and slave trade in Africa,especially in the three areas that were studied, it is important to note the point that the various accounts must have undergone series of 'editing' that could have been brought The historian is in a hurry and counts on understanding the message of a text by reading additional texts, by the redundancy built into the very repetition of texts. Fagunwa in Yoruba, Violet Dube in Zulu, S.E.K. B.) In west Africa most people could not read or write so they spread history, traditions, and many other things through oral traditions. The significance of performance in actualization, transmission, and composition. Why were they important in West African culture? Oral tradition is important in west Africa because modern writers add to the oral legacy some have turned oral traditions to novels. Oral Literature in Africa.indd 2 8/28/12 12:58 PM. . Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another. Oral tradition allows people to transmit intent, culture, viewpoints and perspectives. It was used to communicate with the king. What are the types of oral tradition? The sources and forms of oral tradition are very diverse. Religion. Why were the griots important in West Africa? Why was the oral tradition important in Africa? Oral traditions guide social and human morals giving people a sense of place and purpose. The oral traditions and expressions domain encompasses an enormous variety of spoken forms including proverbs, riddles, tales, nursery rhymes, legends, myths, epic songs and poems, charms, prayers, chants, songs, dramatic performances and more. What Is The Meaning Of Oral Tradition? Griots today live in many parts of West Africa and are present among many different groups. The tortoise is the trickster hero among the . Mqhayi in Xhosa, and Mario Antnio in Portugueseis readily evident. Wolof griot in Senegal, c 1890. By conventional definition, history is the study of written records. This is called "oral tradition". Oral tradition is important in all societies, despite the reliance of some cultures on written records and accounts. oral tradition call-and-response griot terra-cotta genealogy kente folktale appliqu Section 1 1. Oral traditions and expressions are used to pass on knowledge, cultural and social values and collective memory. Each aristocratic family of griots accompanied a higher-ranked family of warrior kings or emperors. In African religion, it is the guiding principle in which to make sense of the world. They play a crucial part in keeping . South Africa 16 Ethnography A description and interpretation of a cultural or social group or . Central, and Southern Africa. The griot memorized all the important events that occurred there. In medieval times, written traditions also became important. Why was the oral tradition important in Africa? Her most recent book, C.) It helped pass traditions to younger generations D.) It helped ensure the success of the gold-salt trade. So the transmission of knowledge history and experience in West Africa was mainly through the oral tradition and per- formance rather than on written texts. So the transmission of knowledge, history and experience in West Africa was mainly through the oral tradition and per- formance rather than on written texts. Western discourse has come to prioritize the written word as the dominant form of record keeping and until recently, Westerners have generally considered oral societies to be peoples . He keeps hold of facts and important events from the past. This exercise explores the continuum of the oral tradition, asking students ultimately to consider how blues . How do West African written and oral Oral tradition is how Africans perceived the past. Jan Vansina's seminal theoretical work, Oral Tradition: A Study in Historical Methodology, articulated the major theoretical advances in defence of the use of oral traditions in historical reconstruction. The oral tradition in the work of some of the early writers of the 20th century Amos Tutuola of Nigeria, D.O. Oral traditions guide social and human morals giving people a sense of place and purpose. Unless you were given the basics orally from your parents as a toddler, and in grade school, you'd be illiterate and computers would be nearly useless. This role performed by griots is a very important one for preservation of a people's history, especially centuries ago where technology wasn't as evolved like now, and a whole lineage and history of peoples could have been forgotten otherwise. The Trans-Saharan trade. The oral production also had a definite . Oral traditions are part of the African way of life. Africa is a vast continent with numerous religions, and within the same tradition, there have been significant variations. There is a rich tradition throughout Africa of oral storytelling. Even more so for communities that weren't learned in writing or reading. Why are oral traditions so important? In essence, keeping African tradition alive entails the active collaboration between the story teller and listener. In many countries across West Africa, this tradition is often preserved by the griots, who are historians, storytellers, praise singers, poets, and/or musicians. Expert-verified answer dubeyshailja64 They pass the tradition of storytelling along the familial line. 2. The significance of oral Tradition is due to the stories holding so much information and knowledge. B. The former are relatively well knownat any rate the recent writings in European languages (much work remains to be publicized on earlier Arabic and local written . Some of these writings were merely imitations of the oral tradition and were therefore not influential. Although storytelling may immediately come to mind, there is actually a wide variety of types of oral tradition present in Native American cultures, including eyewitness accounts, poems, songs, choreography, speeches, and instances of spoken word that have contributed to the development of rituals and ceremonies. The primary three religious traditions are African traditional religion, Christianity, and Islam. Often, the griot is the preserver of the history of a family, a clan, and sometimes of the nation. They play a crucial part in keeping cultures alive. The oral tradition of storytelling makes it possible for a culture to pass knowledge, history, and experiences from one generation to the next. Audience and occasion. Many if not all of these groups were illiterate which necessitated the need for oral traditions as a vital means Free Caribbean Jamaica Trinidad and Tobago Read More Oral traditions form the foundation of Aboriginal societies, connecting speaker and listener in communal experience and uniting past and present in memory." 2. it has been so important in West Africa because without it there would be no way of passing on their history Why was oral tradition so important to the early Africans? The Role of Oral Tradition. Copy. Because they are passed on by word of mouth, oral traditions and expressions often vary significantly in their telling. Oral traditions and expressions are used to pass on knowledge, cultural and social values and collective memory. African proverbs and stories draw upon the collective wisdom of oral peoples, express their "structures of meaning, feeling, thought, and expression," and thus serve important social and ethical purposes: "The story itself is a primary form of the oral tradition, primary as a mode of conveying culture, experience, and values and as a means of . How do you know math, reading, pronunciation, vocabulary, etc.? (Oral means spoken.) The Djembe is a traditional African drum and is the symbolic instrument of the West African community. They are: verbal, materials, custom, belief, motion, and music and song. The significance of oral Tradition is due to the stories holding so much information and knowledge. So the transmission of knowledge, history and experience in West Africa was mainly through the oral tradition and per- formance rather than on written texts. Oral tradition contributed to understanding pre-colonial history because the pre-colonial Africa was influenced by two major movements which are the expansion of islam and the dispersion of the . These traditions account for the ways things are and often the way they should be, and assist people in educating the young and teaching important lessons about the past and about life. EXAMPLES OF ORAL TRADITION. Why was oral tradition important in West Africa? It was used to communicate with the king. Oral art as literature. It has been said that no one knows how the drum came into being or how the first drum . Oral Traditions as History in Africa the oral societies they study is the ease with which the written word can be multiplied; we literally live in a sea of written messages. Like many native peoples, the culture of the Maori people was highly oratory. They show African attitudes and feelings. Islam is a religion based on oral tradition. There is a rich tradition throughout Africa of oral storytelling. Oral tradition delivers explanations to the mysteries of the universe and the meaning of life on earth. The griot keeps records of all the births deaths marriages through the generations of the village or family. Most often, these written records have been the archives of state institutions, which has privileged elite and bureaucratic perspectives over those of ordinary people. Oral traditions have thus been successfully employed to reconstruct the history of many post-colonial societies in Africa. Why is oral tradition important in African culture? Oral traditions guide social and human morals giving people a sense of place and purpose. And one year later the new African history was given what was to become one of its dominant methodologies with the publication of Jan Vansina's De la tradition Orale. Answer (1 of 4): Without oral tradition, all knowledge would quickly go lost. It is the task of the storyteller, in both the oral and written traditions of Africa, to forge the fantasy images of the past into masks of the realistic images of the present, enabling the performer to pitch the present to the past, to visualize the present within a context of and therefore in terms of the past. Africa possesses both written and unwritten traditions. It cannot be changed although the narrator might embellish it. Often, the griot is the preserver of the history of a family, a clan, and sometimes of the nation. It is one of the only ways to know what happened in these societies. There is a rich tradition throughout Africa of oral storytelling. What functions did music serve in west Africa? What was one important function of the oral tradition in Africa? Griots form an endogamous caste, meaning that most of them only marry fellow griots. Music communicated ideas and values also expressed feelings and celebrated important evens such as weddings,funerals and ceramonies. The African American oral tradition has roots in Africa and a legacy in the blues. It is very important because many of what we know of . Far more than "just talking " oral tradition refers to a dynamic and highly diverse oral-aural medium for evolving storing and transmitting knowledge art and ideas. 4. There are two main types of oral tradition. D. It helped ensure the success of the gold-salt trade. Oral tradition stories are told by word of mouth, riddles, storytelling, and songs. In West Africa, a griot is a praise singer or poet who possesses a repository of oral tradition passed down from generation to generation. They were often thought to have a highly figurative and often rare poetic beauty. The oral tradition is a living, and dynamic organism within the African community, and the original element of oral traditional is djembe. Someone holding oral information can provide information that was deliberately left out through cross-examination, interview techniques or rapport-building. Why was the oral tradition important in Africa? These draw Africans together, so that, by sharing stories, they can . Griots could recite . And. E.) It helped develop communication between tribes.

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