The Cultural Legacy of West Africa

Learning and cultural ideas passed down orally, from one generation to the next.

• oral tradition
• story telling
• genealogy
• history

A talented poet-musician of the Mande people, who tell stories, sign songs, and recite poems to share history.

• grandparents
• elder
• griot
• king

An account of the line of ancestry within a family.

• family tree
• genealogy
• history book
• storyteller

How did the griots perform?

• Perform music, dance, and drama
• Perform long plays
• Perform on television
• Perform in a circus

What did griots do for their people?

• kept records and history
• performed weddings
• wrote history books
• recited the news

Griots recited ___________.

• rap songs
• successions of kings
• stories of everyday life
• American history

How did rulers rely on griots?

• a best friend
• to clean their homes
• to protect them
• as a trusted advisor

What was the most cherished information in griot history?

• The story of Muhammad
• The story of Sundjata Keita
• The story of Moses
• The story of Abraham

Who was Sundjata Keita?

• the king who founded the Mali empire
• the emperor of Rome
• the writer of their history
• a famous griot

A story that is passed down orally and becomes part of a culture's tradition.

• proverb
• folktale
• biography
• myth