Traditional Music of Mali

Bambara, Dyula, Malinke, Soninke and Sarakole are the people, who form the core Malian culture, but the area of the Mali Empire has been increased far to the north in the recent Mali and the people of Tuareg and Maure continue to have a largely itinerant desert culture. In the east the people of Bozo, Dogon and Songhay dominates, while the Fula people who are formerly itinerant cattle-herders have settled in patches throughout the nation and they are now a village and city dwellers, as they are many in West Africa. Based on historical interethnic relations were simplified by the Niger River and the country’s big savannahs. The Sarakole, Dogon, Bambara, Malinke and Songhay main occupation is farming, the Fula, Tuareg and Maur are herders and the Bozo occupation is fishing. In the present years, this link has shifted significantly as the ethnic groups seek different, nontraditional sources of income.

source of picture: www.theguardian.com 

Mali’s tradition is mainly oral and it is mediated by jalis through reading or singing histories and stories from the memory. Amadou Hampate Ba who is the Mali’s best-known historian who spent much time of his life recording the oral traditions of his own Fula teachers as well as those of Bambara and other Mande neighbors. The jeliw (singular is jeli, feminine is jelimusow and French griot) are a caste of professional artists and orator supported by a prominence patrons of the horon class and part of the same caste as craftsmen (nyamakala). They recount the ancestral detail and family activities, praise the deeds of their patron’s ancestors and praise their patrons themselves as well as encouraging them to behave morally to make the honor of the family name. They are also seen as the dispute mediator, their position is highly respected and they are also trusted by their patrons with the privileged information since the caste system does not allow them to compete with upper class. The class of jeli is endogamous, so certain surnames are held only by the jeliw which include Sissokho, Diabate, Kouyate, Kone, Soumano and Kamissoko.

Their collection includes several olden songs of which the oldest may be Lambang, which is praise music. Other songs of praise that is used to praise the olden king and heroes especially Sunjata Keita (Sunjata) and Tutu Jara (Tut Jara), the lyrics are composed from the scripted refrain (donkili) which is the improvised section. The improvised lyrics praise of the ancestors is usually based around a surname. Each of the surnames has a description to use to glorify its olden holders and the singers also praise the recent and still-living family members. Proverbs are another main part of traditional songs.

These are typically followed by a full dance band and the common instruments of the Maninka jeli band are;

·         Kora which is 21-24 cord lute-harp which is classified by the manner of playing as well as the bridge structure.

·         Bala which is slat xylophone with small gourd resonators.

·         N’goni comprises 4 to 7 string lute

·         Dunumba (it is a large mallet drum hung from one shoulder and it is played with a curved stick, followed by a bell played with the opposite hand

·         N’taman (it is a hourglass-shaped talking drum or tension drum that have large and small variants

·         Tabale (it is tall conga-shaped drum played with long and thin flexible sticks)

Since 1950s the jeli have added the guitar for their collection. Most new touring artists combine traditional instruments with the guitar, electric bass keyboards and the drum set too.

Seeing jeli’s in the political and historical aspects of the task fall in a large range, but not exclusively within the male jeli’s realm as it is played in most instruments. The only instrument played by jelimusow traditionally was the karinya, however now some of the musicians played drums like kora and even ngoni.