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- Title
Guardians of Culture: The Controversial Heritage of Senegalese Griots.
- Authors
Hearn, Adrian H.
- Abstract
The low-caste Griots of Senegal's Wolof community, traditionally employed as singers of histories and praises, earn their keep today by playing sabar drums at private women's dance parties. Although these gatherings are publicly scorned for the sexually expressive dances they involve, they are nevertheless immensely popular behind closed doors. Many Griot drummers justify their participation in sabar performances by linking the activity with the work of their historically marginalised ancestors, though this connection is disputed by elderly Griots, who view it as departure from their occupational tradition. While sabar is criticised for subverting both Griot heritage and public standards of decency, the ethnographic data suggest that it nevertheless reproduces traditional patronage relationships based on the interdependence and mutual benefit of the low-status (caste) and high-status (noble) sectors. Research is based on eleven months of participant observation in Senegal in 1996 and 1997, during which time the author trained as a sabar drummer in Dakar and Saint-Louis.
- Subjects
SENEGAL; DRUMMERS (Musicians); WOLOF (African people); ENTERTAINING; CASTE
- Publication
Australian Journal of Anthropology, 2004, Vol 15, Issue 2, p129
- ISSN
1035-8811
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1835-9310.2004.tb00248.x