a member of a hereditary caste among the peoples of western Africa whose function is to keep an oral history of the tribe or village and to entertain with stories, poems, songs, dances, etc.
gri·ot (grē-ō', grē'ō, grē'ŏt) n. A storyteller in western Africa who perpetuates the oral tradition and history of a village or family.
[French, alteration of guiriot, perhaps ultimately from Portuguese criado, domestic servant, from Latin creātus, one brought up or trained, from past participle of creāre, to produce, bring up; see create.]