ders to a certain extent and even as a separate race by some.
Most anthropologists studying the Mande agree that four groups make up the true nyamakala: garankew, who work in leather and create vitally-needed amulet covers for the tribe; finaw, who act as Islamic praise-sayers; jeli or jeliw, the Mandekan bards who keep the oral history of the tribe; and numuw or numu, the blacksmiths who also create elaborate sculptures. The Epic of Son-Jara offers a glimpse into the world of the jeli, while the numuw are studied at length in The Mande Blacksmiths. Each focuses on the nyamakala from a different perspective; both agree that the bards and the blacksmiths are the two most important of the four groups.
The Epic of Son-Jara offers a brief introduction before getting to the heart of the text, which consists of a detailed transcription and translation of one performance by a jeli. The introduction is a succinct and somewhat simplified explanation of the place of the jeli in Mandekan society; both books agree on the main points i
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