# List of oral repositories

Oral repositories are people who have been trusted with mentally recording information constituting oral tradition within a society. They serve an important role in oral cultures and illiterate societies as repositories of their culture's traditional knowledge, values, and morals.

## Roles

People termed as "oral repositories" have been likened to "walking libraries", leading to the saying "whenever an old man dies, it is as though a library were burning down". Roles vary, and can be titular, formal or informal, some professional specialists such as the Caucasian ashik, or more commonly amateurs and knowledgeable generalists such as the bulaam of the Kuba people.$^{:36–39}$
Types of information held by oral repositories includes lineages, oral law, mythology, oral literature and oral poetry (of which oral history is often entwined), folk songs and aural tradition, and traditional knowledge. In many indigenous societies, such as Native American and San, these roles are fulfilled in a general sense by elders. In some societies anyone could become a generalist or traditionalist regardless of their social class, and acquisition depends solely on individual aptitude, while in others the roles are hereditary and dependent on class or caste.$^{:192–193}$
These people usually hold authority within their respective societies, although musicians sometimes constitute a low caste/class. They can be religious figures playing roles in rituals and ceremonies. With regard to narrative traditions, they usually perform from their repertoire and apply their distinct style while innovating on a well-known tale or work, seeking to create an experience by leading, involving, and responding to the audience.$^{:34}$ Some participate in improvised poetry competitions such as the Central Asian aytysh, the North African Kabyle people's amusnaw, the Spanish repentismo [es], or the African Ewe people's halo. In parts of the world they remain as custodians of culture despite rising literacy rates.

## Africa

| Term | Type/s of information | Society/ies | Period | Sources |
| Abacurabwenge | Genealogy | Rwandan | | |
| Abasizi | Poetry/panegyrics | Rwandan | | |
| Abateekerezi | Royal memoirs | Rwandan | | |
| Abiru | Code of kingship | Rwandan | | |
| Akewi | Poetry, eg. oríkì | Yoruba | To present | |
| Akomfo | Religious lore | Akan | To present | |
| Arókin (griot) | General | Yoruba | To present | |
| Amdyaz | Poetry | Berber | To present | |
| Amusnaw | General, eg. asefru | Kabyle | | |
| Anechchad | Songs | Berber | To present | |
| Azmari | Poetry and songs | Amharic | | |
| Babalawo | Religious lore | Yoruba | To present | |
| Bambudye/Mbudye | General | Luba | To present | |
| Bulaam | History, literature, and poetry | Kuba | To present | $^{:17}$ |
| Debtera | Religious lore | Ethiopian and Eritrean | | |
| Gawlo (griot) | General | Fula and Toucouleur | To present | |
| Gesere/Jaare (griot) | General | Soninke | To present | |
| Géwël (griot) | General | Wolof and Serer | To present | |
| Halaiqui | Literature | Moroccan | To present | |
| Iggiw/Ighyuwn/Iggawen (griot) | General | Hassaniya | To present | |
| Imbongi | Poetry | Southern African, eg. Xhosa and Zulu | To present | |
| Jèli/Jali | General | Mandinka, Dyula, Mossi, and Bambara | To present | |
| Hogon | Religious lore | Dogon | To present | |
| Maalem | Songs, religious lore | Moroccan | To present | |
| Mahosi [ve] | General | Venda | To present | |
| Maroka (griot) | General | Hausa | To present | |
| Mbomo mvet | Songs and literature | Fang | To present | |
| Mganga | Religious lore | Swahili | | |
| Mmoki | Poetry | Tswana | To present | |
| Moaridi | History | Kuba | | |
| Moreti | Poetry | Bapedi | To present | |
| Mpikabary | Public speaking | Merina | To present | |
| Mukhodi | Poetry | Venda | To present | |
| Muphati | Poetry | Tsonga | To present | |
| N'anga | Religious lore | Shona | To present | |
| Nganga | Religious lore | Kongo | To present | |
| Oday | General, law | Somali | To present | |
| Ogbu Avu | General | Igbo | To present | |
| Okyeame | General | Akan | | |
| Omwevugi | General, eg poetry | Banyankore and Bahima | To present | |
| Sangoma | Religious lore, general | Nguni, Sotho, and Tsonga | To present | |
| Sarungano | Literature | Shona | To present | |
| Seroki | Poetry, genealogies | Sotho | To present | |
| Svikiro | Religious knowledge | Shona | | |
| Ughoro | General | Edo | | |
| Ugogo | Literature (ntsomi or izinganekwane [zu]) | Xhosa and Zulu | To present | |

## Asia

| Term | Type/s of information | Society/ies | Period |
| Aqyn | Poetry and songs | Kazakh and Kyrgyz | |
| Ashik/Ashugh | Poetry and songs | Azerbaijani, Turkish, Georgian, and Armenian | |
| Babaylan | Religious lore | Filipino | Until 20th century |
| Bagshy | Literature | Turkmen | To present |
| Baxshi [uz] | Poetry | Uzbek | To present |
| Bhanaka | Religious texts | Asian (Buddhist) | Until 1st century BCE |
| Bhāts | Genealogy, sometimes poetry and storytelling | Indian | |
| Bobohizan | Religious knowledge | Kadazan-Dusun (Malay) | To present |
| Bomoh | Religious knowledge | Malay and Sumatran | To present |
| Charan | General, eg. Rajasthani and Gujarati literature | Rajasthani, Gujurati, Baloch, and Sindhi | |
| Dalang | Literature | Indonesian | To present |
| Dastango | Literature | Pakistani | Until 20th century (revived) |
| Dengbêj | Literature and songs | Kurdish | |
| Dukun | Religious knowledge | Malay and Indonesian | To present |
| Gusans | Poetry | Armenian | |
| Hakawati | Literature | Arab | To present |
| Kamishibaiya | Literature | Japanese | To present |
| Kathakar | Literature | Indian | To present |
| Maggid | Religious lore, literature | Jewish | |
| Manaschi | Literature | Kyrgyz | To present |
| Manganiar | Songs and music | Rajasthani (Indian) | To present |
| Meddah | Literature | Turkish | Until 20th century |
| Mo phi | Religious knowledge | Thai | |
| Naqqal | Literature | Iranian | To present |
| Pawang | Religious knowledge | Malay and Indonesian | To present |
| Qawwāl | Religious songs | Asian (Sufi) | To present |
| Rāwī | Poetry, literature, and religious texts | Arabic | Until 8th century CE |
| Sėsėn | Literature | Bashkir | To present |
| Sorikkun | Pansori | Korean | |
| Tuulchi | Literature | Mongolian | To present |
| Wu | Religious lore | Chinese | Until ? |
| Zajjalin | Poetry | Andalusian, Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian, Jordanian, Moroccan, and Algerian | To present |
| Zhyrau | Poetry, eg. Kazakh literature | Turkic, eg. Kazakh | To present |

## Europe

| Term | Type/s of information | Society/ies | Period | Sources |
| Aoidos | Poetry and songs | Ancient Greek | Until ? | |
| Aois-dàna | Genealogy | Scottish Highlander | Until 17th century | |
| Bard | General | Scottish, Irish, and Welsh | Until ? | |
| Bertsolaris | Poetry | Basque | To present | |
| Cuntisti | Literature | Sicilian (Italian) | | |
| Druid | Religious lore | Celtic | Until ? | |
| Drut'syla | Literature | Jewish | To present | |
| Dziady | Songs | Slavic eg. Polish | | |
| Filí | Poetry | Irish and Scottish | Until 15th century | |
| Fulesta [it] | Literature | Romagnol (Italian) | To present? | |
| Kobzar | Songs | Ukrainian | Until 20th century (revived) | . |
| Lahutar | Poetry | Albanian | | |
| Lăutari | Songs | Romanian and Romani | To present | |
| Lirnyk | Literature and songs | Ukrainian | Until 20th century | |
| Klezmer | Songs | Jewish | | |
| Makar | General | Scottish | | |
| Minstrel | Songs | European | Until 19th century | |
| Ollam | General | Irish | Until ? | |
| Piitárides | Songs | Cypriot | | |
| Rhapsode | Poetry | Ancient Greek | Until ? | |
| Rimadóri | Songs | Cretan (Greek) | | |
| Seanchai | Literature and history | Irish, Manx, and Scottish Highlander | To present | |
| Scop | Poetry | English | Until ? | |
| Skald | Poetry | Scandinavian | Until 16th century | |
| Skomorokh | Songs | Russian | Until 18th century | |
| Spelman | Songs | Swedish | | |
| Spielmann | Songs | German | | |
| Thyle | General | Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon | Until 7th century | |
| Tietäjä | General, Poetry | Finnish | Until 20th century | |

## North America

| Term | Type/s of information | Society/ies | Period |
| Calypsonian | Songs | Trinidadian | |
| Iyalawo | Religious knowledge | Afro-Cuban | To present |
| Medicine man | Religious knowledge | Native American | To present |
| North American Indigenous elder | General | North American Indigenous | To present |
| Oungan and Manbo | Religious lore | Afro-Haitian | To present |
| Paleros | Religious lore | Afro-Cuban | |

## South America

| Term | Type/s of information | Society/ies | Period | Sources |
| Amauta | General | Incan | Until ? | |
| Yatiri | Religious knowledge | Aymara | To present | |

## Oceania

| Term | Type/s of information | Society/ies | Period |
| Australian Aboriginal elder | General | Australian Aboriginal | To present |
| Fāgogo | Literature | Samoan | To present |
| Ha'atufunga | Royal rituals | Tongan | To present |
| Haku mo'olelo | Literature | Hawaiian | |
| Kahuna | Religious lore | Polynesian, eg. Hawaiian | |
| Mea hula | Literature | Hawaiian | To present |
| Tulafale | General | Samoan | To present |
| Wānanga | General | Māori | To present |