Part I Becoming African

Chapter 1

Africa

I. A Huge and Diverse Land

2nd largest continent in the world From North to South

several of climatic zones Desert, savannah, rain forest,

mountain ranges

II. Birthplace of Humanity Fossil and genetic evidence

Out-of-Africa model Modern humans emerged

200,000 years ago Migrated to the rest of the

world 100,000 years ago “Eve” model

All modern humans from a single African woman

III. Ancient Civilizations

Race debate Black Egyptians colonized

ancient Greece Became the originators of

Western civilization Modern racial categories

irrelevant to ancient Egypt Egypt influenced Greek and

Western civilization

Egyptian Civilization

Egyptian Society

Patrilineal/patriarchal Male dominated

Hierarchical Warriors, priests, merchants,

artisans, peasants Comprehensive bureaucracy

Egyptian Society (cont.)

Women Owned property

Managed household slaves

Educated their children

Held public office

Served as priests

Operated businesses

Egyptian Society (cont.)

Polytheistic religion Re (Ra): the sun god Osiris: god of the Nile

Immortality

Personal and state combined in kings

Trade and Conquest

Nubia Egyptian colony ~ copper

and gold deposits Kush

Nubian independent kingdom

Trade and Conquest

Meroe Africa’s first industrial center Iron deposits and geographic

location Axum

First Christian state in sub-Saharan Africa Influenced by Hebrew culture

IV. West Africa Physically, ethnically, and

culturally diverse Savannah and forest

Home to a variety of cultures and languages

Divided labor by gender Lived in villages composed of

extended families

West Africa

Accorded semi-divine status to their kings

Cultivated crops Tended domesticated

animals Produced iron tools and

weapons

West Africa

Trade with North Africa Essential part of the

economy and kingdoms

Ghana

First known kingdom in the western Sudan Founded between 4th and 8th

centuries CE Warfare and iron weapons

created an empire

Ghana Commerce

Camel caravans Imported silk, cotton, glass beads,

horses, mirrors, dates, and salt Exported pepper, slaves, and gold mined

in another region and taxed passing through

Commerce and religion destroyed Ghana in the 12th century

Empire of Mali, 1230-1468

Sundiata Reigned 1210-1260 Led the Mandinka to victory

over the Sosso in 1235

Empire of Mali, 1230-1468

Larger than Ghana Greater rainfall More crops Control of Wangara gold

mines Population reached eight

million

Empire of Mali (cont.) Commerce, bureaucracy and

scholarship Most merchants and rulers

Moslems by 1210s Converted to gain stature

among Arab states

Empire of Mali (cont.) Timbuktu

Major trading hub Gold, slaves, and salt

Center of Islamic learning ~13th century

150 Islamic schools Cosmopolitan community

Religious and ethnic toleration common

Empire of Mali (cont.)

Mansa Musa Reigned 1312-1337 Pilgrimage across Africa to

Mecca in Arabia Empire declined with

Musa’s death

Empire of Songhai, 1461-1591

The last and largest of the Sudanese empires Sunni Ali

Reigned 1464-1492 Conquered people paid tribute Generally ran their own affairs

Empire of Songhai (cont.)

-- Askia Muhammad Toure Reigned 1492-1528 Devout Moslem

Empire of Songhai (cont.)

Expanded empire Centralized administration

of the empire Substituted taxation for

tribute

Empire of Songhai

Established bureaucratic trade regulation

Used his power to spread Islam within the empire

Empire of Songhai (cont.)

Askia Daud

Reigned 1549-1582 Songhai failed to adapt to

changing political atmosphere Portuguese established

trading centers along the Guinea coast

Empire of Songhai

Arab rulers of North Africa threatened with loss of trade

King of Morocco sent mercenaries to Songhai in 1591

Empire of Songhai

Defeated the Songhai army and empire fell apart

When Moroccans left the region

West Africa without a government powerful enough to stop the Portuguese

West African Forest Region

Cultural diversification Small powerful kingdoms

Benin City Little influenced by Islam

or Christianity

West African Forest Region

Trading center Gold, peppers, ivory,

and slaves By 17th century

dependent on slave trade

V. Kongo and Angola Kongo-Angola region

Trade with the interior of the continent

Late 15th century rulers more welcoming of Portuguese Nzinga Mbemba tried to convert

kingdom to Christianity Unrest, Portuguese greed, and

slave trade destroy the kingdom

VI. West African Society and Culture

Most were farmers Villages and hamlets

Extended families and clans Some patrilineal, others

matrilineal Produced cotton for clothes Variety of crops

Women

Served as government officials in ancient Ghana Enslaved women in the royal

court of Dahomey also held official posts

Increased sexual freedoms West African women could have

male friends apart from relatives

Women (cont.)

Sande: a secret society for women Taught sex education to girls Initiated into adulthood

(Poro: male secret society)

Women (cont.)

Both societies established standards of Male and female

conduct Emphasized female

virtue and male honor

Class and Slavery

Royalty Landed nobles, warriors,

peasants and bureaucrats Lower classes

Artisans and laborers: blacksmiths, butchers, tanners, and oral historians called griots

Class and Slavery

Slavery Common in West Africa

More so in the savannah region than in forest areas

Variety of forms Not necessarily a

permanent condition

Class and Slavery (cont.)

Islamic regions Masters responsible for

slaves’ religious well-being Non-Islamic regions’ children of

slaves

Legal rights Not to be sold from the

land they occupied

Class and Slavery (cont.)

Slaves in royal courts or in the armies Owned property and often held

power over free people Agricultural slaves

Less fortunate Work and privilege for second and

third generation offspring similar to free people

Religion

15th century West Africa Islam

Introduced by Arab traders More prevalent in cosmopolitan

areas The religion of merchants and

bureaucrats Fostered learning and building

mosques in West African cities

Religion (cont.)

Indigenous religions Strongest in forest areas

Polytheistic and animistic One creator God and a

host of lesser gods

Religion (cont.)

Saw the force of God in all things Ancestor worship,

magicians, and oracles Ceremonies and animal

sacrifices

Art and Music

Related to religious practices Excelled in woodcarving and sculpture

Wooden masks and terra-cotta figurines Used in funerals, medical practices, and in

coming-of-age ceremonies

Musical instruments Drums, xylophones, bells, flutes, and

mbanzas

Literature

Oral histories, poetry, and tales Specially trained poets and musicians

Served kings and nobles Views of common people also

represented

Literature

Prose tales Human characters

Tales about creation, success, romance

Animal characters “Trickster tales” Entertained and taught lessons

VII. Conclusion The history of African Americans

begins in West Africa. Family organization, work habits,

language, religious beliefs, legends, and more came to America and influenced the way African Americans and others lived in their new land.