http://www.hp.uab.edu/image_archive/um/painting06.jpg

West Africa: Ghana, Mali and Songhay

Animism

Traditional African religious beliefs:– One God above a host of lesser gods

or sem-divine figures– Ancestral spirits– Sacrifice to ensure divine protection

and generosity– Rites of passage to move from child

to adult, life to death

Western African Kingdoms

Important developments:– long distance trade– introduction of Islam

Led to:-- kingdoms and empires flourishing in 5th –

16th century -- each had extensive trade with North through

Trans-Saharan Trade Route, large standing armies, and an effective system of taxation

Current Day Location

Not in modern Ghana

about four hundred miles northwest in Northern Senegal and

Southern Mauritania

Ghana developed in West Africa between the Niger and the Gambia Rivers (from 300- 1100). The rivers helped Ghana to grow rich because they were used to transport goods and develop trade. Ghana also collected taxes from traders who passed through the kingdom.

http://www.nevadasurveyor.com/africa/web/pages/niger_river.htm

Ghana Empire

Several clans of the Soninke people of west Africa came together under the leadership of a great king named Dinga Cisse

Few natural resources: salt and gold.

Adept at making things from iron.

Warriors used iron tipped spears to subdue their neighbors, who fought w/ weapons made of stone, bone, and wood.

http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/center/mm/eng/mm_rs_01.htm

"The King . . .(wears). . . necklaces round his neck and bracelets on his forearms and he puts on a high cap decorated with gold and wrapped in a turban of fine cotton. He (meets people) in a domed pavilion around which stand ten horses covered with gold-embroidered materials…and on his right, are the sons of the (lesser) kings of his country, wearing splendid garments and their hair plaited with gold.

At the door of the pavilion are dogs of excellent pedigree. Round their necks they wear collars of gold and silver, studded with a number of balls of the same metals."

10th century geographer Al-Bakri, quoted in Corpus of Early Arabic Sources for West African History.

Ghana became a rich and powerful nation, especially when the camel began to be used as a source of transport. Ghana relied on trade and trade was made faster and bigger with the use of the camel.

http://es.encarta.msn.com/media_461532998_761558787_-1_1/Caravana_de_camellos.html

news.nationalgeographic.com/. ../salt/photo6.html

Muslim warriors came into Ghana and fought with the non-Islamic people there. This weakened the great

civilization of Ghana. Local warriors then decided to break away from the power of Ghana and form their own local kingdoms. This ended many of the trade

networks. This eventually weakened the civilization of Ancient Ghana.

Islamic Mosque in Ghana

blankbluesky.com/ travel/ghana/

http://www.btsadventures.com/img/mosque.jpg

Sundiata In 1235, at the battle of Kirina,Sundiata and Sumanguru met inbattle. According to legend, bothwere sorcerers, and their magicwould determine the outcome.Sundiata roared at the troopsof King Sumanguru, who wereterrified and ran for cover.Sumanguru retaliated, and theheads of eight spirits magicallyappeared above his own. Unfortunately for Sumanguru,Sundiata had the stronger magic,and the spirits were defeated.Sundiata then aimed an arrow atSumaguru, and although it onlygrazed Sumanguru's shoulder, itdrained him of all magic, andSumanguru was defeated.

Mansa Musa (1312-1337), king of Mali, developed the gold and salt trade of Mali. The kingdom became very powerful and rich.

Mansu Musa: Lord of the Negroes of Guinea. (Photo courtesy of History of Africa)

Mansa Musa made a pilgrimage to Mecca, a holy city in Arabia, in 1324.

• 60,000 servants and followers

• 80 camels carrying

• 4,000 + pounds of gold

• 500 of his servants carried a staff of pure gold

http://bseleck.bei.t-online.de/timbuktu/img_tim/mansamusag.gif

Mansa Musa also built many beautiful mosques

in western Africa.

http://travel.u.nu/pic/ml/djenne.jpg

When Mansa Musa died, no kings as powerful as he followed. So, Mali weakened. Eventually, Berbers and

others came into the area to claim kingdom’s territory. Although Mali fell, the kingdom of Songhay

would rise in its place.

http://www.uchicago.edu/docs/mp-site/plaisanceplan/graphics/berbers.jpg

Berbers (1893)

http://www.exzooberance.com

http://www.sfusd.k12.ca.us/schwww/sch618/Travelers/Catal_AtlasAfrica.jpg

This map was created in 1375 and shows Mansa Musa’s Kingdom. The same trade routes were used by the merchants of the Songhay kingdom.

Check out the various pictures.

The picture above is one artist’s idea of what the great Songhay leader, Sunni Ali might have looked like. Sunni Ali saw that the kingdom of Mali was weakening and he led his soldiers to conquer the area. He began the kingdom of Songhay. He also set up a complex government to rule all the lands he had conquered.

http://www.abcorpaffairs.com/gallery/

After Sunni Ali died in 1492 CE, his son took over the rule of Songhay but he did not accept Islam as a religion which angered many people.

One of Sunni Ali’s generals, named Askia Muhammad, overthrew the new king and made himself king of Songhay. Muhammad made Islam the official religion of his kingdom.

http://www.thewoz.ca/ghana/_larabanga1.jpg

Askia Muhammad

Songhay remained a rich and strong kingdom under Askia Muhammad rule. It had a complex government centered in the city of Gao, and great centers of learning.

However, in the late 1500s, Moroccans invaded Songhay to take its trade routes. Moroccans had a new weapon, the gun, and the army of Songhay did not. This led to the fall of Songhay.

(Photo courtesy of African Origin of Civilization by Cheikh Anta Diop)

Decline of Songhay

All three kingdoms of West Africa relied on trade for their strength and wealth.

Timbuktu Gao

Jenne

Gold, Ivory, Wood, Slaves

Silk, Ceramics, Beads, Islam from Europe and Asia

Coming into West Africa

Coming from Africa and going to Europe and Asia

Salt

Vibrant trade and interaction between Persians, Arabs, Indians,

and Africans

Swahili Coast

Swahili Coast

String of cities on coast of East Africa (Modern-day Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania)– Independent city-states– Linked by trade, common culture and

language

Role of merchants from the Arab peninsula, Persia, and India – settled among and intermarried with the

Swahili towns' African founders.

By 12th century, Swahili culture exhibited Arab and Asian cultural influences (e.g., architecture, mixed religion)

Swahili Coast, (continued)

Islam: well-established along the Swahili Coast by 12th century, though elements of indigenous African religions remained.

For centuries, Swahili merchants served as middlemen, exporting products from the East African interior in exchange for goods purchased from Indian Ocean merchant ships.

Societal Structure

Many African Societies Organized by system of lineage– Includes past and future generations

Patrilineal (through the father) vs. Matrilineal (through the mother)

Lineages often took the place of rulers and states

Swahili Coast

Decorative Arts: Door from S.C.

Great Zimbabwe

Great ZimbabweGreat Zimbabwe– Shona-speaking people

– No written records of this civilization

– Wealthy kingdom due to cattle and gold • No direct control over gold mines, managed gold

trade, bought in exchange for cattle. • In turn, they traded gold to Swahili Coast

“Among the gold mines of the inland plains between the Limpopo and Zambezi rivers there is a fortress built of stones of marvelous size, and there appears to be no mortar joining them.... This edifice is almost surrounded by hills, upon which are others resembling it in the fashioning of stone and the absence of mortar, and one of them is a tower more than 12 fathoms [22 m] high. The natives of the country call these edifices Symbaoe, which according to their language signifies court.”

-1531, Vicente Pegado, Captain of the Portuguese Garrison of Sofala

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyKrTdv-t4E(1:36-11:00, 40:00-

End)

Entering Great Zimbabwe

The City of Great Zimbabwe

Great Zimbabwe

Great Zimbabwe

Decline

– environmental: overgrazing and drought caused the soil on the Zimbabwe Plateau to become exhausted and led to famine.

– OR, moved in order to maximize their exploitation of the gold trade network.

– By 1500, abandoned.

Bias research project

Look at your textbook.

Go through each chapter and try to categorize each according what part of the world it discusses.

Discussion