Ch. 11 Sect. 1 Africa and the Bantu About 4,000 years ago, many families left the places where they lived in West Africa. No one knows exactly why they first moved. Over the many years, later generations moved farther away from their original homes. They kept searching for better land for farming. Over time, their migration, or movement took them across most of Africa south of the equator. Today, their descendants number more than 200 million. The name Bantu describes both this large group of Africans and the related languages they speak.

Africa’s Physical Geography Africa has hot moist climates. Tropical rain forests are located on either side of the Equator. Surrounding these forests are bands of savanna, areas of grassland with scattered trees and bushes. Much of Africa is savanna. Africa’s lions, zebras, and elephants live mainly on the savannas. The Sahara is a desert stretching across most of North Africa. It is the world’s largest desert. Africa’s physical geography has affected its people’s ways of life. For example, there is little farming in Africa’s deserts, because there is too little water. People herd cattle on the savannas, but cattle cannot survive in the rainforests. Flies and other pests carry diseases that are deadly for cattle.

Sub-Saharan Africa Bantu migrations are among the largest population movements in all of human history. Sub-Saharan Africa is south of the Sahara. Until modern times, the Sahara cut off this larger part of Africa from Europe. European historians have found it difficult to study sub-Saharan Africa. Scientists and historians are working to piece together the history of this area. In many ways it is like solving a puzzle. One reason this puzzle is difficult is that the wood and clay that many Africans used for building have disintegrated. Oral history, accounts of the past that people pass down by word of mouth has led to new areas of exploration.

Bantu In early times, most Bantu-speaking peoples were fishers, farmers, and herders. Their villages were made up of families from the same clan, or group of families who traced their roots to the same ancestors. Many of these clans traced their ancestry through mothers rather than fathers. For this reason, property and positions of power were passed down through the mother’s side of the family. The Bantu speaking peoples moved slowly from their homeland in search of better farmland and better grazing. As they migrated, they entered different environments.

The Spread of Bantu Culture Often Bantu moved into areas where other people already lived. When this happened, they sometimes joined the groups living there. The older cultures then usually adapted to Bantu culture. Sometimes the Bantu forced the people already living there to leave their homes. As the Bantu migrated, they also carried knowledge of metalworking with them. Iron tools gave more control over their environment than older cultures had.

Questions 1. Describe the main physical features of Africa. 2. How do Africa’s physical feature affect people’s ways of life? 3. Over how many years did Bantu migrations occur? 4. Tell what happened when the Bantu met other African peoples.