Traditional African Society

1000 different languages; different tribes

Bantu Migrations, BCE Bantu: “people” Migration throughout sub-Saharan regions Over 500 variations of original Bantu language –90 million speakers By 1000 BCE, occupied most of Africa south of the equator

Kinship Groups Extended families, clans Idea of private property less prevalent Land held communally Harvests distributed by elders

Kin-Based Societies Stateless societies No elaborate hierarchies, bureaucracies Average population of village: 100 Ruled by elders Network of villages resolve disputes Higher government authorities rare

Africa : :: America : Ethnic Group ?Tribe

Mask With Headcloth, Zaire (19c) Tribal Mark  scarification

Age Grades From early agricultural period, Sudan Peer groups of single age cohort Crosses lines of family and kinship

Chiefdoms Small chiefdoms appear after 1000 CE, overrule kin-based groups Small kingdoms form –Ife, Benin

African Religion Great diversity of religious belief Common element: single, male creator god –Lesser deities associated with natural phenomena Ancestor worship Diviners –Religious specialists, principally men –Oracle reading, spells, other rituals Limited emphasis on theology Morality, balance of nature important

Traditional African Religion ANIMISM 1. Belief in one remote Supreme Being. 3. Ancestor veneration. 4. Belief in magic, charms, and fetishes. 5. Diviner  mediator between the tribe and God. 2. A world of spirits (good & bad) in all things.

African Diviner (Shaman)

World of the Spirits Dogon “Spirit House”

Ancestors

Fetishes

Rubbing Oracle, wood

Other Religions in Africa ISLAM  25% * Nigeria  largest sub-Saharan Muslim countries. CHRISTIANITY  20%

Kingdoms Empires of sub-Saharan Africa, C.E.

Kingdom of Kongo Basin of the Congo (Zaire) river Ruled 14 th -17 th century until undermined by Portugese slave traders

Islamic Kingdoms and Empires Islam spreads to west Africa –Trans-Saharan caravans –Coastal east Africa through maritime trade Profound influence after 8 th century

The Swahili City-States Great wealth, 11 th -12 th centuries CE Development of city-states Architecture moved from wood/mud to coral, stone Chinese silk, porcelain imported

Slavery Practiced since ancient times Most slaves captives of war –Debtors –Suspected witches –Criminals Used principally in agricultural labor Slave possession a status symbol

Slave Trading Increased trans-Saharan and Indian Ocean trade stimulates slave trade, 9 th c. CE Africa replaces eastern Europe as principal source of slaves Creates internal African slave trade –More powerful states attack smaller kinship-based groups –10,000-20,000 slaves per year

African states,

The Kingdom of Kongo Relations with Portuguese beginning 1483 King Nzinga Mbemba (Alfonso I, r ) converts to Christianity –Useful connection with Portuguese interests –But zealous convert, attempts to convert population at large

The King of Kongo and European Ambassadors

Slave Raiding in Kongo First Portuguese attempt slave raiding Soon discovered it is easier to trade weapons for slaves provided by African traders Kongo kings appeal without success to slow, but not eliminate, slave trade Relations deteriorate, Portuguese attack Kongo and decapitate king in 1665 Improved slave market develops in the south

The Kingdom of Ndongo (Angola) Ndongo gains wealth and independence from Kongo by means of Portuguese slave trade But Portuguese influence resisted by Queen Nzinga (r ) –Posed as male King, with male concubines in female dress attending her Nzinga establishes temporary alliance with Dutch in unsuccessful attempt to expel Portuguese –Decline of Ndongo power after her death

Social Change in Early Modern Africa Trade with Europeans brings new goods to Africa New crops from Americas –Manioc becomes staple bread flour Increased food supply boosts population growth despite slave trade

Foundations of the Slave Trade African slavery dates to antiquity –War captives, criminals, people expelled from clans Distinct from Asian, European slavery –No private property, therefore wealth defined by human labor potential, not land –Slaves often assimilated into owner’s clan

The Islamic Slave Trade Dramatic expansion of slave trade with Arab traders New slaves acquired by raiding villages, selling on Swahili coast Arab traders depend on African infrastructure to maintain supply European demand on west coast causes demand to rise again

The Early Slave Trade Portuguese raid west African coast in 1441, take 12 men Met with stiff resistance African dealers ready to provide slaves 1460: 500 slaves per year sold to work as miners, porters, domestic servants in Spain and Portugal 1520: 2,000 per year to work in sugarcane plantations in the Americas

Slaves at Work in a Mine

The Triangular Trade 1. European manufactured goods (especially firearms) sent to Africa 2. African slaves purchased and sent to Americas 3. Cash crops purchased in Americas and returned to Europe

The Atlantic slave trade,

The Middle Passage (Africa- Americas) African slaves captured by raiding parties, force- marched to holding pens at coast Middle passage under horrific conditions –4-6 weeks –Mortality initially high, often over 50%, eventually declined to 5% Total slave traffic, 15 th -18 th c.: 12 million Approximately 4 million killed before arrival

African Slave Export per Year

Impact on African Regions Rwanda, Bugunda, Masai, Turkana resist slave trade Benefit from distance from slave ports on western coast Other societies benefit from slave trade profit –Asante, Dahomey, Oyo peoples

Social Effects of Slave trade Total African population expands due to importation of American crops Yet millions of captured Africans removed from society, deplete regional populations Distorted sex ratios result –2/3 of slaves male, years of age –Encouraged polygamy, women acting in traditionally male roles

Political Effects of Slave Trade Introduction of firearms increases violence of pre-existing conflicts More weapons, more slaves; more slaves, more weapons Dahomey people create army dedicated to slave trade

African Slaves in Plantation Societies Most slaves in tropical and subtropical regions First plantation established in Hispaniola (Haiti, Dominican Republic) 1516 Later Mexico, Brazil, Caribbean and Americas Sugar major cash crop –Later: tobacco, rice, indigo, cotton, coffee Plantations heavily dependent on slave labor Racial divisions of labor

Destinations of African Slaves

Regional Differences Caribbean, South America: African population unable to maintain numbers through natural means –Malaria, yellow fever –Brutal working conditions, sanitation, nutrition –Gender imbalance Constant importation of slaves North America: less disease, more normal sex ratio –Slave families encouraged as prices rise in 18 th century

End of the Slave Trade Denmark abolishes slave trade in 1803, followed by Great Britain (1807), United States (1808), France (1814), Netherlands (1817), Spain (1845) Possession of slaves remains legal Clandestine trade continues to 1867 Emancipation of slaves begins with British colonies (1883), then French (1848), U.S. (1865), Brazil (1888) Saudi Arabia and Angola continue to the 1960s

Belgian Congo Rubber Plantations

Punishing Workers