Traditional Society & Culture in Africa Global History I- Spiconardi

Stateless Societies Family organization is central to African society Many families are organized into groups called lineages Lineages  people, both living and dead, who are descended from a common ancestor Lineages took the place of rulers in many African societies

Stateless Societies Stateless societies  cultural groups in which authority is shared by lineages of equal power instead of being exercised by a central government; no one executive ruler  Community rule over individual rule

Stateless Societies: Family Descent Patrilineal  trace ancestors through fathers Matrilineal  trace ancestors through mothers  20% of African societies are matrilineal today

Stateless Societies  Age-Set System  a cohort of young people within a region who are born during a certain period Pass through life stages/rites of passage together At each life stage the age group inherits different responsibilities Boys and girls are generally separated

Stateless Societies: Griots  Griot  keeper of history via oral tradition in West Africa Poet, praise singer, & musician told tales of births, deaths, marriages, battles, hunts, and hundreds of other folklores via song

Stateless Societies: Griots  Father of the poor people Husband of beautiful ladies At whose absence the city is not interesting At whose absence the people are not happy… Be our mother Be our father Provide us with clothing Be the salt we need for our gravy Be the oil we need for our porridge… You are our eyes You are our mirror You are our hands and legs That we use to walk.

Stateless Societies: Griots  My master has requested that I ask you the exact meaning of your name Da. Is it Da Guinea hemp? Is it Da clay pot? Is it Da the syphilis? Is it Da the mouth? Is it Da the door? Is it Da do you sleep there? If you are a pot, Kaarta Tiema will break you. If you are Guinea worms he will harvest you in order to give you to his fishermen who will make nets of you. If you are syphilis, he will treat you with a red hot iron. If you are a mouth, he will rip you open to your ears. If you are a door, he will close you for good and you will never serve for any pathway. If you are sleeping there, he will stand you up like a house at the top of a hill. That's what my master put in my mouth with the order to spit right into your face.

Religion  Animism  the belief that spirits are present in natural objects Many Africans believed the spirits of their departed ancestors were present on Earth Ancestral spirits would be called upon for help in times of need/trouble

Religion  Islam Spreads throughout North Africa Enters West Africa during the age of the trade empires  West African Islam Many maintained traditional aspects of animistic religion Women were not veiled & interacted with men in public Mosques designed in traditional architecture

Religion  Christianity -First appeared in East Africa in Axum (Present day Ethiopia) - Was the oldest (still being practiced) monotheistic religion in Africa - West Africans became Christians in the 15 Century as a result of Portuguese exploration

Marriage  Was viewed as a union between two clans  Men were permitted to have more than one wife as long as they could support all wives and families equally  Many marriages were arranged.