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Part I Becoming African
Chapter 1 Africa
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I. A Huge and Diverse Land
Second largest continent in the world From North to South A succession of climatic zones Desert, savannah, rain forest, mountain ranges
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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
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III. Ancient Civilizations
Egypt and the Nile River Valley Mesopotamia and Sumer Race debate Martin Bernal Black Egyptians colonized ancient Greece Became the progenitors of Western civilization Mary Lefkowitz Modern racial categories irrelevant to ancient Egypt Egypt influenced Greek and Western civilization
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Egyptian Civilization
Nile River Annual flooding irrigates River banks and deposits new Wheat, barely, goats, sheep, and cattle Transportation and communications artery
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Egyptian Society Patrilineal/patriarchal Hierarchical Male dominated
Warriors, priests, merchants, artisans, peasants Comprehensive bureaucracy
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Egyptian Society (cont.)
Women Owned property Managed household slaves Educated their children Held public office Served as priests Operated businesses
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Egyptian Society (cont.)
Polytheistic religion Re (Ra): the sun god Osiris: god of the Nile Immortality Personal and state combined in kings Elaborate funerary
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Trade and Conquest Nubia Kush Meroe Axum
Egyptian colony ~ copper and gold deposits Kush Nubian independent kingdom Meroe Africa’s first industrial center Iron deposits and geographic location Axum First Christian state in sub-Saharan Africa Influenced by Hebrew culture
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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 Accorded semi-divine status to their kings Cultivated crops Tended domesticated animals Produced iron tools and weapons Trade with North Africa Essential part of the economy and kingdoms
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Ghana First known kingdom in the western Sudan Commerce
Founded between fourth and eight centuries CE Warfare and iron weapons created an empire 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
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Empire of Mali, 1230-1468 Battle of Kirina Larger than Ghana Sundiata
Reigned Led the Mandinka to victory over the Sosso in 1235 Larger than Ghana Greater rainfall More crops Control of Wangara gold mines Population reached eight million
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Empire of Mali (cont.) Commerce, bureaucracy and scholarship Timbuktu
Most merchants and rulers Moslems by 1210s Converted to gain stature among Arab states Timbuktu Major trading hub Gold, slaves, and salt Center of Islamic learning ~13th century 150 Islamic schools Cosmopolitan community Religious and ethnic toleration common
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Empire of Mali (cont.) Mansa Musa Reigned 1312-1337
Pilgrimage across Africa to Mecca in Arabia Empire declined with Musa’s death
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Empire of Songhai, The last and largest of the Sudanese empires Sunni Ali Reigned Conquered people paid tribute Generally ran their own affairs
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Empire of Songhai (cont.)
-- Askia Muhammad Toure Reigned Devout Moslem Expanded empire Centralized administration of the empire Substituted taxation for tribute Established bureaucratic trade regulation Used his power to spread Islam within the empire
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Empire of Songhai (cont.)
Askia Daud Reigned Songhai failed to adapt to changing political atmosphere Portuguese established trading centers along the Guinea coast Arab rulers of North Africa threatened with loss of trade King of Morocco sent mercenaries to Songhai in 1591 Defeated the Songhai army and empire fell apart When Moroccans left the region West Africa without a government powerful enough to stop the Portuguese
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West African Forest Region
Cultural diversification Patchwork of diverse ethnic groups Variety of languages and traditions Small powerful kingdoms Benin City Little influenced by Islam or Christianity Trading center Gold, peppers, ivory, and slaves By 17th century dependent on slave trade
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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
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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 Millet, rice, sorghum, peas, okra, watermelons Yams replaced grains in the forest regions
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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
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Women (cont.) Sande: a secret society for women
Taught sex education to girls Initiated into adulthood (Poro: male secret society) Both societies established standards of Male and female conduct Emphasized female virtue and male honor
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Class and Slavery Lower classes Royalty
Landed nobles, warriors, peasants and bureaucrats Lower classes Artisans and laborers: blacksmiths, butchers, tanners, and oral historians called griots Slavery Common in West Africa More so in the savannah region than in forest areas Variety of forms Not necessarily a permanent condition
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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 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
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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
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Religion (cont.) Indigenous religions Strongest in forest areas
Polytheistic and animistic One creator God and a host of lesser gods Saw the force of God in all things Ancestor worship, magicians, and oracles Ceremonies and animal sacrifices
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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
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Literature Oral histories, poetry, and tales
Specially trained poets and musicians Served kings and nobles Views of common people also represented Prose tales Human characters Tales about creation, success, romance Animal characters “Trickster tales” Entertained and taught lessons
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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.
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