1. African Society and Culture
Ch. 3 Sec. 3
Pages

2. Why Was Story Telling Important?
Storytelling: keep history/ culture alive
Passed down traditions
No written language
Relied on oral history
Relied on griots to tell stories
Accuracy of stories unknown
Not writing a story down may lead to inaccuracies of the story
Things tend to change as they are being retold.

3. I. Life in Medieval Africa
Family: basis of African society
Extended family: many generations (10 - hundreds of members)
Many villages: matrilineal (traced descent through mother
Children: valued A bond
between past & future

4. A. Education Education= responsibility of villagers/family
Kids learned history and skills to survive
Griots: (storytellers)
passed down oral history

5. B. What Was the Role of Women
Women: mothers and wives
Men had more freedom/rights
Soldiers or Queens
Queen Dahia al-Kahina led her kingdom in battle against Muslim invaders
Queen Nzinga battled slave traders for almost 40 years
stop them from enslaving her people

6. A. African Art Art & Religion developed together
Art had religious purposes: wooden masks/statues celebrate religious beliefs
Masks helped communication with spiritual world
Stories have morals/lessons

7. B. Music and Dance Music: feelings, get through tasks
Dance: spirits express themselves
Drums, bells, whistles keep beat
Slaves’ songs eventually became the blues
Also formed: jazz, rap, rock & roll, hip hop