1. African Society and Culture
Global Studies I
Mrs. Ledford

2. Aspects of African Society
Role of women
subordinate to men in Africa, but valued because of the work they could do and for having children
often worked in the fields, while men tended the cattle or hunted
often allowed to inherit property
husband was often expected to move into his wife’s house upon marriage
Some societies were matrilineal (societies in which descent is traced through the mother).

3. Aspects of African Society
Education
Both boys and girls were raised by their mothers until they were six years old.
learned language, songs, and family history
At six, fathers took control of their sons’ education.
learned to hunt and fish, to grow plants, and to clear fields
Girls continued to learn from their mothers.
Learned to take care of the home and work in the fields

4. Aspects of African Society
Slavery in Africa
practiced from ancient times
people captured in war, debtors, and criminals
Many were trusted servants or were respected because of their special knowledge or talents.
Life was difficult for most slaves.
Those who worked on farmlands had hard, long hours. Those who worked as soldiers were sometimes better off. Slaves who worked as domestic servants usually had the best lives.

5. Religious Beliefs in Africa
Role of ancestors
Ancestors were believed to be closer to the gods and to have the power to influence the lives of their descendants.
Ceremonies dedicated to ancestors were important rituals.
Ancestral souls would live on in the afterlife as long as the lineage group (a community whose members trace their heritage from a common ancestor) continued to perform rituals in their names
Religious Conflict
Islam rejected spirit worship and insisted on the separation of men and women.

6. African Culture Religious Purposes African art forms Dances
represented gods, spirits, or ancestral figures
Dances
a means of communicating with the spirits
African songs
passed religious traditions from generation to generation