Early African CivsWorld Studies

March 5

I. General Culture• Environmental factors determined

aspects of culture– Population size, ability to trade, etc

• Most communities were small; didn’t have formal government– Decisions were made by a council

• Religious beliefs varied greatly– Both mono- and polytheistic– Will be influenced by Islam and

Christianity

• Family organization– Most were patrilinealpatrilineal (land and

inheritance pass from father to son)– Others were matrilinealmatrilineal (passed

from mother to daughter)

• Very few had written languages– Some used griots, professional

poets who memorized history

II. Gold-Salt Trade• When communities had surplus

(extras) they would trade w/ neighbors for something else

• Eventually a system was established that linked up to the Middle East– People in west Africa had gold– People in north Africa/Sahara had salt

• Where the trade went, cities developed

III. Ghana• Trade routes passed through

Ghana; the king collected taxes on all trade– Became very wealthy & powerful– Had an army of 200,000– Converted to Islam through trade

• When gold mines ran dry, others would be found, which shifted trade routes

IV. Mali• Becomes more powerful as the

trade (& taxes) shift east• Two rivals fought for power; the

winner kills the loser & all of his sons, but one

• That one son (Sundiata) gets revenge & forms the kingdom of Mali by 1235

• One of his descendents was Mansa Musa– In 1324, he travels to Mecca

•4800 miles on the backs of ill-tempered camels

– Traveled through Egypt, giving away enormous hunks of gold like they were nothing

– Got European attention on West Africa

• Mansa Musa sets up a good, fair gov’t that lasts 200 years

V. Songhai• Mali weakens in fights over

succession & the gold shifts again• Sonni Ali takes control, creating

the largest empire ever in W Africa

• Timbuktu becomes a flourishing city

• Moroccans haul guns & cannons across the desert & take control of the gold– But can’t maintain order from so

far away– W Africa becomes many small

groups

VI. Atlantic Slave Trade• Africans practiced slavery

– Conquered enemies, small scale

• At least 10 million Africans were forcibly removed from their homes to be slaves in Europe or the Americas

• Had a very negative impact on communities– The healthiest, strongest were taken

• The voyage across the Atlantic is known as the middle passage– Africans were dehumanized

•Not allowed to wear clothes, fed like animals

– Very unhealthy, filthy conditions•Were packed in very tightly; chained

down•Many died on the trip