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Ancient African History and African Culture. AP World History Notes Mr. G. 1000 different languages; 1000+ different tribes. forward: Questions back: Information Center browse: Table of Contents. The 2 nd largest continent next to Asia
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Ancient African History and African Culture AP World History Notes Mr. G.
forward: Questions • back: Information Center • browse: Table of Contents The 2nd largest continent next to Asia Tropical Rainforest in the center along the Equator The Sahara Desert in the northern third-receives less than an inch of rainfall a year Savanna- most of the rest of Africa home to big game such as elephants, lions, hippos, cheetahs, giraffes, etc. The Geography of the Continent of Africa
The Sahara Desert Desert
West African Empires • Empires traded sugar, salt, gold, rubber, ivory and slaves across the Sahara for wheat, cloth and livestock from North Africa and Europe • West African rulers became very rich from this trade • The Ghana empire (800-1100 AD) • The Mali empire (1100-1450 AD)
Sundiata of Mali [1210-1260] • The legendary “Lion King” • * Founded the kingdom of Mali • A great hero described as having the stateliness of a lion and the strength of buffalo • Built a large army-great warrior • Helped form the kingdom of Mali into a great trading empire
Mansa Musa [r. 1312-1337] • Mali reached its peak under his reign • Famous journey to Mecca-gave out gold and other lavish gifts to many along the way • Further connected Mali w/ other areas of the world by trade, bringing ideas in from the Islamic world • Attracted merchants and scholars to the protection and prosperity of Mali
Gold-Salt Trade Berbers SALT GOLD
Ghana Empire [4c-11c] Gold “Money”, Ghana/Ivory Coast
The Songhay Empire (1453-1600) • The city of Timbuktu was the capital • Sunni Ali was its greatest king • A great center of learning and trade • Muslims came from all over the Middle East to study in Timbuktu at its library and great university
Islamic Invasions • Set up major trade networks along the E. coast of Africa • Arabs spread Islam –built mosques and intermarried w/ local Bantu-speaking peoples • No central gov’t, but strong economically
Swahili-Speaking Areas of E. Africa SWAHILI [“the coast’] = Bantu + some Arabic
African Trade Routes-influenced by people from the Indian Ocean region
Southern African Kingdoms
Great Zimbabwe [1200-1450] • “Zimbabwe” = “stone enclosure” • City yielded large amounts of gold • Traded w/ Swahili states and Indian Ocean region to the east • The walled enclosure-size of football field
John Green Crash Course on Africahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvnU0v6hcUo&index=16&list=PLBDA2E52FB1EF80C9
The Villages • Center of family life and farming • Many tribes existed-each spoke a different language • The Village land was owned by everyone together • Everyone was one big family- brother and sister • Africans believed that people were more precious than material possessions • Even today, African Americans refer to each other as Bro’ and Sis’
African religion • African religion was a mix of Islam and traditional (god and ancestor worship) • African tribes worshipped many gods -sun, moon, storm and river gods, etc. • Africans believed that you don’t really die-that your spirit lives on and watches over your descendants • Africans prayed to their ancestors to bless and protect them
Traditional African Religion ANIMISM 1. Belief in one remote Supreme Being. 2. A world of spirits (good & bad) in all things. 3. Ancestor worship 4. Belief in magic, charms, and fetishes. 5. Diviner mediator between the tribe and gods
African religion • Africans carved masks to house the spirits of their ancestors and gods
Other Religions in Africa ISLAM 25% * Nigeria largest sub-Saharan Muslim countries. CHRISTIANITY 20%
Christian Church, Lalibela[Ethiopia] Coptic Christian Priest
Africans considered dancing the highest art form Africans used dance to celebrate, socialize and worship (all occasions) The Drum was the central instrument Drumming spoke words through rhythms and even told stories R&B, jazz and rap beats are highly emphasized today African Drumming and Dance
African Storytelling • Each village had griot or storyteller • Stories praised good deeds, honored gods, ancestors and prepared people for wars and hunts • Elements of African storytelling still exist today through American rap and slang talk • Rap tells a story about African American life in the “ghetto” • African American preachers value the power of the spoken word in their sermons
African Food and Cooking • The deep-frying method of cooking came from Africa • Africans took oils from plants or animal fat and fried Guinea birds and other foods • Today deep-frying is a popular method of cooking such American favorites-Fried Chicken, doughnuts, french fries, etc. • African influenced Soul Food-African American/Southern foods is popular • Watermelon, bananas, black-eyed peas came from Africa
Slavery had existed in Africa since the Bible times Black Africans enslaved each other for centuries before white Europeans enslaved Africans It wasn’t until Europeans began establishing colonies in the Americas that they needed large amounts of cheap labor to work plantations in the 1500s The Slave Trade
slave hunters captured thousands of fellow blacks and sold them or traded them to European whites Slaves were crowded onto nasty and crowded ships and sent across the Atlantic Ocean to America As many as 30 million were sent by 1880 Most slaves were sent to work on sugar plantations and gold and silver mines The Slave Trade
Slavery caused misery, distrust amongst tribes Slavery depleted the African population and labor force Slavery caused families to be split up Slavery caused many African slaves to give up much of their cultural ways The Effects of Slavery on Africa and Africans
