3-3 African Society and Culture

African Society and Culture

Different social, economic, and political classes can exist in a society. The family was the foundation of African society. A growing slave trade, however, disrupted African society.

By the time Europeans came to Africa, people all over the continent had developed complex cultures. For most Africans, life centered on farming villages like the ones you will read about in this section. Here the family formed the basis of society.

Despite Africas great size, its societies shared many common traits. (page 231)

The African slave trade changed greatly when Muslims and Europeans began taking captives from the continent. (page 233)
Enslaved Africans developed rich cultures that influenced many other cultures, including our own. (page 235)

Dahia al-Kahina Nzinga

extended family matrilineal oral history

bond release

Millions of enslaved people were shipped out of Africa over the centuries, and many were kept in Africa. Slavery still exists in parts of Africa today despite the United Nations ongoing attempts to abolish it.

I. Life in Medieval Africa (page 231)

A. Africans often lived with extended families, or families made up of several generations.

B. Many African villages were matrilineal, meaning the people traced their ancestors through their mothers rather than their fathers. C. Children were valued in African culture. They were considered the link between the past and the future. Some people believed ancestors could be reborn in children.

I. Life in Medieval Africa (page 231)

D. Families and villages taught children the history of their people and the skills they would need as adults. Stories were passed down through word-of-mouth, and lessons were given through short sayings called proverbs.

E.

Womens roles were mainly as wives and mothers. Men had more rights than women did, and they controlled what women did. There were exceptions. Dahia al-Kahina was a queen who led the fight against a Muslim invasion. Nzinga was a queen who battled Portuguese slave traders for nearly 40 years.

I. Life in Medieval Africa (page 231)

Why did African adults value children?

Adults saw children as a bond with the past. Some people believed that ancestors could be reborn as children.

II. Slavery (pages 233234)

A. Slavery existed in Africa before the arrival of Europeans. Africans enslaved criminals and enemies captured in war.

B. The slave trade grew as trade with Muslim merchants increased. Muslims were not allowed to enslave other Muslims, but they could enslave people of other faiths

II. Slavery (pages 233234)

C. The Portuguese brought enslaved Africans to Europe and Atlantic islands. These enslaved people were used to farm crops of cotton, grapes, and sugar cane.
D. In the late 1400s, Europeans established sugar plantations in the Americas and brought enslaved Africans to work the fields.

II. Slavery (pages 233234)

Click the map to view a dynamic version.

II. Slavery (pages 233234)

Why did the Portuguese use enslaved Africans?

Portuguese planters could not afford to pay people for the hard labor of harvesting sugarcane. However, they could afford to house and feed enslaved people. Many of those who were enslaved also knew how to farm and make tools.

III. African Culture (pages 235237)

A. Artistic expression was an important part of African culture.

B. Enslaved Africans took their culture with them when they were traded. The African Diaspora is the spreading of African people and culture around the world. C. Early African cave paintings showed daily life, told stories, and had some religious meaning or use.

III. African Culture (pages 235237)

D. Wooden masks celebrated religious beliefs, and wooden, ivory, or bronze works showed the faces of important leaders, everyday people, and European explorers and traders.
E. Music was an important aspect of almost every part of African life. Many African songs used musical instruments to keep a beat during the singing. Africans used dance in important events because they felt that dance allowed the spirits to express themselves.

F.

III. African Culture (pages 235237)

G. Enslaved Africans used music to remind them of their homeland. Their songs of hardship and religious faith grew into gospel songs. Jazz, blues, ragtime, rock and roll, and rap are genres also based in African musical traditions.

H. Storytelling is a strong African tradition.

III. African Culture (pages 235237)

How is music in the United States influenced by African music?

In the United States, jazz, blues, rap, and rock and roll are popular genres. Gospel music is also important in Christian religious services.

Many Africans south of the Sahara lived in small villages. Family was very important, and women had fewer rights than men.

Africans had kept slaves long before they began to trade enslaved persons to Muslims and Europeans. As enslaved Africans were taken to new areas, African culture, including art, music, and storytelling, spread around the world.

1. What was the African Diaspora?

It was the spread of African peoples and culture.

2. What is the earliest form of African art known? Describe some of the subjects portrayed.
The earliest form of African art was cave paintings of people hunting, doing chores, and dancing.

(3) CA 7RC2.0

3. Organizing Information Draw a diagram like the one below. Fill in details about African music and dance.

Web diagrams should reflect traits of African music and dance.

(4) CA HR4.

4. Analyze Why do you think storytelling helped keep African culture alive? How did Africans use their stories to teach values and offer hope?
It is possible that they saw parallels to their own lives and hoped to outwit those who held them in bondage.

(5) CA 7WA2.0

5. Compare Write an essay comparing the role of music in medieval African society to the role of music in your life today.
Essays will vary but should cover both African society and opinions about your own lives.

(6) CA 7RC2.0

6. The Big Ideas Write a paragraph comparing the reasons Africans, Muslims, and Europeans enslaved people from Africa.
Answers should accurately reflect information in the text.

Indicate which of the following statements are true. Replace the word in italics to make any false statements true.

______ dhows 1. Wooden boats known as bantu were powered by triangular sails. ______ true 2. An area of high, flat land is a plateau.
______ true 3. Each district in Ghana usually included a chiefs clan.

Indicate which of the following statements are true. Replace the word in italics to make any false statements true.

______ griots 4. African dhows are storytellers.

______ true 5. Matrilineal societies trace their descent through mothers. ______ true 6. Swahili culture and language exist in Africa today.

7. How did the climate and environment influence the way people lived in Africa?
Rain forests blocked invaders and provided resources.

8. How did early empires in West Africa gain wealth and power?
They gained power by trading gold and salt.

9. How did the shared belief in traditional religions differ among groups in Africa?
Some people believe in traditional African religions and their gods. Others followed Christianity or Islam.

10. What religion was introduced to Africa in the A.D. 600s? What was its influence?
Islam was introduced in Africa and influenced trade, art, and architecture.

11. What did the kings in West Africa do for their people? What did they get in return?
Kings settled arguments, managed trade, and protected the people. People were obedient to the king.

12. Describe the accomplishments of two famous African queens.

Queen Dahia al Kahina fought a Muslim invasion. Queen Nzringa battled Portuguese slave traders.

13. Why were enslaved Africans taken to North and South America?
Enslaved Africans were taken to work on cotton, grape, and sugarcane plantations.

14. How were many African songs performed?

A singer calls out a line and others singers repeat it back.

(15) CA 7RC2.3

15. Predict What do you think would have happened in Ghana if the people had been allowed to trade with gold nuggets instead of gold dust?
The value of gold might have decreased.

(16) CA HI2.

16. Explain What caused the decline of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai?
The decline of Ghana was caused by the discovery of new gold mines, overfarming, and constant fighting. In Mali, Berber invaders caused the decline. In Songhai, advanced weapons of Moroccans led to its decline.

(17) CA 7RC2.0 (18) CA CS3.

17. Contrast How was property inherited in Ghana and the Arab states?
In Ghana, the throne went to the kings nephew. In Arab states, property passed through a mans son.

18. Analyze Why do you think the Bantu language changed as people moved into different parts of Africa?
The vastness of the land and different geography led the Bantu to divide into different groups that changed over time.

Study the map below and answer the following questions.

(19) CA CS3.

19. Human/Environment Interaction What obstacle did the empires in western Africa have to overcome in order to trade with cities in northern Africa?
They had to overcome the Sahara.

(20) CA CS3.

20. Movement In which part of Africa do you think groups had the best opportunities to trade by sea?
Answers may vary but may include the East African trading states.

(21) CA CS3.

21. Place How do you think inland water routes would have changed the cultures of Africa?
Answers may include that cultures may have had more interaction with each other and the world.