From extended families to kingdoms

From extended families to kingdoms West african civilizations

Family Based Communities Part I

Extended families • The earliest farming communities were made of extended families. • An extended family includes close relatives • Grandparents • Parents • Aunts • Uncles • Children • 15 to 20 people

Ancestor worship • West African societies traditionally believed in unseen spirits of their ancestors • Ancestors honored with carved statues • Food offerings were made to the spirits to keep them happy • Ancestors thought to protect the village

animism • West Africans also traditionally practice animism • They believed (and some continue to believe today) that bodies of water, animals, trees and other natural objects have spirits • This religious practice reflects the dependence and respect of West Africans for nature

Developing villages Part II

villages • Family communities joined with other families to get needed help: • Work together to control flooding • Mine iron or gold • Provide Protection • A village might contain 100-200 people

Village life • Loyalty to family was important • Everyone had tasks to complete • Men hunted, farmed, fished, herded • Women farmed, collected firewood, ground grain, carried water, cared for children • Elderly men and women taught traditions/values through songs, dances and stories • Children began to work beside adults as soon as thy were able

Rise of Towns and cities Part III

Why did cities grow? • Ancient cities in West Africa were not as big as modern cities • Some had 1,000s of residents • Two reasons for growth: • Ironworking • Expanded Trade

Ironworking • Smelting furnaces heated with enormous amounts of charcoal to melt ore • Iron metal was extracted • Red-hot iron was hammered and bent into useful shapes: • Axes • Hoes • spears

Cause and effect

Trade cities • Djenne (Mali), founded in 800 CE/AD, is one of sub-Saharan Africa's oldest cities. • It is located on an island in the Niger River delta • It is a few hundred miles downstream from Timbuktu.

Trade Routes • Djenne was a natural hub for traders who shuttled their goods between the Sahara desert and the forests of Guinea.

Grand mosque • Through the years Djenne became a center of Islamic learning and its market square is still dominated by the beautiful Grand Mosque. • Wooden bars protrude from the façade (or face) of the mosque.

Market day A young woman from the Peul or Fula people balances a calabash on her head. Djenne’s market square is directly in front of the Grand Mosque. Monday is the traditional market day. A tinsmith cleverly displays his wares for customers.

calabash • Cultivated plants often called gourds • Grown mainly for use as a water containers • Very bitter; poor food source • Often used to make musical instruments

City architecture • Like the Grand Mosque, most of the towns and cities of West Africa used mud and clay to construct homes with a squarer shape than the huts of the village

Close Proximity • Just as city dwellers today live closer together than people in the countryside, West African cities used square buildings to place more people in a smaller area of land.

Infrastructure • Between buildings, narrow streets provided room for pedestrians. • Grooves down the middle of the streets acted as sewer system.

Niger River as a resource • The Niger River and the delta were a valuable resource • Fresh Water • Fish • Transportation for Trade • Laundry • Personal Hygiene (bathing)

Establishing kingdoms Part IV

Trade leads to kingdoms • Rulers of some cities became wealthy by collecting taxes from the goods that were bought and sold.

Raised armies • With their wealth, they could afford to: • hire warriors • form large armies • Conquer more territory

Controlling trade Routes • Controlling the trade and the trade routes was the key to power • This allowed the ruler to take over the trade in those areas—taxing more goods and becoming even wealthier.

Advantages & Disadvantages Advantages: Disadvantages: • Kings provided protection • Armies made sure trade routes were safe • Wars between small cities ended • Kings handed out luxurious presents equally throughout their lands • Conquered people had to pay tribute to the king • Goods were taxed • Men had to serve in the king’s army • Governors might be set up to replace local elders/leaders

Review questions • What was the benefit of an extended family? • Why were villages even more useful? • How did towns develop? • What lead to the growth of kingdoms?

From extended families to kingdoms