Objectives:

1. Objectives: In this section you will: • Learn about West Africa’s ethnic diversity. • Find out about the importance of family ties in West African culture. • Examine the West African tradition of storytelling.

2. Key Terms • cultural diversity (KUL chur ul duh VUR suh tee) n. a wide diversity of cultures • kinship (KIN ship) n. a family relationship • nuclear family (NOO klee ur FAM uh lee) n. the part of a family that includes parents and children • extended family (ek STEN did FAM uh lee) n. the part of a family that includes parents, children, and other relatives

3. Key Terms (continued) • lineage (LIN ee ij) n. a group of families descended from a common ancestor • clan (KLAN) n. a group of lineages

4. Unlike North Africans, West Africans are not united by a common language or a single religion. Instead, they are known for their cultural diversity. West Africa is a region of many different countries and hundreds of different ethnic groups.

5. West Africa

6. West Africa’s diversity is reflected in its many languages. A student, for example, might hear one language at home, another at school, and another in a nearby village. To communicate, most people speak more than one language: • French • English • Portuguese • Hausa

7. West Africa: Languages Each major language group, shown here, includes many different languages.

8. Diversity is also evident in the different ways West Africans make a living.

9. The most important groups in West Africa are based on kinship, or family relationships: • nuclear families • extended families Often, members of extended families live together, work together, and make decisions together. They care for the sick, the elderly, and those who need help.

10. Kinship ties can reach beyond extended families to larger groups: • lineage • clans Members of these groups may be more distantly related, but they still can trace their descent to a common ancestor.

11. Ancestry is traced in different ways, depending on a group’s traditions. Some groups are matrilineal, tracing their descent through female ancestors. Most groups in West Africa, however, are patrilineal. They trace their descent through male ancestors.

12. This diagram traces the lineage of the couple in the center. The husband’s side is purple; the wife’s is orange. In a matrilineal society, descent is traced through the women outlined in red.

13. Though kinship ties remain strong, family life is changing for many in West Africa due to urbanization: • men travel to cities to find jobs • women stay in rural areas, raising children and farming • men return home to visit and share earnings

14. One way West Africans keep family ties strong is through the art of storytelling. A griot recites stories, fables, proverbs, riddles, and songs that are part of a family’s oral traditions. Such stories, passed down from one generation to the next, play an important role: • explain the histories of ethnic groups and kinship • teach cultural values to children • keep traditions alive

15. West African traditions have influenced many other cultures, including those in the United States. Many of the Africans taken to the Americas as slaves came from West Africa. Their ideas, stories, dances, music, and customs came with them. Today, griot guitarists and other West African musicians, writers, and artists have wide followings around the world.