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Africa

Africa. (West, North, East, and Central). Social Class and Gender. Rulers at the top of society Merchants very important Ancestors viewed as “first settlers” Owners of the land Society organized by family lineage Specialists needed to fight evil power and eliminate witches

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Africa

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  1. Africa (West, North, East, and Central)

  2. Social Class and Gender • Rulers at the top of society • Merchants very important • Ancestors viewed as “first settlers” • Owners of the land • Society organized by family lineage • Specialists needed to fight evil power and eliminate witches • Class of diviners/ priests develop • Men and women actively participated in market life

  3. Political • All kingdoms centralized besides Swahili Coast • All were kingdoms/empires besides Swahili Coast • Rulers had most authority • Stateless societies existed • Lacked concentration of political power and were organized around kinship or other obligation forms • Other societies had a hierarchy of officials

  4. Interactions • Trade- North, East, and West had active trade • Wars • Moroccans defeat Songhay with their gunpowder weapons • Berbers overran Ghana • Aid • Portuguese sailors save Ethiopians from defeat • Ancestors ensured fertility of the land, game, people, and herds

  5. Interactions- trade

  6. Cultural • Society organized by family lineage which helped deal with the gods • Deceased ancestors were a link between the living and spirit world • Bantu speaking peoples provided the base for language • Still differed in vocabulary and structure • Ritual and Worship through dancing, drumming, divination, and sacrifice

  7. Economic • Much trade in Northern, Eastern, and Western Africa • Mainly in Swahili Coast • Specialization influenced regional trade mainly with Arab traders • Central Africa lacked regional trade, but had local trade • Main traded items were salt and gold • Agriculture and skilled iron work came about • Specialization encouraged lively markets and many large cities

  8. Religion • Islam fused to West, North, and East Africa, but not Central Africa • Nubia/Kush and Ethiopia were Christian Kingdoms • Ethiopia was main Christian kingdom • Central Africa was largely animistic • The belief in power of natural forces personified as spirits or gods • Provided a cosmology • Deceased ancestors were a direct link to spirit world • Shows resilience to monotheistic religions of Islam and Christianity

  9. Key terms/people to know • Animism- religion that sees gods in many aspects of nature and propitiates them to help them control and explain nature • Sundiata- “Lion Prince”; created a unified state known as the Mali Empire; “divided up the world” • Mansa Musa- most famous successor of Sundiata; pilgrimage to Mecca brought attention of Muslim world to Mali; expanded • Benin- powerful city-state (present day Nigeria) relatively free from European influence; came into contact with Portuguese in 1485; important commercial and political entity • Kongo- kingdom based on agriculture on lower Congo River; ruled by heredity monarchy; capital at Mbanza Kongo • Great Zimbabwe- Bantu confederation of Shona-speaking peoples located between Zambezi and Limpopo rivers; developed after 9th century; stone royal courts; centralized state by 15th century; king’s title = Mwene Mutapa

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