Transcript Cornell Notes: Early West African Trade and Culture
Early Culture and Trade
Extended family
Daily life
Religion
Technology
Trade
Extended Family
Father, mother, children & close relatives live in one household
Those born within the same two or three years…or peers.
Daily Life
Value hard work Men hunted and farmed Women farmed, carried water, cared for children
Religion
Traditional beliefs- honoring unseen spirits of ancestors Animism Shows importance of nature and family Traditional means customary or time honored
What societies have we studied that have believed in more than one god?
Greek Society (Neptune, Venus) Roman Empire – Polytheistic at first, then when a king became Christian, the people became Christian.
Native American Societies – Rain dances, corn and fish ceremonies.
Animism
The belief that bodies of water, animals, trees, and other things in nature have
spirits.
Technology
Discover iron for tool making Nok used iron for farm tools and weapons Iron lets people move onto new land, population grows
Review Questions
Men and women in traditional West African society were loyal to their a. work groups and parents.
b. extended families and age-sets.
c. religious and military leaders.
d. nobility and elders.
Review Questions
Farming in Africa improved around 500 BC because a.
people learned to build structures to transport water.
b.
c.
d.
people began using animals to help harvest.
people learned how to make iron tools.
people began fertilizing the soil.
Review Questions
How did West Africans find iron?
a. They heated certain kinds of rock.
b. They took it from invaders.
c. They bought it from traders.
d. They baked clay miniatures.
Review Questions
What does the animistic belief system reveal about traditional West Africans?
a.
They were well-traveled.
b.
c.
They were influenced by Asian culture.
They relied on nature for survival.
d.
They kept religious practice separate from daily activity.
Review Questions
Which of the following statements about trade routes in Africa is true?
a. Salt was carried south while gold was carried north.
b. Salt was carried north while gold was carried south.
c. Salt was carried east while gold was carried west.
d. Salt was carried west while gold was carried east.
Review Questions
a.
b.
c.
d.
Which of the following best explains the different parts of West African village society?
The village chief organized all of the farming activities and the elders organized religious practices.
A village inclueded basic family unites, extended families led by village chiefs, and council of elders.
West Africans depended on the natural world for survival in their villages.
Families had little power in the village and the village chiefs led the elders.
Review Questions
a.
b.
c.
d.
Which two factors contributed most to the survival of early West African villages?
Farming and geography Religion and culture Work and family Technology and natural resources
Review Questions
a.
b.
c.
d.
What two factors had the biggest impact on the growth of West Africa?
Slavery and salt Iron tools and farming Climate and religion Technology and trade