Transcript From extended family to kingdom

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
Iron tools
improved
farming
techniques
Surplus food
gathered during
harvest
Large volume of
food supported
larger villages =
towns
Ability to trade
or sell surplus to
others
New trades:
weavers,
potters,
leatherworkers,
bead makers,
carvers,
tradesmen,
construction
workers
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:
• Kings provided
protection
• Armies made sure
trade routes were
safe
• Wars between small
cities ended
• Kings handed out
luxurious presents
equally throughout
their lands
Disadvantages:
• 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?