Transcript Trading Gold for Salt in West Africa

Ghana
Trading Salt for Gold in West
Africa
Standard
Niger River7.4
Standard 7.4.1: Identify how trade in the Niger River
region of Africa led to the development of powerful
and wealthy empires in West Africa.
Content Objective: SWBAT trace
the steps and roles in the gold and
salt exchange.
Language Objective: SWBAT list
and discuss the steps and roles in
the gold and salt exchange on an
organizer.
Key Vocabulary:
• Nomadic: Person who moves
from place to place.
• Silent Barter: Process in which
people exchange goods
without ever contacting each
other directly.
• Caravans: Group of traders
that travel together
Background:
• In the early 300’s
Soninke families banded
together to protect
themselves from nomadic
herders who wanted to
take their lands. This
group became Ghana.
Control of Trade:
• Ghana lay between the Sahara Desert and
the forest of the Niger River valley. From
this location, Ghana was in a good
position to trade the region’s most
valuable resources- gold and salt. With the
development of iron weapons, Ghana was
able to gain control of these trade routes
and forced traders to pay taxes.
The Role of Salt:
• Salt was very valuable. Africans used salt
to preserve food, as a currency, but most
importantly Africans needed salt in their
diets to survive.
The Activity:
• The purpose of this activity is to allow the
students to experience the practice of
Silent Barter. Silent Barter is a process in
which people exchange goods without
ever contacting each other directly.
The Characters:
• North Africans: Salt traders who traveled
in large caravans to Ghana.
• Wangarans: Mined gold from the Niger
River Valley forests.
• Soninke Warriors: Supervised the Silent
Barter process.
• Drummers: Provided cheerful music during
the Silent Barter process.
Step 1: North Africans send a salt
caravan to Ghana.
Step 2: North Africans place salt on
the banks of the Niger River.
Ghana
Niger River
Step 3: North Africans retreat into
the
Sahara
Desert.
Ghana
Niger River
Step 4: Wangarans sail down the
Niger River to Ghana.
Ghana
Niger River
Step 5: Wangarans examine the
North African salt trade proposal.
Ghana
Good Trade
Niger River
Step 6: Wangarans place the gold
tokens they want to trade alongside
Ghana
North African salt.
Niger River
Step 7: North Africans react to the
trade proposal of the Wangarans.
Ghana
Niger River
Step 8: Soninke (Ghana) collects
taxes from North Africans and
Ghana
Wangarans.
Niger River
Review Question
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 Question
How did Ghana become such a powerful
state?
a. Ghana owned more salt than other states.
b. Leaders in Ghana formed alliances with
other groups of people.
c. It had the strongest army in all of Africa.
d. It gained control of the valuable trade
routes.
Review Question
Towns and villages grew and the population of
Ghana increased mostly because
a. Ghana’s farmers and herders could produce
plenty of food.
b. The people of Ghana believed in having very
large families.
c. Families needed many members to work the
trade caravans.
d. By law, families in Ghana were required to
have many members.
Review Question
What was significant about the location of the
Ghana Empire?
a. It had access to the Atlantic Ocean and
therefore valuable shipping routes.
b. It was located between the gold mines in the
south and valuable salt resources in the
north.
c. People needed salt in their diets and they
used it to preserve and season foods.
d. Most of the empire was located in the
mountains overlooking other empires.
Review Question
Why was salt so valuable?
a. Salt was important for religious ceremonies.
b. Salt was used as a fertilizer for crops.
c. Salt was an important trade item.
d. Salt was used as a medicine against disease.