Transcript African Ethnic Groups - Ms. Smith's Social Studies Class

African Ethnic Groups
Arab, Ashanti, Bantu & Swahili
Arabs
• Most found in Southwest Asia
and NORTHERN Africa
• Speak Arabic
• Usually practice Islam
Ashanti
• Large etnhic group found off the west coast of
Africa in Ghana
• Speak mostly Twi as their main language
• Live with extended family members
• The Ashanti religion is a mixture of spiritual and
supernatural powers. They believe that plants,
animals, and trees have souls. “GOLDEN
STOOL”
• They have many tribal ceremonies
The Ashanti live in central Ghana in western Africa
approximately 300km. away from the coast. Ghana, previously
the Gold Coast, was a British colony until 1957. It is now
politically separated into four main parts. Ashanti is in the center
and Kumasi is the capital. To the Ashanti, the family and the
mother’s clan are most important. The Ashanti live in an
extended family. The family lives in various homes or huts that
are set up around a
courtyard.
Bantu
• Mostly found in Central & Southern Africa
• They speak Bantu as their main language
• Bantu is usually known more as a language than
an ethnic group
• Bantu makes up over 400 different ethnic
groups combined
Today, close to 100 million people across the southern half of Africa speak related
languages, collectively known as Bantu languages. Linguistic evidence shows that the
root Bantu language emerged in what is now Nigeria and Cameroon by 2000 BC. By
1000 BC, in a series of migrations, Bantu speakers had spread south to the savanna
lands of Angola and east to the Lake Victoria region. Over the next 1500 years they
scattered throughout central and southern Africa, interacting with and absorbing
indigenous populations as they
spread.
Swahili
• Mostly found in East Africa (especially in Kenya)
• The language they speak is Swahili
-This
is a mixture of Arabic &
Traditional African Languages!
• Most Swahili people are strict Muslims