Transcript Ancient Mali

Ancient Mali
*The student will study the
early East African empire of
Mali by describing its oral
tradition (storytelling),
government (kings), and
economic development (trade).
Created by Emily Hooker
Oral Tradition
• Most of what we
know about Mali’s
history comes from
oral accounts that
were handed down
from Mali
storytellers. Many
storytellers in Mali
passed on traditions
and stories from one
generation to the
next.
Griots:
•
A griot is a musician and a
storyteller. In ancient Mali there
was no written language. In
ancient Mali people depended on
griots to remind them of things
that had happened. When history
is past down through stories it is
called an oral tradition. The griot
would tell stories and sing songs
about the history of the people
so they would not forget. Just as
your parents and grandparents
tell stories about when they were
young, the griots would tell
stories about the past.
Powerful Empire
• Mali was ruled by rich and
powerful kings. These kings
were called Mansa. The
word "Mansa" means
Emperor or Master. The
most famous king was
Mansa Musa. Under Mansa
Musa's rule Mali doubled in
size. The kings of Mali
were rich and powerful men
who controlled trade in
West Africa. Mali became
one of the largest and
wealthiest empires in the
region and was an
important trade center.
Trade
•
Early Mali was a wealthy trading
empire before Columbus sailed to
America. Ancient Mali was so wealthy
because it was right on two trade
routes! People had to travel through
Mali to get salt and other items. Also,
Mali had many gold mines! The Mali
people had many things made of gold.
The Mali people kept the location of
the gold mines a secret to protect the
mines. The Mali people were able to
trade gold for salt and other things
they needed. Mali also had good farm
land and the Niger River. Even though
there was not much rainfall, the Mali
people were able to grow cotton,
peanuts and grains.
Jobs:
• People in Ancient Mali were farmers, traders and
miners. The land was fertile in Mali and people could
grow cotton, peanuts and grains. Mali had many gold
mines and people from other lands would trade salt
and other items for gold dust. Many people from
Europe traveled through Mali to get to India and
other countries in the East. They would trade with
the Mali people as they traveled through the empire.
Geography:
• Mali is located in West Africa. It is surrounded by
land. The most important geographic feature in Mali is
the Niger River. Mali is close to the equator, so it is
hot there all year long. Mali gets very little rainfall so
the country is very dry. The Niger River floods every
year and allows people to grow food on its banks.
The Niger River:
• The Niger River is the most important
geographic feature in Mali. Most of the land in
Mali is not good for growing food. The land close
to the Niger River can grow food. Every year
the Niger River floods and spreads nutrients out
to land around the river. The Niger River was
also used for transportation.
Adaptations:
• The climate of Mali was very hot. Since it was so hot in
Mali the people needed salt to preserve their food and
also for their own health. The Mali people adapted to this
climate by trading gold for the salt they needed. In order
to trade with other countries the people of Mali needed
to be able to travel through the desert. The Mali people
used camels to carry them and their gold through the
desert. Groups of people traveling together were called
caravans.
Economic Interdependence:
• Economic interdependence is
when different groups of
people help each other out so
that both groups have the
things they need. The people
of Mali had gold that other
people wanted. The people of
Mali needed salt and other
items from other people. The
Mali people would trade with
other people for the salt and
things they needed. The Mali
people would use gold dust to
buy the things they needed.
Physical Characteristics
• Located in the western region of the
continent of Africa
• Had rivers nearby
• Had desert-like conditions
• Had gold mines
• Laid across the trade routes between the
Sahara Desert and the West African
region
• Contained the important city of Timbuktu
Human Characteristics
• Farmers
• Miners
• Traders
Adaptaions to the
Environment
• Mined gold in West Africa and traded
it for salt from the Sahara Desert
• Used salt for their health and to
preserve food
• Trade made Mali one of the
wealthiest empires in the region
Government
• Ruled by rich and powerful kings
• Kings controlled the trade in West
Africa and made Mali an important
trade center
Oral Tradition
• Mali did not have a formal written
language
• History was passed down by oral
accounts through storytellers from
one generation to the next
Architecture
• Built a famous university in Timbuktu
that contained a large library of
Greek and Roman books
Mali Millionaire Game
• http://www.quia.com/rr/37182
.html