African farmers Flashcards
When did the first farmers come to South Africa?
1700 to 2000 years ago
ie early Iron Age/ late Stone Age
Where did the first farmers settle in South Africa?
On the east coast where it has summer rain
Where did the first South African farmers come from?
From central and west Africa, from countries such as Nigeria and Cameroon
Describe the first farmers in South Africa
- Kept animals
- Grew crops
- Made iron tools
- lived in kraals / villages
Compare the early African farmers to the Khoi-Khoi and San people
Similar
- both kept animals
- all spoke Bantu languages
Different
- spoke different languages
- farmers were less nomadic than San and Khoi
- relied mainly on their farming for food whereas the Khoi mainly on collecting food from the wild (hunted and gathered)
- farmers farmed crops, Khoi did not, they gathered
Why did African farmers move into Southern Africa?
Their water sources in Sahara desert were drying up.
Therefore
They were looking for new fields and pastures with more fertile land and better water sources.
South Africa had summer rainfall (good for crops)
Also: possibly conflict with other groups (eg San)
Describe how early farmers and Khoi /San people interacted with each other
- fought over land and food
- intermarried
- traded
-sometimes khoi / San became slaves for farmers
Discuss the early African farmers and cattle
- They kept large herds of cattle
- cattle was a sign of wealth
- valued for their milk and hides
- used as lobola (payment for bride)
- skins for clothing
- horns for containers
- they only use them for meat on special occasions
What kinds of crops did the early farmers grow?
- gourds (similar to pumpkins)
- legumes (eg beans & cow peas)
- sorghum
- millet (bullrush & finger)
- wild melons
- vegetables
- others grains eg maize
What protein did the early farmers eat?
- Game (hunted)
- goats and sheep (slaughtered)
- fish & shellfish (if close to the sea)
Describe the houses of the early African farmers
Small
Beehive shaped
Made from grass matting and clay
What did early farmers trade with? And what did they trade for?
Traded : Cattle and Iron
Traded for: Hunter gathers doing a ceremony to make rain (which would make crops grow)
What did the early farmers make?
- tools from iron
- pottery
- gold and copper ornaments
- huts
Describe early farming communities
- They were made out of homesteads
- Which had cattle farms in the middle and households around
- they had chiefs and elders
- Elders were in charge of homesteads and consulted about major decisions
- chiefs handed out land
- an adult knew he belonged to the community because he had land
- strangers were welcomed and given land
- herders and hunter gatherers sometimes joined farming communities
What is the Iron Age?
The time period when weapons and tools were base from iron
How do archaeologists know that African farmers and hunter gatherers traded?
They found in farming sites things that Hunter gatherer and herders made eg
- sea shells
- Reed mats,
- ostrich egg shell ornaments
- Bone arrowheads