December 2021 Flashcards
What are the three climate zones located in West Africa from north to south and what are there characteristics?
Desert (dry), Savannah (dry + wet season), and rain forest (hot and wet)
In what climate zone did civilizations develop?
In the savannah, also called “sahel”
What river made West African empires possible?
the Niger river
Why didn’t civilizations in West and South Africa share ideas and goods?
Without north/south travel, they had no communication
On what was the social and political structure of West African society based?
clans - descended from a common ancestor and kinship family
How was information passed on in pre-Islamic Africa and by whom?
By “oral tradition” storytellers called “griots”
What technology led to the rise of civilization in West Africa?
Iron working
What item attracted Mediterranean people to West Africa?
Gold
Across what natural boundary did they travel and how could they manage it?
The Sahara, and camels allowed them to cross it in caravans.
What were the three empires of West Africa in order of date and size?
Ghana, Mali, Songhai
What item did West Africans need that was worth its weight in gold?
Salt
What was located at Taghaza and why would it have been such a terrible place to work?
Salt mines operated by slave labor and dependent on caravans for food and water
What system did the Wangarans use to keep the source of gold a secret?
Silent barter (silent trade)
What was the basis for the wealth of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai?
taxes levied on trade
What valuable tool for running an empire did West African kings get from Muslims?
writing; paperwork made it easier to run an empire
Why might kings of Ghana have accepted Islam, but kept their own traditions at the same time?
Increase wealth; the old traditions kept them in power over their people, justifying their rule
Who was the first king of Mali’s empire and by what name was he known?
Sundiata Keita, the “Lion King”
Who was the most famous king of Mali and what famous thing did he do?
Mansa Musa (Emperor Moses), famous pilgrimage to Mecca, showing off and giving away gold
Who was the most famous king of the Songhai empire and what did he do?
Askia Muhammad, also a devout Muslim, copied Mansa Musa’s hajj
For what was Timbuktu known?
Great center of Islamic learning
What treasure does Timbuktu keep today?
Thousands of medieval manuscripts
Who was Ibn Battuta and what did he do?
A Moroccon traveler who journeyed and wrote about Mali.
How was Islam practiced in West Africa?
Matriarcal systems were replaced by partriarchal systems, and ancestor worship continued.
What common problem befell Mali after the death of Mansa Musa and Songhai after the death of Askia Muhammad?
the problem of succession
Why did the Almoravids of northwest Africa attack Ghana and why might have their motivations not be so pure?
They claimed Jihad to combat corrupted practices of Islam by the kings, but in the end they made away with the gold.
What is the legacy of the Bantu migrations and how long were they?
Spread the Bantu language group throughout sub-Saharan Africa over a period of 1500 years.
What did African oral tradition include?
griots who preserved peoples history, folktales that taught lessons to the young, and proverbs or wise sayings, shared from generation to generation
What did African musical tradition include?
Call-and-response songs, drums, and other instruments accompanied by dance
What did Africa artistic tradition include?
sculpture, masks, basket weaving, and textiles like kente cloth
How were these traditions spread to the Americas?
Through the enslavement of Africans to Europeans
Who introduced Europeans to slave trade?
Africans, they had a long tradition of selling their people
