First farmers in Southern Africa Flashcards
(39 cards)
Archaeologists believe that the first farmers in Southern Africa were around during the _________ Age, some 1700 to 2000 years ago.
iron
The first farmers are believed to have come from?
Central and East Africa to Southern Africa
Who were already living in Southern Africa when the first farmers arrived?
Khoikhoi and the San people
The first farmers brought many changes with them. List 4.
Less nomadic so were more settled
Lived in villages
Relied mainly on farming, so planted crops
Kept herds of cattle, sheep and goats
What languages did these first farmers speak?
Bantu languages
What is some of the reasons that these new farmers moved to Southern Africa
Water sources in the Sahara were drying up and the farmers were looking for new fields and pastures.
These farmers came in contact with the San and KhoiKhoi people. How did they relate to each other?
Farmers traded with them and used them as slaves.
Farmer who had large herds of cattle were seen as
Wealthy, a sign of wealth
What is it called when a man had to pay for his bride?
Lobola
What farming did they do
Hunting of game
Farming animals (cattle, sheep and goats)
Crops (millet, sorghum, beans, melons, grains and vegetables)
Farmers close to the sea fished and collected shelfish
Did early farmers use metal?
Yes, they smelted iron and used it to make tools
They also traded with metal
They produced finely worked gold and copper ornaments.
Did the early farmers trade with others?
Yes, they traded metal. They traded with people as far east as the Indian Ocean.
Did these farmers hunt for ivory?
Yes
With these early farmers, who made their decisions?
The chief and elders
True or false “The Khoisan had no concept of land ownership”.
True
What did the early farmers had in common with the Khoikhoi people? List 5 things.
- Both group ate shellfish
- Both groups hunted animals
- Both groups needed good grazing for their livestock.
- The farmers shared iron spears and tools and new farming methods with them.
- Khoikhoi showed farmers to make medicine
Did the Khoikhoi and first farmers helped each other in times of hardship?
Yes, when crops failed or animals were killed by disease. They also bartered with each other for items they needed.
What evidence shows that there were marriages between these early farmers and Khoikhoi people?
Rock painting that was found.
The first farmers were a patriarchal society. What does that mean?
Men were the rulers and chiefs.
What does autocracy mean?
The chief made all the big decisions.
What does democracy mean?
Decisions are made as a group, like the San and Khoikhoi people.
The chief would give every family a piece of land to work, what work did the men and women do?
Men: hunt and look after livestock
Women: work the land and farm
The first farmers were subsistence farmers, what does that mean?
They only grew enough crops and reared what animals they needed to survive.
The main source of meat for these farmers were from?
Their livestock.
