Midterm Exam Flashcards
What is the definition of culture?
A way of life
What is non-material culture?
Invisible, intangible aspects of culture
what is material culture?
physical, visible elements
religion, faith, perspectives are what type of culture?
non-material
How many African Language Families are there?
6
What are the African language families?
1) Afro-Asiatic or Hamito-Semantic,
2) Nilo-Saharen
3) Koisan
4) Niger-Kongo
5) Malayo-Polynesian
6) Indo-European Family
Arabic is leading language in this branch…?
Hamito-Semantic - aka Afro-Asianic
Which is the smallest language family? How many?
Koisan, no more than 100,000 speakers
Which language family is sometimes called the “click” language?
Koisan
Which two sub-families make up the Niger-Congo - Kordofanian?
Niger-Congo and the Kordofanian
Which countries are associated with Anglophone?
Liberia,
South Africa
Liberia and South Africa are associated with which language classification?
Anglophone
Which countries are classified as Francophone?
Togo,
Gabon
Togo and Gabon are classified as what language?
Francophone
Which countries are classified as Lusophone?
Angola,
Mozambique
Angola and Mozambique are classified as which language?
Lusophone
What are the three classifications of standard/official languages?
Anglophone,
Francophone,
Lusophone
What is “initiation”?
they are rituals designed to impart values to youngsters as their rite of passage into adulthood
when youngsters experience rituals that are supposed to impart values as their rite of passage into adulthood, what is this called?
Initiation
Public circumcision is an example of…
Initiation
What is the Levirate?
A custom in which a man takes the widow(s) and children of a deceased brother
What is the custom called, when a man takes the widow(s) and children of a deceased brother?
the Levirate
What is the Sororate?
a traditional custom in which a woman takes the place of a deceased sister in the marriage.
When a woman dies, one her sisters takes her place in the marriage - this traditional custom is called what?
the sororate
The Aka bra of Kenya practice which traditional African custom?
the levirate
the Tswana and Zulu practice which traditional African custom?
the sororate
what are some examples of people who practice the levirate?
the Aka bra of Kenya
whhat are some examples of people who practice the sororate?
Tswana and Zulu
A Bride Price is also known as what?
Dowry,
Bride Wealth
A Dowry is also known as what?
Bride Wealth,
bride price
the bride wealth is also known as what?
bride price,
dowry
What are the reasons for a bride price?
1) a token of gratitude by the groom’s family to the bride’s,
2) to compensate the bride’s family for a loss of her services
3) to show a token of good faith
4) to respect the bride and no mistreat her
a token of gratitude for the bride’s family from the groom’s family, this is a…?
bride price
to compensate the bride’s family for a loss of her services, this is a reason for …?
bride price/wealth,
dowry
to show a bride’s family a good token a faith, this is a …?
bride price/wealth,
dowry
to respect the bride, and not mistreat her, this is a …?
bride price/wealth,
dowry
What are some reasons for polygamy?
a) infertility in women
b) a sign of wealth/affluence
c) economic necessity
d) children as treasure - protect family, perpetuate family name
e) impact of Islam’s reinforcement
f) the custom, in some areas, of avoiding a wife who’s nursing a baby for 2-3 years
a) infertility in women
b) a sign of wealth/affluence
c) economic necessity
d) children as treasure - protect family, perpetuate family name
e) impact of Islam’s reinforcement
f) the custom, in some areas, of avoiding a wife who’s nursing a baby for 2-3 years
these are some reasons people practice…?
Polygamy
When the descent is in the male line, this is called what?
Patrilineal
When the descent is in the female line, this is called what?
matrilineal
an example of a patrilineal is …?
when a man is deceased, his property goes to his children, normally the oldest son
When mostly boys only have inheritance rights, this is called what?
patrilineal
an example of matrilineal is..?
when a man is deceased, the property goes to the children of his sister
when men divide their attention between their wives and children on the one hand, and their sisters and children on the other hand, this falls under…?
matrilineal descent/inheritance
what were the religions talked about?
Christianity, Islam, Judaism, & traditional
And in East Africa:
Hinduism, Buddism, Shintoism, Taoism
Which religions are found in East Africa?
Hinduism, Buddism, Shintoism, Taoism
When was traditional religion founded?
there is no founder
which religion has no founder?
traditional religion
what percentage of Africa still practices traditional religion?
15%
When was Christianity first introduced?
the apostolic age, during the 1st century
Where was Christianity first introduced?
North Africa
When the last phase Christianity was introduced?
as a reaction to the slave trade
Which religion came in 3 phases?
Christianity
When was the second phase of the rise of Christianity?
the 15th century, when Portuguese were exploring the Atlantic Cost
Christianity came to Africa in how many phases, and started where, and in what century?
North Africa, 1st Century
Islam came by which two places of of Africa?
North - by Jihads and holy wars,
and West Africa thru trade contact
Which religion was introduced in North Africa by Jihads and holy wars, and West Africa thru trade contact?
Islam
Judaism is found where?
On a limited basis in North and South Africa
What are the 3 religious systems in Africa?
1) traditional religious systems
2) Christianity
3) Islam
What were the sub division/denominations of African Christianity?
Ethiopian type churches,
Spirit type churches,
Messianic type churches
When did Ethiopian type churches emerge?
end of 19th century, beginning of 20th century
which Christian denomination emerged at the end of the 19th, beginning of the 20th century?
Ethiopian type church
Which church is characterized by a prophetic leader?
Messianic type church
what are the characteristics of the Ethiopian type churches?
- it was essentially a protest movement against the oppressive colonial regimes,
- Found mostly in Eastern and Southern Africa,
- nonprophetic (doesn’t believe in prophets)
- doesn’t emphasize the Holy Spirit
Which Christian church type is concerned with the destruction of social African cultural, and with practical benefits of religion than with salvation in the after life?
Spirit Type Churches
Which church is also called Zion churches?
Spirit Type Churches
Simon Kimbanyu, and the church he founded called The Church of Jesus Christ on This Earth, fall under which type of church?
Messianic Church
How was Islam introduced in West Africa?
Trade Contact
How was Islam introduced to North Africa?
Jihads and Holy Wars
What makes Islam appealing to some Africans?
It accommodates African values more than other religions - like polygamy
What are the various forms of African Literature?
1) Proverbs and riddles
2) Myths and Legends
3) Folktales and Popular Stories
4) Poetry
What are the characteristics of Proverbs and Riddles?
They convey the accepted social norms
Which form of African Literature conveys the accepted social norms?
Proverbs and Riddles
Myths and Legends are about:
a) belief in the supernatural
b) history and origins of people and society
which form of African literature conveys belief in the supernatural, and history and origins of people and society?
Myths and Legends
Folktales are regarded as:
Ficiton
Which African Literature is regarded as Fiction?
Folktales
the spider, the tortoise, and the hare, are an example of which type of African Literature?
Folktales
In West Africa, the spider is called:
Anansi
Anansi, is the name for what?
the spider in the folktale
What are the different types of poetry?
1) narrative epic
2) occupational poetry
3) love songs
4) cult poetry
narrative epic, occupational, love songs, and cult, are all types of:
Poetry
What are the characteristics of a narrative epic?
- has a chanted formula,
- takes several days to perform
- talk about the historical legend dealing with conquerors and founders of dynasty
a chanted formula, takes several days to perform, and talks about historical legend dealing with conquerors and founders of dynasty - these are the characteristics of what?
narrative epic
occupational poetry - what’s the characteristics?
belongs to a group practicing a trade or vocation
this belongs to a group practicing a trade or vocation -
occupational poetry
cult poetry is what?
- rituals for the divinities or oracles,
- celebrates the forces of nature used in the practice of traditional medicine
rituals for the divinities or oracles are called what, and the celebration of the forces of nature used in the practice of traditional medicine - this is called what?
cult poetry
Who wrote “Things Fell Apart”?
Chinua Achebe
Chinua Achebe wrote which most famous classic in 1993?
Things Fell Apart
Other Achebe Novels are what?
Arrow of God,
No Longer at Ease,
A Man of the People,
Anhills of the Savanna
Which Author won a nobel prize in 1986?
Wole Soyinka
Thomas Mofolo authored which books?
Travelers of the East,
Chaka the Zulu
-They were written in African language
Thomas Mofolo’s books have what unique characteristic?
they were written in African language
In East Africa, the leading author Ngugi W’a Thiongo authored what books?
Weep Not Child, The River Between, Grain of Wheat, Petals of Blood, Devil on the Cross - which deals with sexual harassment
What is Negritude?
African Literature written in French
What is African Literature, written in French called?
Negritude
Creates feelings of pride for being black?
the objective of Negritude
Leopard Senghor was an advocate for what?
Negritude
Negritude’s advocate what:
Leopard Senghor
Negritude characteristics:
- seeks to identify positive African values,
- puts an emphasis on Pan Africanism
- was a reaction to colonial literature,
- became anti-colonial ideology,
- took the slogan -“a leopard can’t change it’s spots,
- Came as part of the Harlem Renaissance
“a leopard can’t change it’s spots” is associated with:
Negritude
This was a reaction to colonial literature:
Negritude
This put an emphasis on Pan Africanism
Negritude
What were the main African instruments?
chordophones,
idiophones,
aerophones,
membranophones
chordophones have which type of instruments?
stringed instruments
idiophones have this type of instrument:
anything made of elastic material - resonant solids
some idiophones are:
rattles, bells, mbira - or thumb piano, xylphone
rattles, bells, mbira, xylophones are:
idiophones
stringed instruments are:
chordophones
drums are:
membranophones
something that produces sound through air vibrations is called:
aerophones
how many african art traditions did we talk about?
5
What were the art traditions we talked about?
1) craftsmaking,
2) royal art,
3) nok culture,
4) glyptic art,
5) architectural art
what are the standards, or characteristics of Art?
1) smoothness
2) Symmetry
3) Ephibism - emphasis on youthful image
4) Hypermimesis - general resemblance instead of exact representation
smoothness, symmetry, ephibism, and hypermimesis are all what?
the standards for African art
which languages are being used as national regional languages?
A) Hausa in West Africa
B) Swahili, or Kiswahili in East Africa
Hausa and Swahili, or Kiswahili or what?
National regional languages
an example of a monolingual is
Arabic, North Africa - except Algeria
Arabic, North Africa - except Algeria is an example of
monolingual
examples of bilingual is
Camaroun and South Africa
an example of a multilingual country is:
Senegal and Nigeria
Senegal and Nigeria are what lingual?
multilingual
The most important language in North Africa
Afro-Asiatic
This language family includes languages spoken in Asia (middle east) and North Africa
Afro-Asiatic
This language family is spoken alongside the nile & Niger, in chad - western Sudan, and Uganda - Western Kenya
Nilo-Saharan
mostly spoken by the koikoi and San of South Eastern Africa
Koisan
Koisan is spoken by
the khoikhoi and San of South Eastern Africa
The Kordofanian subfamily is spoken where?
the Nubia Hills of Southern Sudan
This is spoken in the Nubia Hills of Southern Sudan
Kordofanian subfamily - 30 languages
Which subfamily covers almost all of Africa below the Sahara desert?
Niger-Congo
3 out of 4 speakers belongs to this sub family
Niger-Congo
the bantu, west sudanic language, kwa branch, west atlantic branch all fall under:
the Niger-Congo subfamily
an example of Malayo-Polynesian subfamily language?
Malagasy in Madagascar
Indo/European family has how many members and what are they?
2, English and Afrikaans
English and Afrikaans are indiginous to where? and are a part of which subfamily?
South Africa,
Zimbabwe,
Liberia,
and Indo/European family
