states and societies of sub saharan africa ch 18 Flashcards
1
Q
kin-based societies
A
- 1000 CE, bantu people stopped expanding mainly because agricultural peoples already occupied most of the continent –> developed more complex forms of government for better organization
- bantu people didn’t depend on hierarchy of officials, rather they governed themselves mostly through family and kinship groups
- older male heads constituted village’s ruling council, decided public affairs
- prominent of family heads presided over village as chief
- groups of villages were connected by kinship ties, negotiated on matters
- organization lends itself well to small-scale communities, but kind-based societies often grew to large proportions
2
Q
jenne-jeno
A
- early cities (at beginning of reading)
- 400 CE, settlement of Jenne-jeno emerged as a center of iron production, trade, and manufactured textiles
- established on niger river
- participated in an extensive trade network from north africa + mediterranean to savannas and forests of central africa
- 8th century began a principal commercial crossroad in w africa
- city declined as west african kingdoms and empires arose, but left a legacy of urban development in the region inspiring the foundation of other cities
3
Q
chiefdoms
A
- after 1000 CE, kin-based societies faced challenges when they sought control over human labor or valuable trade routes
- conflicts between villages became more frequent and more intense
- increased conflict led to organized military forces being made for offensive and defensive purposes
- districts fell under leadership of powerful chiefs, who imposed their authority on their territories
- some chiefs conquered neighbors and consolidated lands into small kingdoms
- kingdoms emerged after 1000 CE
- eg Ife and Benin, arose in W Africa
4
Q
kingdom of kongo
A
14th to 17th century
- congo river was an active area for political development
- brisk economic development supported emergence of large and small kingdoms
- after 1000 CE, economic and military challenges encouraged kin-based socities in congo to form small states
- 1200 the conflict between small states led to organization of larger states that could resist political and military pressures better than smaller kingdoms
- one of the more prosperous states was KINGDOM OF KONGO, active in trade networks (including e.g. copper and shells from atlantic ocean) modern day congo and angola
- central government included king and officials who oversaw military, judicial, financial affairs
- central gov had six provinces administered by governors, who supervised districts run by subordinate officials
- most tightly centralized of bantu kingdoms
- provided effective organization from 14th to mid 17th century, when portugese slave traders undermined authority of kings and central gov
5
Q
african societies + cultural development (general)
A
- 11th century CE, enormous variation in size and scale of african societies
- spoke 800 different languages, supporting a wide variety of societies and economies
- diversity makes it difficult to speak of african society in general terms, but certain social and cultural patterns appeared in Sub Saharan Africa
6
Q
social classes (african societies)
A
- kingdoms/ empires such as kongo, mali, kilwa, african peoples developed complex societies with clearly defined classes
- classes of ruling elites, military nobles, administrative officials, religious authorities, wealthy merchants, commoners, peasants, slaves
- resembled those found in eurasia organized by powerful states
- in small states and kin based societies, social structures were different
- small states often had aristocratic or ruling elite
- kinship, sex, gender, age often became principal considerations that determined social position in Sub saharan africa
7
Q
kinship groups, ownership of land
A
- extended families and clans served as main foundation of social and economic organization in small-scale agriculture and foraging societies
- sub-Saharan africa, people didn’t recognize private ownership of land. communities claimed rights to land and used it in common.
- villages of sub saharan africa consisted of several extended family groups
- male heads governed village, organized work of their groups, allocated portions of land to relatives to cultivate
- responsible for distributing harvests equitably in society
8
Q
divison of labor (sub saharan africa)
A
- sex and gender relations influenced roles played in societies
- sex determined work roles
- men dominated most prestigious trades e.g. leather tanning, iron working
- blacksmiths served as community leaders
- women in blacksmith families served as potters for communities, enjoyed prestige
- agriculturally, men undertook heavy labor of clearing and preparing land for cultivation
- women contributed to planting and harvesting
- men largely monopolized public authorities.
- women had more opportunities open to them than other counterparts, sometimes made their way to positions of power
- women commonly traded at markets, participated actively in local and long-distance trade in africa, even engaged in combat sometimes
9
Q
age grades
A
(sub saharan africa)
- made place for age groups including all individuals in a given community born within a few years of one another
- arose in early days of agriculture society in Sudan, age grades continued into recent times
- in age grades, members performed tasks appropriate for their level of development, bonded to form friends and political allies
- established social ties that crossed the lines of family and kinship
10
Q
slavery (sub saharan africa)
A
- slave holding and trading were prominent features of subsaharan african society
- most slaves held were captives of war/debtors/criminals
- most enslaved worked as domestic laborers, construction laborers, etc
- slave ownership was a form of personal wealth, since it was hard to accumulate wealth when all land was shared, brought enhanced social status
11
Q
slave trading (sub saharan africa)
A
- after 9th century, expansion of trans-saharan and indian ocean trade stimulated increased traffic in african slaves
- demand for slaves powered over supply available in europe, so ppl traded in africa for local products and slaves
- rulers of large-scale states made war on smaller states for captives destined for northern slave markets
12
Q
zanj revolt
A
- throws light at nature of african slavery
- zanj –> black slaves from swahili coast
- labored under extremely difficult conditions, tried to mount revolts
- 869 - slaved man ali bin muhammad organized 15000 zanj slaves into immense force, capturing basra, important city of mesopotamia
- abbasid rulers of mesopotamia were distracted, turned their attention towards revolt a decade after it begun.
- 883 crushed revolt, killed ali bin muhammad, executed rebel leaders
- displayed determination of enslaved people to escape brutal circumstances, extreme desire of slaveholders to maintain status quo
13
Q
introduction of islam to sub-sharan africa
A
- 7th and 8th centuries, merchants from north africa and southwest asia introduced islam to sub saharan africa
- came in two routes: went to west africa by trans-saharan camel caravans, coastal east africa over sea lanes of indian ocean in vessels of merchant-mariners.
- after 8th century, islam influenced political, social, economic development of both saharan and sub-saharan africa
- africans adapted islam to their own cultures
14
Q
sahara + saharan camels
A
- sahara never served as an absolute barrier to communication between human societies, merchants organized some expeditions across desert
- camels were instrumental to improving communication and transportation across sahara
- camels came to north africa from arabia by way of egypt and the sudan
- after around 300, camels increasingly replaced horses as preferred transport animals
- camels were useful bc they could travel long distances before needing water
- muslims in north africa explored potential of trade across sahara
- searched for gold across the desert, found series of long-established trading centers such as Gao
- offered access to niger river valley, a flourishing market for copper, ironware,etc
15
Q
kingdom of ghana location + time
A
- principal state of west, situated between senegal and niger rivers
11th to 13th century
