Unit 1 Flashcards
What notion does African American Studies disprove? How does it reframe this misconception?
The notion that Africa is a primitive continent with no history; early Africa was a diverse continent with complex societies
Where did population centers emerge in Africa? Why?
Sahel and savanna grasslands; because of major water routes, fertile land, and trade between North and South
What caused the Bantu expansion across the African continent?
population growth from technological and agricultural innovations
What current factors were influenced by the Bantu expansion?
linguistic diversity and genetic ancestry
What were some of the complex and large-scale societies that arose in ancient Africa?
Egypt, Nubia/Kush, Aksum, Nok
Which two early African societies emerged along the Nile river? Why did they have conflict with each other?
Egypt and Nubia/Kush; Nubia was the source of gold and luxury trade items
Which empire defeated which and established a dynasty of Black Pharaohs who ruled for a century?
Nubia defeated Egypt
What allowed Aksum to expand?
trade networks on the Red Sea
Nok was one of the earliest West African societies to use what?
iron
What artwork was Nok known for?
terracotta sculptures
What was the first African society to adopt Christianity? Under which ruler?
Aksum; King Ezana
What did African American writers use to counter racist stereotypes?
sacred and secular texts from ancient African societies
In chronological order, which empires made up the Sudanic empires?
Ghana, Mali, Songhai
What did Trans-Saharan trade spread across West Africa?
Islam
What led to Songhai’s decline?
the shift from trans-Saharan trade to Atlantic trade following Portuguese exploration along the West coast of Africa
Who established Mali as a center for trade, learning, and cultural exchange?
Mansa Musa
What allowed Mali to expand its territory?
wealth and access to trans-Saharan trade routes
What event attracted the interest of Europeans towards Mali?
Mansa Musa’s Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca)
Which Mali city, known for its book trade and university, attracted scholars ?
Timbuktu
What was the name given to prestigious historians, storytellers, and musicians in West Africa?
griots
What is religious syncretism?
the blending of different religious and spiritual beliefs and practices
What caused religious syncretism to take place in Africa?
leaders of African societies adopted Islam or Christianity, and their subjects often blended aspects of these religions with their own
Before leading revolts, what did enslaved Africans often perform?
spiritual ceremonies of their syncretic faiths
Who inhabited Great Zimbabwe?
the Shona people
Why did Great Zimbabwe flourish?
trade along the Swahili coast
What is Great Zimbabwe best known for?
large stone architecture
Between the 11th and 15th century, what language and what religion were the Swahili Coast city-states united by?
Swahili/Kiswahili; Islam
The Portuguese invaded Swahili Coast city-states to gain control of what?
Indian Ocean trade
What religion did the Kingdom of Kongo voluntarily convert to? How did this benefit the Kingdom?
Roman Catholicism; strengthened trade relationship with Portugal
In Kongo, before and during the slave trade, what were children commonly named after?
Catholic saints
Who was the first iyoba, or queen mother, of the Kingdom of Benin?
Queen Idia
What did Queen Idia rely on to win in battles?
spiritual power and medicinal knowledge
Who became the queen of Ndongo, present-day Angola, when people from Ndongo were being sold as slaves?
Queen Njinga
What did Queen Njinga use to win victories against the Portuguese and gain control of her kingdom?
guerilla warfare and expanding her military by recruiting runaway slaves
Why did Europeans go to Africa before the slave trade?
because of the gold trade
Why did Africans go to Europe before the slave trade?
African elites traveled to port cities for diplomatic, educational, and religious reasons
What islands did the Portuguese colonize and use for slave labor?
Cabo Verde, Sao Tome
