African Focus Notes_Short

West African Culture and Daily Life

7th Grade World History

Geography • Four major vegetation zones: Desert, sahel, savannah, rain forest

• Niger River  grow food  route for trade, transportation, and communication.

Trade • West African kingdoms grew through trade • Gold & Salt Trade: – West Africa received salt – North Africa received gold

• Kings gained control of the trading systems, – Develop strong empires

The Camel • Made trans-Saharan trade possible (trade across the Sahara desert).

Village Life and Family • Life centered around the village – where a clan lived.

• Kinship groups – formed the government of many African societies

• Labor specialization – Some people focused on specific types of work – very diverse economy

West African Religion • Ancestor worship

– celebratory masks, music, dance, food, and stories.

• Animism – all things in nature have spirits.

Influence of Islam • Berber traders – introduced Arabic and Islam to West Africa – Islam blended with traditional West African beliefs.

Oral Tradition • History and cultural values passed on through oral stories • Storytellers were called griots. – educated the clan about their history, – communicate with past ancestors – entertained people.