Post on 12-Jan-2016
transcript
Kingdoms of Central and Southern AfricaKingdoms of Central and Southern Africa
The Bantu Migrations
• Look at this picture and think about the landscape and the various structures you see. What might the structures be made of? Used for?
• What about the people? What are they doing? What skills might each person contribute to the village community?
Bantu Origins• Bantu people originated
in West Africa - part of Nok people
• After 500 BC, iron technology allowed for increase food production and population
• Bantus migrated to central and southern Africa in 3 waves between 500 BC - AD 1500
Bantu Societies
• Economy based on hunting, fishing, and farming
• In most, basic unit was household, or family• Most Bantu people lived in villages of 5-200
families• Gender roles were clearly defined• Age grades defined specific responsibilities• Village council of elders made decisions
The Kongo Kingdom
• What different groups of people do you see?
• Who is in charge?
• Is this illustration drawn by an African or a European? Why?
The Kongo Kingdom
How My Kingdom Came to Power
• By the 1st century AD, Bantu migrated to Congo River basin
• Kongo natives easily assimilated Bantu lifestyle
• By the 14th century, two Bantu clans united to form Kongo Kingdom
Sources of our Kingdom’s Strength
• Waterways provide abundance of fish
• Farmers grow and collect several crops
• Animals are hunted for meat and hides
• Taxes on trade goods are paid to the king’s treasury
Reasons Why We, the Portuguese, Came to the
Kongo
• Portuguese first arrive in 1482
• Missionaries converted people of the Kongo to Christianity
• Traders traded European and Asian goods for sugar, copper, and skins
Reasons Why We’re Concerned
• Portuguese greed sours trade relationship• Portuguese gold; since there is no gold, they
demand human slaves• Rival African states ally with the Portuguese to
raid Kongo for slaves• King Affonso I of the Kongo tried to halt slave
trade through a letter to King John of Portugal in 1526. Portuguese didn’t stop.
• By 1680, Kongo kingdom’s wealth & power undermined by slave trade – kingdom fades away.
Great Zimbabwe: Monument to the Zimbabwe State
• What materials were used to construct this building?
• What clues can you find to guess the approximate size of this building?
• What might it have been used for?
Zimbabwe
The Shona Build Zimbabwe
• Sometime between AD 500 and 1000 Shona settle in plateau between Zambezi and Limpopo rivers.
• Developed economy based on pastoral agriculture
• Mastered iron making and mine great quantities of gold
• Engaged in trade with coastal cities and taxed visiting traders
• Built Great Zimbabwe, capital city, as sign of the state’s prestige
Ruins of a Magnificent Palace: The Temple at Great Zimbabwe
• Cone-shaped tower - 115 feet high
• Gateways marked with carved birds
• King’s dwellings, huts, shrines, granaries
• Surrounding wall:820 feet long16 feet thick30 feet high
Zimbabwe’s Decline
• Great Zimbabwe was abandoned after 1450
• Some provinces of Zimbabwe state declare independence
• Monomutapa Empire replaced Zimbabwe as dominant power
• Portuguese greed for slaves and gold destroyed Monomutapa
The Swahili Coastal Trading States
• What is happening here?
• What kinds of goods are being loaded onto the ship in the foreground?
• How might this trade affect the lifestyle or culture of the people living here?
Swahili Coast
Independent City States
• Most important city-states: Mogadishu, Malini, Mombasa, Zanzibar, Kilwa, and Sofala
• Each one ruled by an emir or sultan
• Rulers were supported by an elaborate and well-educated bureaucracy
Swahili CultureSwahili Culture
• Bantu-speaking Africans converted to Islam; intermarried with Muslim traders
• Swahili language combined Bantu, Arabic, and Indian
• Architecture, food, dress, farming, and government reflected combined African and Arabic styles
• Rulers were wealthy enough to maintain lifestyle lavish as European nobles of the time (1300’s)
Geography’s Role in Trade
• Sailors took advantage of monsoons to travel between China and East Africa
• Kilwa’s deep and large harbor could hold the world’s largest ships
• Arabs and Persians:– Brought incense,
glass, pearls, fabric, and Muslim culture
Europeans:sought to become a dominant trading power in East Africa
• Chinese:– Brought porcelain,
silk, and jade
Indians:brought spices, rice, and cotton cloth
European Intervention and the Story of Queen Nzinga
• What different types of people do you see?
• Why is the man sitting in a chair, while the woman sits on a human being?
Mbundu Kingdom:Present-day Angola
European Intervention
• Wanted safe harbors for long voyages to Asia
• Desired to establish trade bases in Africa
• Later, wanted to monopolize trade
• Increasingly traded for slaves
African Responses
• States competed to win favor and trade advantages from Europeans
• Leaders had to satisfy European demands for slaves or become targets for slave raiders
• Some villages raided each other for slaves to sell to the Europeans
• Many Africans chose to resist and fight
Nzinga Challenges European Control
• Portuguese gained political control of the Mbundu people through war
• To gain independence for her people, Nzinga:
– Met with Portuguese governor to negotiate for independence for her people in 1622
– Agreed she would release Portuguese prisoners when her people were returned to Brazil (didn’t happen)
– Agreed to convert to Christianity if Portuguese would withdraw troops from Mbundu and restore her brother to power (happened)
– Nzinga replaced her brother as leader of the Mbundu– Fought with and against Europeans and other Africans
during her 41-year reign
Nzinga is remembered as a brilliant military leader, shrewd diplomat, and fierce patriot