Trading Salt for Gold in West Africa

Standard 7.4Niger River

Ghana

Standard 7.4.1: Identify how trade in the Niger River region of Africa led to the development of powerful

and wealthy empires in West Africa.

Content Objective: SWBAT trace the steps and roles in the gold and salt exchange.

Language Objective: SWBAT list and discuss the steps and roles in the gold and salt exchange on an organizer.

Key Vocabulary:

• Nomadic: Person who moves

from place to place.

• Silent Barter: Process in which

people exchange goods

without ever contacting each

other directly.

• Caravans: Group of traders

that travel together

Background:• In the early 300’s

Soninke families banded

together to protect

themselves from nomadic

herders who wanted to

take their lands. This

group became Ghana.

Control of Trade:• Ghana lay between the Sahara Desert and

the forest of the Niger River valley. From this location, Ghana was in a good position to trade the region’s most valuable resources- gold and salt. With the development of iron weapons, Ghana was able to gain control of these trade routes and forced traders to pay taxes.

The Role of Salt:• Salt was very valuable. Africans used salt

to preserve food, as a currency, but most importantly Africans needed salt in their diets to survive.

The Activity:• The purpose of this activity is to allow the

students to experience the practice of Silent Barter. Silent Barter is a process in which people exchange goods without ever contacting each other directly.

 

The Characters:

• North Africans: Salt traders who traveled in large caravans to Ghana.

• Wangarans: Mined gold from the Niger River Valley forests.

• Soninke Warriors: Supervised the Silent Barter process.

• Drummers: Provided cheerful music during the Silent Barter process.

Step 1: North Africans send a salt caravan to Ghana.

Step 2: North Africans place salt on the banks of the Niger River.

Niger River

Ghana

Step 3: North Africans retreat into the Sahara Desert.

Niger River

Ghana

Step 4: Wangarans sail down the Niger River to Ghana.

Niger River

Ghana

Step 5: Wangarans examine the North African salt trade proposal.

Good Trade

Niger River

Ghana

Step 6: Wangarans place the gold tokens they want to trade alongside

North African salt.

Niger River

Ghana

Step 7: North Africans react to the trade proposal of the Wangarans.

Niger River

Ghana

Step 8: Soninke (Ghana) collects taxes from North Africans and

Wangarans.

Niger River

Ghana

Review QuestionWhich of the following statements about trade routes in Africa is true?

a.Salt was carried south while gold was carried north.

b.Salt was carried north while gold was carried south.

c.Salt was carried east while gold was carried west.

d.Salt was carried west while gold was carried east.

Review QuestionHow did Ghana become such a powerful state?

a.Ghana owned more salt than other states.

b.Leaders in Ghana formed alliances with other groups of people.

c.It had the strongest army in all of Africa.

d.It gained control of the valuable trade routes.

Review QuestionTowns and villages grew and the population of

Ghana increased mostly because

a.Ghana’s farmers and herders could produce plenty of food.

b.The people of Ghana believed in having very large families.

c.Families needed many members to work the trade caravans.

d.By law, families in Ghana were required to have many members.

Review QuestionWhat was significant about the location of the Ghana Empire?

a.It had access to the Atlantic Ocean and therefore valuable shipping routes.

b.It was located between the gold mines in the south and valuable salt resources in the north.

c.People needed salt in their diets and they used it to preserve and season foods.

d.Most of the empire was located in the mountains overlooking other empires.

Review QuestionWhy was salt so valuable?

a.Salt was important for religious ceremonies.

b.Salt was used as a fertilizer for crops.

c.Salt was an important trade item.

d.Salt was used as a medicine against disease.