Africa!
SOCIETY AND CULTURE
Early Africa
1000 different languages +
1000 different tribes
What are some possible issues with having so many languages and so many tribes?
African Society - Basics Towns and villages become larger Served as centers of trade and
government Few cultures had written
language Very strong oral tradition –
history through storytellingIslamic or European traders
recorded their history
Kings and Society
Kings had a much closer relationship with the people
Still held a high position among the people
More personal interest in the everyday people
Community and Education
Boys and girls raised by their mothers until age 6
Boys and girls were educated in the areas in which they would be involved.
Girls learn to be wives and mothers
Boys learn how to hunt and farm
African Masks
Part of a ceremonial costume Used to represent the spirits of
ancestors Control the good and evil forces
in the community. They come to life possessed by
their spirit in the performance of the dance with music
Instructional Video
Scarification
Right of passageBeginning of early
childhood Child to Adult
Instructional Video
Ritual painting, Monrovia, Liberia
The peoples of the Omo have developed different art forms that allow them great artistic expression. Such practices, including body painting, are among the most ornate and extravagant in the world.
Clay lip plates are the most well-known
feature of the Mursi women
African Cultural Rituals
Mbube! Mbube! Lion! Lion! Mbube Mbube uses one of the Zulu words for lion.
Pronounced "Mboo-bay Mboo-bay,"
In this game, individuals help a lion, or mbube, locate and capture an impala (a deer-like animal with antlers).
Players begin the game standing in a circle
Two blindfolded players start the game. One player is the lion and the other one is the impala.
First, both players are spun around. Next, players in the circle begin calling out to the lion, "mbube, mbube!" As the impala gets closer to the lion, the circle players’ chants get quicker and louder. Conversely, if the lion is far away, the circle’s chants decrease and get softer.
If the lion fails to catch the impala in a minute, a new lion is chosen, and if the lion catches the impala, a new impala is chosen.
Ampe The leader and another player jump up at the same time, clap, and
thrust one foot forward when they jump up. If the leader and the other player have the same foot forward the
leader wins a point. If they are different then the other player becomes "it" and plays
against the remaining players. If the players are in a circle, the leader moves along the inside of
the circle, playing against others in turn. If they are in a line, the leader moves on down the line. If only two players are playing, they keep score until a certain
number of points determines a winner Instructional Video