Timeline from BBC Africa 500-1000 CE – Map Links Islamic Sourcebook – Fordham
University Link through CPCC Library,
“Empire of Faith” – Islam Part 1 and 2 BBC Link for Africa & Islam Art of Umayyad Period
Diversity of peoples and regions Difficult to traverse Difficult climate, seasonal rainfall Large deserts Adaptation of people to different environments Many different cultures & languages
Valleys of Nile & Niger prosper Highly-developed agricultural societies Political and social hierarchies Trade Art and craftsmanship
Varieties of political organization within Africa:
Location Makeup of Kingdom
Sub-Saharan Africa Large groups of villages under a regional ruler
South Africa Stateless – ruled by local chiefs & councils
East Africa City-states emerge with independent rulers
Central rain forest & eastern plans
Foraging societies – nomadic clans
Bantu Migrations 500 BC – 1000 CE Bantu tribes migrate from West Africa Organized into families/clans Patriarchal
People or Language? Provided unity
The Bantu Toolkit: People adopted Bantu language and culture
b/c it was useful in adapting to different environments
Patriarchal rule, polygamy, ancestor worship = stability and connections
Many Bantu became cattle herders = means for survival, way of life, wealth and status
Adaptability to different and changing circumstances
Polytheistic Animism (belief that spirits existed that
could either help or harm human beings) Like San Rock Art people we studied earlier
Priests & prophets performed rituals Sometimes King alone could contact
gods Ancestor worship
Kono or Komo are male associations to ward off evil, protect individual or village, project individual’s power and knowledge
Men construct masks as symbols of power – they become experts in nyama, a vital force that can bring good or evil
Just possessing a mask gives the individual power, but it is also used in rituals
For more info., follow link
12th-15th-century CE Symbols of power
and religion Connection with
spirit world Power of kings
To reach spirits Over people
Link to images Link to videos
Links to Websites on African Religions
http://www.afrikaworld.net/afrel/ http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/
africa/religion.html http://www.africa.upenn.edu/About_Afri
can/ww_relig.html
Animists, Christians, Muslims Christian Kingdoms, such as Axum Variety of Islamic practice
Orthodox and non-orthodox monotheists People who mixed Islam and other beliefs
Variety of political entities overlapping with religious practice – diff. rulers w/ diff. interests and religious views
320-340 CE - Ethiopian King Ezana made Christianity Official State Religion
http://www.pbs.org/wonders/fr_e4.htmhttp://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/acet/hd_acet.htmAfrican Christianity in Ethiopia
During the reign of Ethiopia's Emperor Lalibela (c. 1200-1250), the monks of the region built a remarkable series of churches hewn out of solid rock that remain unique to this day. The churches stand as a testament to the strength and fervor of the Ethiopian Christian Church. The church shown here, the Church of St. George, was carved out of red volcanic rock in the shape of a Greek cross. Workers first chipped away the stone until they reached a depth of 40 feet. Afterwards, they molded the exterior of the church and hollowed out its interior.
Photo credit: Georg Gerster/ Photo Researchers, Inc.
Muslims and Islamic religion spread into: North Africa (639-642 CE) Created Umayyad Spain (711 CE) Created Fatimid Egypt (909-969 CE)
Led by Isma’ilis – Shi’ite Islam – Orthodox Moved capital from Alexandria to New city – Cairo Defeated by Crusaders in 1099
East African culture created from combo of African and Arab influences
“Swahili” = “coasters,” people living along coast
Swahili language a combination of Bantu and Arabic
Muslims migrated down coast from north Development of trade ports and city-states
along coast
Indian Ocean trade united them Class of merchants developed along coast Trade to India, Indonesia, Arabic peninsula Development of plantation economies on
islands of Zanzibar and Pemba (similar to what happened in Atlantic) – cloves & spices
Use and trade of slaves by Swahili and Arab elites
Muslim demand for slaves of all races: not religious, for political power and wealth
Variety of uses for African slaves: for household, military, and labor
Different than Atlantic slave trade which was racially- and plantation-based
Slave caravans from west Africa across Sahara Muslims also traded in slaves from east Africa –
coastal ports on Red Sea and Indian Ocean carried slaves from African interior
Trade brought west African societies into contact with Berbers, Arabs, other African tribes
The importance of camels – necessary to cross desert
Huge camel caravans to west Africa West African rulers and kingdoms
converted to Islam: used Islamic law, institutions, and writing
Link to Trade and Spread of Islam in Africa (Art)
Connections to other cultures Spread of Islam Slave trade Growth of African merchant class and cities Consolidation of kingdoms to control trade Power used to control trade and people:
enslaved non-Muslims and unprotected Example, Ife bronzes: show kings AND
captives
Ghana – “land of gold” Strong kingdom before Islam Controlled trade of gold & salt Berber traders converted elite to Islam Then Berbers adopted militant form of
Islam – followers were called Almoravids Conquered Spain, converted Ghanaians
Art of the Almoravid Period Trans-Saharan Gold Trade
Mali (1200-1450 CE) Mandinke People Successor to state of Ghana Upper Niger River Good agriculture & lots of rainfall Strong Rulers: Sundiata, Mansa Uli, Mansa Musa MM Pilgrimage to Mecca 1324 CE Very rich & powerful – visited kings of other nations Timbuktu became center of learning & culture (p. 134)
Mosque in Djenne (Mali)