Warm up: Review9/22/14

• Write and answer the following question– What geographic feature favored the

development of agriculture areas before 5,000 B.C.

• A. a costal plain• B. a major river• C. a mountainous terrain• D. an arid desert

African Civilizations1500 B.C.- A.D. 700

SSWH6 The student will describe the diverse characteristics of early African societies before 1800.

a. Identify the Bantu migration patterns and contribution to settled agriculture.

Geography of the African Continent

Facts• Variety of climate zones• 2nd largest continent

– 4,600 miles from east to west and 5,000 miles from north to south

• Sahara Desert- Stretches from the Red Sea to the Atlantic Ocean

• Narrow coastline, plateau, water falls, rapids, few harbors or natural ports

• Interior rivers move people and goods

• Natural resources: salt, gold, iron, copper, diamonds

Africa’s Early Inhabitants• Nomadic, hunter-gatherers

(Pastoralists)– Some of the earliest people

• San of the Kalahari Desert• BaMbuti

• Agriculture improved the way people lived:

• Growing food allowed permanent shelters

• Increased food supplies allowed settlements to form complex societies

• Primary family groups= parents, children, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins

• Pioneered iron-making technology

Traditions• Religion

– Animist-

• Traditional beliefs – one god- – kings were descendants of and

Animists

• Syncretism- blending of Christian, Muslim and Traditional beliefs.

• Griots-– helped keep traditions alive and

recorded history through story-telling

• Primary source“I am a groit… master in the art of eloquence…we are vessels of speech, we are the repositories [storehouses] which harbor secrets many centuries old… without us the names of kings would vanish…We are the memory of mankind; by the spoken word we bring to life the deeds… of younger generations… For the world is old, but the future springs from the past.

Djeli Mamoudou Kouyate, from Sundiata, an epic of old Mali

Africa’s Earliest Culture and CityArchaeologist main source of information about early Africa comes from

– Pottery, charcoal, and slag•Evidence of Iron age (no evidence of cooper or Bronze age)•The Nok Culture

– Lived in present day Nigeria between 500 B.C. and A.D. 200

– First west Africans known to smelt iron

• Iron was smelted into farming tools and hunting weapons

Africa’s Earliest Culture and City• Cities started to develop south of the

Sahara around 600 B.C. -200 B.C. • Mainly around rivers• Oldest African City south of the Sahara

– Djenne-Djeno• Along Niger river• Discovered artifacts about

city in 1977• Believed at height 50,000

residents

• Bartered rice, fish and pottery for cooper, gold and salt

• Major trading center

How did environmental feature affect the people of Ancient Africa

Environmental feature Effects on Africans

1. Waterfalls and rapids Navigation impossible from the coast

1. Sahara and Kalahari deserts Unsuitable for settlement, hampers peoples movement to better climates

1. Mediterranean coastal areas (Sahel) Unsuitable for agriculture or settlement

1. Tsetse Fly Prevented the use of cattle, donkeys, and horses to farm near rain forest also kept Europeans from colonizing those areas

1. Fertile land of Savannas Densely populated with herders and farmers, most people live this area

How did environmental feature affect the people of Ancient Africa

Group Methods of Adaptation

6. San of the Kalahari Desert Hunter gathers: men hunt with bows and arrows and women and children gather fruits and berries

6. Nok people Smelt iron into tools for farming and weapons for hunting

6. People of Djenne-Djeno Smelt iron, bartered, grew crops, enclosed houses

Homework

• TEXT BOOK pg. 219 WRITE AND ANSWER QUESTIONS FOR THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS– 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Warm Up 9/22/14

Throughout History large groups of people have moved from one place to another for various reasons. How might both the native people and newcomers benefit from their interaction? (list 2 benefits)

Possible answers:-New skills-Ideas-Languages

Homework T.B. pg. 2193. Mediterranean, savanna, desert, and rain forest

4. artifacts: pottery, charcoal, and slag

5. African cultures skipped the Copper and Bronze Ages

6. Diverse climate and natural resource; groups adapted to suit resources and climates; migration introduced different adaptation techniques

7. Settled in one location, reliable food supplies, longer and healthier lives, increased social and political organization required

8. artifacts: pottery, copper, gold ,iron; evidence of overland camel trade

Migration and Settlement in East Africa

Define the Following•Bantu-•Migration- •Bantu migration- spread of bantu culture to other populations and societies •Cultural Diffusion- the spread of ones culture to another culture•Push factors- •Pull factors-

Between 1000-1800 AD, East Africa experienced a wave of migrations from different parts of Africa.

Bantu Vocabulary• Bantu- tribes of African peoples speaking a common Bantu

language• Migration- a number of people and/or animals moving together

from on location to another• Bantu migration- spread of language and knowledge throughout

different populations and societies (usually through inter-marriage or by small groups moving to new areas).

• Cultural Diffusion- the spread or transmission of elements or features of one culture to another culture

• Push factors- a feature or event that pushes a person away from or encourages a person to leave their current residence

• Pull factors- a feature or event that attracts a person to move to another area

Reasons For MigrationPush FactorsPull Factors

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Migrations: Push/Pull Factors

The Bantu People• The term Bantu refers to group of

people who speak the same or similar language with common word “NTU” which means a person. The Bantu-speaking groups include the Baganda, Banyoro, Batoro in Uganda, Kikuyu, Akamba, Meru, Embu, Taita, Giryama, Digo in Kenya and Pokomo, Chagga, Yao, Segeju, Zaramo in Tanzania, as well as many other smaller groups.

The Waves of Bantu Migrations• Migration route- South-east from the center

of Africa along the Congo River• The Bantu is believed to have moved in three

or groups – One wave moved through east Africa– One wave moved through the center of

the continent– Possible 3rd wave- Bantu ancestors of the

modern Swahili mastered sailing technology and made canoes and boats that travel the Zambezi river

• Slow but steady- people are not speeding across the landscape, they are moving slowly, gradually inhabiting areas that were good for farming and raising livestock

Bantu Migration• Rather than arriving all at once like conquerors, the

migrations were sporadic with small groups of people moving from one point to another.

• It is not clear how the Bantu reacted when they came upon existing communities but it is likely that new groups merged with existing groups. Both groups took on parts of each other’s cultures and practices.

• The Bantu were armed with superior weapons and their iron tools allowed them to plant crops and clear forests efficiently.

• Historians believe there was social interaction, intermarrying and trade between Bantu communities.

Causes of Bantu MigrationT.B. pg. 223

Causes of Bantu Migration

Push Factors for the Bantu Migration

• Drought and famine• Population increase which resulted in over crowding• Constant attacks (external pressure) from stronger

tribes in West Africa and the Nile valley• Internal conflicts from other Bantu tribes• Epidemics and diseases• Search for fertile land• Need for water and pasture for their animals• Export their iron-working culture.

Positive Results of the Bantu Migration

• Introduction of iron working: they introduced iron-working and the use of iron tools in the interior of East Africa

• Introduction of new crops e.g. yams, bananas: the Bantu introduced and increased the knowledge of food and extensive crop cultivation

• Introduction of new language, led to a widespread Bantu languages of “NTU” prefix in East Africa.

• Introduced centralized system of government whereby the king acted as the overall ruler

• Introduced a system of building permanent homes• Introduced subsistence agriculture, whereby they grew enough food for

home consumption, and the rest could be kept in case of shortages, or be exchanged in barter trade.

• Led to a rise of large states and bigger tribes in East Africa, e.g. the Baganda, Kikuyu, Nyamwezi. e.t.c

Negative Results of the Bantu Migration

• The Bantu migration led to depopulation. This was caused by the frequent attacks made by the Bantu against the people East Africa for land, through wars. Many people died through these wars, e.g. the Zimba would attack people at the coast, kill them, and eat their flesh (i.e. cannibalism).

• There was loss of culture due to cultural absorption. This was brought about due to Bantu intermarrying with the non- Bantu peoples, whom they came across.

• There was transformation of languages into new ones. This led to the dying down of some of the Bantu languages, while others remained.

Evidence of Bantu Migration• Languages

Languages spoken in some parts of eastern, central and southern Africa show similarities with the Bantu language originally spoken in West Africa. The Bantu languages (more than 900) are spoken by 1/3 of all Africans

• PotterySimilar pottery technology and decoration in eastern, southern and western Africa.

• IronThere is little or no evidence of iron tools in eastern and southern Africa before the arrival of the Bantu suggesting that new technology was spread by the migrants.

Bantu Artifacts

The Kingdom of Aksum

• Located in East Africa• South of Kush in present day Ethiopia• Conquered the Kush

King Ezana Expands Aksum

• Ezana- strong Aksum king who rose to power in A.D. 325

• took over Arabian peninsula trading colony and Kush• Aksum Empire expanded inland and along Red Sea;

controlled trade• Ezana learned about Christianity, made it Aksumʼs

official religion

REVIEW QUESTIONHow did Ezana influence the culture of Aksum?

Perfect Trade Location• had trade access to Red Sea, Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, Nile• Arab traders built colonies, trading posts in area• Aksum became meeting place for African, Arabian, other peoples• Aksum became a trading hub• traders from Egypt, Africa, Arabia, Mediterranean, Persia, India• Adulis—city on the Red Sea; main trading port for Aksum• traded salt, ivory, cloth, brass, iron, gold, glass, olive oil, wine• animal traders bought giraffes and elephantsREVIEW QUESTIONWhat made Aksum’s location ideal for trade?

Aksum’s Achievements• Architecture• Aksum culture blended influences Africa and southern Arabia• Pillars of Aksum, 60 to over 100 feet tall, were placed around

country• Large temples were replaced by richly decorated Christian

churches• A Written Language• Written language Geʼez brought to Aksum by Arabian migrants

basis for modern languages of Amharic, Tigrinya, Tigre Geʼez still used in Ethiopian Church

• Terraced Farming• On hilly terrain, farmers built terraces—leveled-off areas of land flat terraces hold moisture better, increase amount of farmland

Also built canals, dams, holding ponds to bring water to fields

The Fall of Aksum

• Cultural and technological achievements allowed Aksum to last for 800 years

• Kingdom declined because of Islamic invaders– In 710 Islamic invaders destroyed Adulis– As Islam spread throughout the area Aksum became

isolated from the Christian settlement– Aksum moved their capitol to northern Ethiopia in the

mountains• This new location along with depletion of the forest

and soil erosion led to the decline of the kingdom

Summary

• Aksum became a powerful trading center.• King Ezana expanded Aksumʼs empire.• Aksumʼs unique culture had long-lasting

effects

• Why It Matters Now...Many Ethiopians today are Christians, the religion of King Ezana.