WEST AFRICAN CIVILIZATIONS

FROM EXTENDED FAMILIES TO KINGDOMS

FAMILY BASED COMMUNITIES

Part I

EXTENDED FAMILIES

• The earliest farming communities were made of extended families.• An extended family

includes close relatives• Grandparents• Parents• Aunts• Uncles• Children

• 15 to 20 people

ANCESTOR WORSHIP

• West African societies traditionally believed in unseen spirits of their ancestors• Ancestors honored

with carved statues• Food offerings were

made to the spirits to keep them happy• Ancestors thought to

protect the village

ANIMISM

• West Africans also traditionally practice animism• They believed (and some

continue to believe today) that bodies of water, animals, trees and other natural objects have spirits• This religious practice

reflects the dependence and respect of West Africans for nature

DEVELOPING VILLAGES

Part II

VILLAGES

• Family communities joined with other families to get needed help:• Work together to

control flooding• Mine iron or gold• Provide Protection

• A village might contain 100-200 people

VILLAGE LIFE

• Loyalty to family was important• Everyone had tasks to

complete• Men hunted, farmed, fished,

herded• Women farmed, collected

firewood, ground grain, carried water, cared for children

• Elderly men and women taught traditions/values through songs, dances and stories

• Children began to work beside adults as soon as thy were able

RISE OF TOWNS AND CITIES

Part III

WHY DID CITIES GROW?

• Ancient cities in West Africa were not as big as modern cities• Some had 1,000s

of residents• Two reasons for

growth:• Ironworking• Expanded Trade

IRONWORKING

• Smelting furnaces heated with enormous amounts of charcoal to melt ore • Iron metal was

extracted • Red-hot iron was

hammered and bent into useful shapes:• Axes • Hoes• spears

CAUSE AND EFFECT

TRADE CITIES

• Djenne (Mali), founded in 800 CE/AD, is one of sub-Saharan Africa's oldest cities.

• It is located on an island in the Niger River delta

• It is a few hundred miles downstream from Timbuktu.

TRADE ROUTES

• Djenne was a natural hub for traders who shuttled their goods between the Sahara desert and the forests of Guinea.

GRAND MOSQUE

• Through the years Djenne became a center of Islamic learning and its market square is still dominated by the beautiful Grand Mosque.• Wooden bars

protrude from the façade (or face) of the mosque.

MARKET DAY

A young woman from the Peul or Fula people balances a calabash on her head.

A tinsmith cleverly displays his wares for customers.

Djenne’s market square is directly in front of the Grand Mosque. Monday is the traditional market day.

CALABASH

• Cultivated plants often called gourds• Grown mainly for use

as a water containers • Very bitter; poor food

source• Often used to make

musical instruments

CITY ARCHITECTURE

• Like the Grand Mosque, most of the towns and cities of West Africa used mud and clay to construct homes with a squarer shape than the huts of the village

CLOSE PROXIMITY

• Just as city dwellers today live closer together than people in the countryside, West African cities used square buildings to place more people in a smaller area of land.

INFRASTRUCTURE

• Between buildings, narrow streets provided room for pedestrians. • Grooves down the

middle of the streets acted as sewer system.

NIGER RIVER AS A RESOURCE

• The Niger River and the delta were a valuable resource• Fresh Water• Fish• Transportation for

Trade• Laundry• Personal Hygiene

(bathing)

ESTABLISHING KINGDOMS

Part IV

TRADE LEADS TO KINGDOMS

• Rulers of some cities became wealthy by collecting taxes from the goods that were bought and sold.

RAISED ARMIES

• With their wealth, they could afford to:• hire warriors• form large armies• Conquer more

territory

CONTROLLING TRADE ROUTES

• Controlling the trade and the trade routes was the key to power• This allowed the

ruler to take over the trade in those areas—taxing more goods and becoming even wealthier.

ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES

• Kings provided protection• Armies made sure

trade routes were safe• Wars between small

cities ended • Kings handed out

luxurious presents equally throughout their lands

• Conquered people had to pay tribute to the king• Goods were taxed• Men had to serve in

the king’s army• Governors might be

set up to replace local elders/leaders

Advantages: Disadvantages:

REVIEW QUESTIONS

• What was the benefit of an extended family?• Why were villages

even more useful?• How did towns

develop?• What lead to the

growth of kingdoms?