African Societies &The Impact of Islam

Mosque in Timbuktu

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

1. Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, or Burkina Faso; 2. Côte d'Ivoire

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.

St. George’s – the Rock Church

Link to GoogleMap

Priest

Pilgrim

Procession

Paintings

Link to photos

Aksum or Axum was ancient Ethiopian kingdom

Link to GoogleMap of Aksum Stelae Site

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

Malindi Mosque, Zanzibar

Photos from Zanzibar

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)

Djenne Mosque, Mali (20th century)