Kingdoms of Central and Southern AfricaKingdoms of Central and Southern Africa

The Bantu Migrations

• Look at this picture and think about the landscape and the various structures you see. What might the structures be made of? Used for?

• What about the people? What are they doing? What skills might each person contribute to the village community?

Bantu Origins• Bantu people originated

in West Africa - part of Nok people

• After 500 BC, iron technology allowed for increase food production and population

• Bantus migrated to central and southern Africa in 3 waves between 500 BC - AD 1500

Bantu Societies

• Economy based on hunting, fishing, and farming

• In most, basic unit was household, or family• Most Bantu people lived in villages of 5-200

families• Gender roles were clearly defined• Age grades defined specific responsibilities• Village council of elders made decisions

The Kongo Kingdom

• What different groups of people do you see?

• Who is in charge?

• Is this illustration drawn by an African or a European? Why?

The Kongo Kingdom

How My Kingdom Came to Power

• By the 1st century AD, Bantu migrated to Congo River basin

• Kongo natives easily assimilated Bantu lifestyle

• By the 14th century, two Bantu clans united to form Kongo Kingdom

Sources of our Kingdom’s Strength

• Waterways provide abundance of fish

• Farmers grow and collect several crops

• Animals are hunted for meat and hides

• Taxes on trade goods are paid to the king’s treasury

Reasons Why We, the Portuguese, Came to the

Kongo

• Portuguese first arrive in 1482

• Missionaries converted people of the Kongo to Christianity

• Traders traded European and Asian goods for sugar, copper, and skins

Reasons Why We’re Concerned

• Portuguese greed sours trade relationship• Portuguese gold; since there is no gold, they

demand human slaves• Rival African states ally with the Portuguese to

raid Kongo for slaves• King Affonso I of the Kongo tried to halt slave

trade through a letter to King John of Portugal in 1526. Portuguese didn’t stop.

• By 1680, Kongo kingdom’s wealth & power undermined by slave trade – kingdom fades away.

Great Zimbabwe: Monument to the Zimbabwe State

• What materials were used to construct this building?

• What clues can you find to guess the approximate size of this building?

• What might it have been used for?

Zimbabwe

The Shona Build Zimbabwe

• Sometime between AD 500 and 1000 Shona settle in plateau between Zambezi and Limpopo rivers.

• Developed economy based on pastoral agriculture

• Mastered iron making and mine great quantities of gold

• Engaged in trade with coastal cities and taxed visiting traders

• Built Great Zimbabwe, capital city, as sign of the state’s prestige

Ruins of a Magnificent Palace: The Temple at Great Zimbabwe

• Cone-shaped tower - 115 feet high

• Gateways marked with carved birds

• King’s dwellings, huts, shrines, granaries

• Surrounding wall:820 feet long16 feet thick30 feet high

Zimbabwe’s Decline

• Great Zimbabwe was abandoned after 1450

• Some provinces of Zimbabwe state declare independence

• Monomutapa Empire replaced Zimbabwe as dominant power

• Portuguese greed for slaves and gold destroyed Monomutapa

The Swahili Coastal Trading States

• What is happening here?

• What kinds of goods are being loaded onto the ship in the foreground?

• How might this trade affect the lifestyle or culture of the people living here?

Swahili Coast

Independent City States

• Most important city-states: Mogadishu, Malini, Mombasa, Zanzibar, Kilwa, and Sofala

• Each one ruled by an emir or sultan

• Rulers were supported by an elaborate and well-educated bureaucracy

Swahili CultureSwahili Culture

• Bantu-speaking Africans converted to Islam; intermarried with Muslim traders

• Swahili language combined Bantu, Arabic, and Indian

• Architecture, food, dress, farming, and government reflected combined African and Arabic styles

• Rulers were wealthy enough to maintain lifestyle lavish as European nobles of the time (1300’s)

Geography’s Role in Trade

• Sailors took advantage of monsoons to travel between China and East Africa

• Kilwa’s deep and large harbor could hold the world’s largest ships

• Arabs and Persians:– Brought incense,

glass, pearls, fabric, and Muslim culture

Europeans:sought to become a dominant trading power in East Africa

• Chinese:– Brought porcelain,

silk, and jade

Indians:brought spices, rice, and cotton cloth

European Intervention and the Story of Queen Nzinga

• What different types of people do you see?

• Why is the man sitting in a chair, while the woman sits on a human being?

Mbundu Kingdom:Present-day Angola

European Intervention

• Wanted safe harbors for long voyages to Asia

• Desired to establish trade bases in Africa

• Later, wanted to monopolize trade

• Increasingly traded for slaves

African Responses

• States competed to win favor and trade advantages from Europeans

• Leaders had to satisfy European demands for slaves or become targets for slave raiders

• Some villages raided each other for slaves to sell to the Europeans

• Many Africans chose to resist and fight

Nzinga Challenges European Control

• Portuguese gained political control of the Mbundu people through war

• To gain independence for her people, Nzinga:

– Met with Portuguese governor to negotiate for independence for her people in 1622

– Agreed she would release Portuguese prisoners when her people were returned to Brazil (didn’t happen)

– Agreed to convert to Christianity if Portuguese would withdraw troops from Mbundu and restore her brother to power (happened)

– Nzinga replaced her brother as leader of the Mbundu– Fought with and against Europeans and other Africans

during her 41-year reign

Nzinga is remembered as a brilliant military leader, shrewd diplomat, and fierce patriot