Learning Target 7.4.1Chapt. 5 Section 1

Analyze the effect of geography on trade in West Africa.

7.4.1Geography of Africa

The Big Idea

West Africa has varied environments and valuable resources.

2 Main Ideas

Main Idea 1: The landforms, water, climate, and plant life

affected history in West Africa

• Africa is the second largest continent and is shaped like a soup bowl with mountains on the rim.

• The Niger River became a source of water, food, and transportation that allowed many people to live in the sub-Saharan plains, areas in Africa south of the equator.

Africa’s Four Regions

• The northern band across West Africa is the southern part of the Sahara. It has the world’s largest desert.

• The semiarid Sahel divides the desert from wetter areas. It has enough vegetation to support hardy grazing animals.

• Farther south is a band of savannah, or open grass with scattered trees. Grazing animals are common there.

• Rain forests, or moist, densely wooded areas, are near the equator. They contain a variety of plants and animals.

West Africa’s land produced many crops, such as dates and kola nuts. Kola nuts could be used for medicine.

Gold could be used for jewelry or coins.

Gold came from the Southern Forests.Mines were kept a secret because of fear and the need to control the trade.

Main Idea 2: West Africa’s resources included

farmland, gold, and salt.

Salt was a resource that was found deep in the earth, from lakes that had dried up.

Came from ancient, dried lakebeds. Salt was needed in their diets, so it was valuable.

  Chapter 5 Section 1 Notes, IR, and

Textbook

1.Along what river did the great civilizations in West Africa arise? 

2.Put the vegetation Zones in order from most rainfall to least. 

3.Describe the Sahel. 4.What are traditional West African

crops? 5.Mineral resources in West Africa

include what?

Learning Target 7.4.2Chapter 5 Section 2

Explore the roles of family, labor, and trade in the development of West

Africa.

7.4.2Early Culture and Trade

The Big Idea

Family ties, religion, iron technology, and trade all contributed to the growth of West African societies.

3 Main Ideas

Main Idea 1: Family and religion influenced daily life in

early West African society.

• A typical West African family was an extended family including close relatives.

• Some people took part in another type of group, called age sets.

– In these groups, people who had been born within the same two or three years formed special bonds.

– Religion was called animism. This is the belief that bodies of water, animals, and natural objects have spirits. Animism reflects the dependence of African people on the natural environment for their daily lives.

Loyalty to families and age-sets helped the people of a village work together.

• Everyone had specific duties.

• Men hunted and farmed.

• Women farmed and cared for the children.

• Elders taught traditions to the children.

• Children started working as soon as they were able.

Loyalties

Many West Africans believed that unseen spirits of their ancestors stayed nearby.

They shared their problems and news with the spirits and offered them food.

Main Idea 2: Iron technology changed life in West Africa.

• Changes in technology helped some early communities grow.

• The people of Nok began using iron to make farm tools and weapons.

• Farmers could work the land faster and grow more food.

• Warriors gained power with better weapons.

• People could live in places they hadn’t been able to before.

Main Idea 3: Trade shaped the history

of West Africa.

• West Africans began to trade the area’s resources with buyers who lived thousands of miles away.

• They traded gold, salt, cloth, copper, silver, and other items.

• Camels were used to transport goods over long distances because they could store water and carry heavy loads.

Trade patterns

• Salt was found in the North, in the Sahara desert, and carried South.

• Gold was found in the South, in the rainforest, and carried North to trade.

• The places people gathered became towns. Timbuktu, for example, started as a trading camp, and grew into a large trade center

 Chapter 5 Section 2 Notes, IR, and

Textbook

1. Who were men and women in traditional West African society loyal to? 

2.  What role did the elders play in the life of the village?   3. The traditional religious practice of West Africans was

centered on what beliefs?  4. What activities were part of West African religious

practices concerning the dead ancestors?  5. What does the animistic belief system reveal about

traditional West Africans?  6. Why did farming in Africa improve during the early West

African time period? 7.  Who was one of the earliest groups of people in West

Africa to benefit from iron tools?   8. Which two uses of iron were the most significant for West

Africans?

 Chapter 5 Section 2 Notes, IR, and

Textbook

9. What were the main characteristics of early African societies? How did they live, what did they trade and what helped them farm? What kind of government did they have? 

10. What was the name of the group of people who led desert caravans through the Sahara?  

11.What did people south of the Sahara trade their gold for?  

12.What began as a camp for African traders and became a large trade center? 

13.What was the trade pattern direction of gold and salt? 

14. What is an age set?  15.What two factors had the biggest impact on the

growth of West Africa?

Chapter 6 Section 1

Learning Target 7.4.1 Understand how the differing geographical areas near the Niger River affected the growth of the empires of Ghana and Mali.

Learning Target 7.4.2Examine the role family, specialized labor, and trade played in the growth of West Africa

7.4.1Empire of Ghana

The Big Idea

The rulers of Ghana built an empire by controlling the salt and gold trade.

Main Ideas

• Ghana controlled trade and became wealthy.

• Through its control of trade, Ghana built an empire.

• Ghana’s decline was caused by attacking invaders, overgrazing, and the loss of trade.

Main Idea 1: Ghana controlled trade and became wealthy.

• Ghana was created when groups of farmers banded together.

• Ghana became a powerful state only when it gained control of valuable trade routes. Most valuable resources were gold and salt.

• The exchange of gold and salt followed a process called silent barter. This is a process in which people exchange goods without ever contacting each other directly.

• Ghana’s rulers gained power and wealth, and the military grew in strength, too.

Gold and Salt and Trade

• The salt traders leave salt at riverbanks. Beat drum and leave. Gold traders leave fair amount of gold and beat drum and leave. Salt trader returns. If happy takes gold, if not continue process…

• Ghana protected traders with its army. Traders were not afraid to travel to Ghana.

• With so many traders passing through their lands, they made money by forcing traders to pay taxes.

• In addition, the people of Ghana and the small neighboring tribes they controlled had to pay taxes.

• Ghana also had rich gold mines.

• Rulers didn’t want everyone to have gold because it was very rare.

Main Idea 2: Through its control of trade, Ghana built an

empire.

Expansion of the Empire

• Ghana’s kings used their great wealth to build a powerful army and conquered many of their neighbors, especially ones that had centers of trade. Money came from taxes.

• To keep order in the empire, conquered kings were allowed to keep much of their power. They acted as governors of their territories.

• The empire of Ghana reached its peak under King Tunka Manin.

Main Idea 3: Ghana’s decline was caused by attacking

invaders, overgrazing, and the loss of trade.

• Invasion

– A Muslim group called the Almoravids cut off many trade routes, without which Ghana could not support its empire.

• Overgrazing

– When the Almoravids moved, they brought herds of animals with them.

– These animals ate all the grass, leaving the land worthless for farming.

• Internal rebellion

– The people whom Ghana had conquered rose up in rebellion and took over the entire empire.

Chapter 6 Section 1 Notes, IR, and Textbook

1. How did Ghana become such a powerful state?

2. What was significant about the location of the Ghana Empire?

3. Why was salt so valuable?4. What is silent barter?5. Why was silent barter useful? 6. How did Ghana’s kings govern such a

large empire?7. What type of leader was Tunka Manin?

Chapter 6 Section 1 Notes, IR, and Textbook

With so many traders passing though their lands, Ghana’s rulers looked for ways to make money from them. One way they raised money was by forcing traders to pay taxes.

8. What can you infer about Ghana’s rulers from the above passage?

9. How did the location of cities in the West African Empires of Ghana and Mali influence their growth?

10. How did Ghana’s kings use the tax and tribute money they collected?

11.Who were the Almoravids?12. What happened to the fertile land that

Ghana’s farmers once cultivated?

Chapter 6 Section 2

Learning Target 7.4.3Describe how trans-Saharan caravan trade influenced West African religion and culture, and how Islam affected West Africa.

Learning Target 7.4.4Show how the Arabic language spread throughout West African government, trade, and Islamic learning.

7.4.3Empire of Mali

The Big Idea

The wealthy and powerful Mali Empire ruled West Africa after the fall of Ghana.

Main Ideas

• A ruler named Sundiata made Mali into an empire.

• Mali reached its height under the ruler Mansa Musa.

• Mali fell to invaders in the late 1400s.

Main Idea 1: A ruler named Sundiata made Mali into an

empire.

• Sundiata, Mali’s first strong leader, was both a warrior and a magician.

• He conquered Ghana and took over the salt and gold trades.

• He had new farmlands cleared for crops of beans, onions, and rice. He also introduced cotton as a new crop.

• To protect his authority, he took power away from others and adopted the title mansa.

Mansa

• Mansas had both political and religious roles in society.

• The religious role of the mansa grew out of traditional Malian beliefs.

– According to the beliefs, people’s ancestors had made an agreement with the spirits of the land that would ensure the lands provided plenty of food.

• Islam was important to Musa, so he made a pilgrimage to Mecca.

• He influenced the spread of Islam through a large part of West Africa and had mosques built throughout his empire.

• During this journey, he introduced the empire of Mali to the world.

• Mali became famous throughout Africa, Asia, and Europe.

Main Idea 2:Mali reached its height under the ruler

Mansa Musa.• He also

stressed the importance of education and learning to read the Arabic language.

• He sent scholars to study in Morocco. They came back and set up schools to study the Qur’an.

Main Idea 3: Mali fell to invaders in the late 1400s.

Weak rulers such as Maghan could not stop raiders, leading to the empire’s gradual decline.

The empire had become so large that the government could not control it. Some areas declared their independence.

In 1431 it was invaded by the Tuareg Nomads.Invaders finally took over almost all the lands of the Mali Empire by the 1500s.

Chapter 6 Section 2 Notes, IR, and Textbook•Explain the similarity between the development of the Ghana and Mali empires.•What things of importance happened during the reign of Sundiata.• Unlike Sundiata, most of Mali’s later rulers, including Mana Musa, were what religion?•Who were the mansas?•Who was Mali’s greatest and most famous ruler?•What was the importance of Mansa Musa’s hajj to Mecca?•How did Mansa Musa spread Islam and education throughout Mali?•What contributed to the fall of the Mali Empire?

Chapter 6 Section 3Learning Target 7.4.3

Describe how trans-Saharan caravan trade influenced West African religion and culture, and how Islam affected West Africa.

7.4.37.4.4

Empire of Songhai

The Big Idea

The Songhai Empire strengthened Islam in West Africa.

Main Ideas

• The Songhai built a new empire in West Africa.

• Askia the Great ruled Songhai as an Islamic empire.

• Songhai fell to Moroccan invaders, ending the great era of West African empires.

Main Idea 1: The Songhai built a new empire

in West Africa.

• Along the Nile River, once a part of Mali, Songhai rose up against it and regained its freedom.

• Songhai grew in many ways, mostly due to the work of Sunni Ali.

– Worked constantly to unify, strengthen, and enlarge it

– Conquered the wealthy trade cities of Timbuktu and Djenné

• He participated in both Islam and local religions and brought peace and stability as a result.

Main Idea 2:Askia the Great ruled Songhai

as an Islamic empire.

Before Askia the Empire wasn’t united under Islam.

Islam gained influence under Askia the Great.

Most of Songhai’s traders were Muslim and when they gained power, the religion of Islam spread. This changed Songhai’s government

• Askia the Great worked to support education and especially supported learning about medicine.

– Doctors discovered that mosquitoes spread malaria.

– They also performed surgery on the human eye.

• To help maintain order, Askia set up five provinces within Songhai.

– He removed local leaders and appointed new governors who were loyal to him.

– He created special departments to oversee certain tasks.

– He created a standing professional army.

Education and Government

Main Idea 3: Songhai fell to Moroccan invaders, ending

the great era of West African empires.

• Because Morocco wanted to control the Saharan salt mines, it invaded Songhai.

• The Moroccans brought with them a terrible new weapon, the arquebus, an early form of gun.

• The Moroccans’ guns and cannons brought disaster to Songhai.

– Cities were taken over and looted.

• Changes in trade patterns completed Songhai’s fall.

Chapter 6 Section 3 Notes, IR, and Textbook

1.Which city, that was once the center of the Mali Empire, became the center for the Songhai Empire?

2.Why did Morocco invade Songhai?

3.What is an arquebus?

Chapter 6 Section 4

Learning Target 7.4.4Show how the Arabic Language spread throughout West African government, trade, and Islamic learning.

Learning Target 7.4.5Explain how oral and written histories have kept the history of Africa alive.

7.4.5Historical and Artistic Traditions

The Big Idea

Because the people of West Africa did not have a written language, their cultures have been passed down through

oral history, writings by other people, and the arts.

Main Ideas

• Storytellers helped maintain the oral history of the cultures of West Africa.

• Visitors to West Africa from other lands wrote histories and descriptions of what they saw there.

• Traditionally, West Africans have valued the arts.

Main Idea 1: Storytellers helped maintain the oral history

of the cultures of West Africa.

Some of tahe griot poems are epics that are collected in the Dausi and the Sundiata.

Writing was not common in West Africa. People passed along information through oral histories, a spoken record of past events.

West African storytellers were called griots. They helped keep the history of their ancestors alive for each new generation.

In addition to stories, they recited proverbs. These were short sayings of wisdom or truth. They were used to teach lessons to the people.

Main Point 2: Visitors to West Africa from other lands

wrote histories and descriptions of what they saw there.

The people of West Africa left no written histories of their own. Much of what we know about early West Africa comes from the writings of travelers and scholars from Muslim lands such as Spain and Arabia.

One of the first people to write about West Africa was al-Masudi.

He described the geography, customs, history, and scientific achievements of West Africa.

Other Writers

• Abu Ubayd al-Bakri wrote about life in West African kingdoms.

• Ibn Battutah described the political and cultural lives of West Africans. He was a Muslim.

• Leo Africanus was the last major Muslim visitor to West Africa. Leo lived and wrote in Europe, so for a long time, his writing was the only source about life in Africa available to Europeans.

• Of all the visual forms, the sculpture of West Africa is probably the best known.

– The sculpture is mostly of people.

– It was made for religious rituals.

– Artists were deeply respected.

• Artists carved elaborate masks, used mostly for rituals as they danced around fires.

• They wove cloth such as kente, a hand-woven, brightly colored fabric.

• Also they wove baskets

Main Idea 3: Traditionally, West Africans

have valued the arts.

• Music and dancing were important.

• These activities helped people honor their history and were central to many celebrations.

Much of what we know about early West Africa comes from the writings of travelers and scholars from Muslim lands such as Spain and Arabia.

1. What is the best inference you can make from this statement?

2. How was music and dance incorporated into the lives of the people of early West Africa?

3. What are the names of two West African Epics?4. For special occasions, West African kings and

queens wore garments made of what special cotton material?

5. The contacts between civilizations shown in the map below were primarily made by what kind of people?

6. What are African storytellers who memorize and recite the names and histories called?

Chapter 6 Section 4 Notes, IR, and Textbook