The Bantu MigrationThe Bantu Migration

People on the Move

• What is Migration?– Permanent move to new place; a pattern in

human culture

• Is this different from Immigration?– Yes. Immigration is the movement from one

country to another, and it is not always a pattern in human culture.

People on the Move

• Causes of Migration– Causes of migration are push-pull factors.

These are conditions that push people out of an area or pull them in.

– Examples:• War/political oppression• Poverty or Poor economic development • Geographic Hardships

People on the Move

• What is the easiest way to trace migration?– One way to trace migration is to study how

languages spread – Africa has many complex language families,

but they are all decedents of the Bantu language.

Massive Migrations

• Who were the Bantu-speaking peoples?– Early Africans who spread

culture and language

• Where did the Bantu-speaking people originally live?– In savanna south of Sahara

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/afnewlnd.gif

Massive Migrations

• Bantu-speaking Peoples

• Where are they now?– Southeastern Nigeria

• What does the word Bantu mean?– “The people”

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/cia08/nigeria_sm_2008.gif

Massive Migrations

• When did the Bantu Migration begin?

• Bantu speakers migrate south and east starting about 3000 B.C.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bantu_migration

Massive Migrations

• Migration Begins• What type of farming

did they live by?– Nomadic Farming and

Herding.• What does Nomadic Mean?

- moving from one place to another based on the supply of food.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22877141@N02/2244432457/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26277823@N00/2972971692/

Massive Migrations

• Why did the Bantu speakers move?– In order to find

farmland & flee the growing Sahara

http://www.yorku.ca/kdenning/+3510%202005-6/bantu%20migration%20000f2413.gif

Massive Migrations

• What were the causes of the Bantu Migration?– Finding Farmland– Finding resources such as wood and Iron Ore

• How successful was the Bantu migration?– Within 1,500 years they reach southern tip of

Africa

Ethnic Groups

• What is an Ethnic Group?

- people who share a common and distinctive culture, heritage, and language.

• What is a religious group?– A religious group are people who share a

common religion only. They do not have to share a common culture.

Religion

• What is traditional Religion?

- may include worship of ancestors, spirits, gods, animals, land inanimate objects, and / or natural phenomena.

• What is the predominant religion in Africa?– In Africa the predominate religion is Islam.– The Bantu and Ashanti predominately

practice a traditional religion.

Religion

• The difference between these two is the Ashanti is a mixture of spiritual and supernatural powers, while the Bantu is a belief of power of ancestors in everyday life.

• For the Swahili, Islam is the predominant religion, although there may be some traditional elements in some areas blended with Islam.