Chapter 8:African Civilizations and the Spread of Islam

1. Chapter 8:African Civilizations and the Spread of Islam By Hannah Hogen

2. The East African Coastline -All along the Eastern coast, Islamic trading cities were appearing. -Islam gave residents of the towns a set of beliefs and ethics that made contacts between the two easier. -The influence of Islam was slow, and it often compromised with old beliefs. -Cultural fusion was common in theses towns, because the Bantu and other African customs were so strong.

3. Trading Towns of the Eastern Coast. -Periplus of the Erythaen Sea, the first Greek account of the Indian Ocean, mentioned some African ports but did not go into detail. -Bantu speaking peoples migrated to the east coat and mixed with the older population. -Immigrants from Indonesia settled on Madagascar and introduced different foods to Africa. -People from the Persian Gulf were attracted to trade with Zenj, the Arabic word for the Eastern Coast. -By the 13th century, the string of coastal towns shared a common language called Swahili, which means “coastal”. -The towns were governed by ruling muslim families, and towns like Mogadishu, Mombasa, Kilwa, and others soon contained mosques and palaces of stone and coral. -Kilwa was described as one of the most beautiful places in the world. -Kilwa was wealthy because of control over Sofala.

5. The Mixture of Cultures on the Eastern Coast -The Islamic influence in the trade towns encouraged long-distance trade. -The ruling Muslim families built many mosques and palaces, including one at Mogadishu. -Many of the ruling families claimed to be descended from immigrants from Shiraz to legitimize their position. -While the rulers and merchants were Muslim, the majority of the population of the east coast retained previous beliefs and culture.

6. Swahili Language and Culture -African culture remained string despite the Islamic influence. -The Swahili language was essentially a Bantu tongue with a number of Arab words. -Even areas near the trading towns remained largely unaffected by Islam. -Islamic influence was class based, as many of the lower class people were not influenced greatly by it. -There was combination of the two: family lineage traced through both maternal and paternal lines. -In 1500, focus shifted from Kilwa to Mombasa and Malindi. -Portuguese raided Kilwa and Mombasa and gained control of Sofala and the gold trade. -Despite this, they never fully controlled the northern Swahili trade.

7. People of the Forest and Plains -For the most part, Islamic influences did not affect the culture of central Africa and the people of the western forests. -Most of these societies were based on agriculture or herding. -Most used iron tools and weapons. -Many were organized in small communities, but small states had also been formed. -Many of the societies were not literate and spread their knowledge and traditions orally. -Absence of writing has been used as a measure of civilization by Westerners. -Despite this, these societies have made great strides in the arts, building, and management of the state.

8. The Yoruba People -The earliest evidence of a state in Nigeria was the village of Nok. -Realistic and Stylized terra-cotta objects were found near the site, and were dated between 500 B.C.E. and 200 C.E. -Remarkable terra-cotta and bronze objects were found at the city of Ile-Ife, dated around 1200 C.E. -Much of the art of the Yoruba-speaking people were associated with kings and kingship. -Yoruba societies were commonly agriculturally based and dominated by a ruling family. -The origins of the Yoruba people are relatively unknown, but Ile-Ife was seen as the place of their birth. -Another legend is that the son of the king and Mecca settled there. -Modern historians suggest that these people came from Meroe or Nubia. -Yoruba were organized into small city states ruled by divine regional kings. -Highly urbanized, vast royal court. -King’s power was not always absolute. -State of Oyo controlled peoples through the power of princes, Ogboni reviewed decisions of the king and council, limiting his power.

9. Benin -Peoples similar to the Yoruba states were found among the Edo people eats of Yoruba. -Under Ewuare the Great, the control of the city-state Benin expanded from the Niger River to modern day Laos. -Authority of the ruler, The Oba, was a theme of the artistic output in ivory and bronze. -They were introduced to bronze casting by an artisan from Ile-Ife, but soon developed its own distinctive style. -When the Portuguese arrived, they incorporated them into their art.

10. Central African Kingdoms -Bantu people spread into the southern reaches of the rainforest surrounding the Congo River. -In Katanga, Luba people modified the old rule of the chieftain and established a divine kingship. -Later, a second kingdom, the Kongo, flourished in the lower Congo Basin. -They established a firm agricultural base, and there was a sharp division between men and women. -Artisans who worked in wood, copper and iron were highly esteemed. -Men built houses, hunted, and cleared the land. Women took charge of cultivation, care of animals, and housework. -Kingdom was a confederation of smaller states, controlled by a manikongo.

11. Great Zimbabwe -Farther to the east, another group of Bantu people settled alongside the Shona people. -They began to build royal courts of stone, called zimbabwe or “stone house”. -The largest site was called Great Zimbabwe, which was the center of the kingdom and an important religious center. -People in the 19th century suspected that Phoenicians or Arabs built these structures. -By the 15th century, a centralized state around Great Zimbabwe began to develop. -Under the rule of Mwene Mutapa, the kingdom experienced a large growth. -It dominated the source of gold, and it developed a trade with the Arab port of Sofala, but by the 16th century, internal conflict had split the kingdom apart.

12. Connections with the Rest of the World -The spread of Islam helped to bring large areas of Africa into contact with the rest of the world. -Swahili coast participated in interactions with North Africa and the Middle East. -African faced new challenges and consequences with the arrival of the Europeans in the late 15th century.

13. Sources http://serviceatsea.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/05/congo800.jpg http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/82/84/22568482.jpg http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/images/ea_ancient_kingdoms.jpg Peter N. Stearns, Michael Adas, Stuart B. Schwartz, Marc Jason Gilbert, World Civilizations: The Global Experience, Pearson Education, Inc., Chapter 8: African Civilizations and the Spread of Islam