West Africa

1. West Africa Ancient Ghana: Empire of Gold, pages 44-48

2. 1. Name the clan that the Kingdom of Ghana came from. • The Kingdom of Ghana came from the Soninke clan and rose to power around 500 CE. • 2. Name the two rivers that benefited Ghana. • The Niger and Senegal rivers were a great asset to the development of Ghana. • 3. What two resources made Ghana wealthy? • The Gold and Salt trade made Ghana wealthy.

3. 4. How did Arab writers describe Ghana? • Ghana had the richest gold mines on earth according to Arab traders. • 5. How did traders make Ghana wealthy? • The traders had to pay taxes when they entered and left the kingdom, in salt, iron, silks and spices.

4. 7. Describe the role of the king of Ghana. • Known as Ghanas, which means “warrior king.” • Most powerful and father of the Soninke people. • Religious leader, chief of army and highest judge of the land. • Wealthy from taxes on the trade.

5. 6. What was the capital of Ghana? Describe it. • Kumbi-Saleh was the capital of Ghana. • Located on the Saharan trade route. • Two city centers: The north was Muslim traders, lawyers, religious leaders and teachers; The south was the royal palace. • In-between the two centers were the city residents.

6. 8. Define Tribute: • A donation given as a sign of respect or to ensure peace and protection. • 9. According to the Soninke people, what was the best way to respect their ancestors? • The best way to respect your ancestors was to “live a descent life”. • 10. How was success measured by the people of Ghana? • By the productivity of the farm. • 11. Identify Almoravids. • The Spanish name of a Muslim dynasty in North Africa and Spain.

7. 1. How did the farming villages of Ghana unite the people of Ghana? • The farming villages united the people because farmers in different villages produced different crops, so they traded goods among themselves. • Men and women divided the labour and everyone worked together to make the villages successful.

8. 2. In what ways are the records written by the Arabs (who traded with Ghana) valuable sources of primary evidence? • Arab records are valuable sources of primary evidence because they are first-hand accounts that document events that took place in the kingdom of Ghana at the time.

9. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3x-IwaVhnmo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3x-IwaVhnmo

10. Mali: The Golden Age

11. 1. Define sorcerer. • A living person who possesses special knowledge that allows him or her to use the spiritual powers of the ancestors. • 2. Who was Sundiata? • A powerful sorcerer who defeated the Sosso ruler Samaguru in an epic battle. • He expanded the empire with a powerful army and took control of the trade routes across the Sahara. • He taxed all the trade transactions which give Mali great wealth.

12. 3. How did the Arabic language help the traders? • It allowed them to write contracts and keep written records of their trade. • 4. How did the Mandinke griot describe Sundiata? (Figure 2.17) • He is known as the Lion King. • As a child, he was unable to speak or walk until 7 years old; but magically was cured and became a great warrior and ruler.

13. 5. Describe the difference between men and women in Mali. • Boys were apprentices in castes (a hereditary social class) of their family, or joined the army. • Girls were raised to become wives and mothers; They were not equal. • The girl’s father decides who she was to marry. • Men could divorce and have as many wives as they wanted. • If a woman committed adultery, she was put to death.

14. 7. How does the map on page 51 (Figure 2.19) reflect the Europeans’ view of the Mali empire? • Only saw Africa for its resources and as a place to conqueror.

15. 6. Who was Mansa Musa? • King of Mali; His reign was the Golden Age of Mali. • He was a devout Muslim who established Mali as a powerful kingdom. • On a pilgrimage to Mecca, he gave away so much gold that world gold prices fell.

16. 8. Why did Mansa Musa think it was important to maintain religious freedom in Mali? • When he tried to convert Mali to Islam, miners refused to work. • It would have caused internal conflict in the kingdom.

17. 1. What made Timbuktu famous? What impact do you think the idea of a city of great wealth in Africa might have had on Europeans? • The city of Timbuktu was famous as an important centre for education, business, and culture. People travelled great distances to study at Timbuktu’s university in subjects such as medicine, mathematics, astronomy, government, conflict resolution, chemistry, and law. • Foreigners also marvelled at the architecture of Timbuktu. • Europeans may have felt inferior to the people of Mali because at that time there were no cities of such grand stature in Europe.

18. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yzy_E4ggcvA&feature=PlayList&p=A411B1E9116255DB&index=0http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yzy_E4ggcvA&feature=PlayList&p=A411B1E9116255DB&index=0

19. Songhai: Land of Royalty

20. 1. True or False Songhai was the second largest kingdom of the West African civilizations. • False, it was the largest civilization in Western Africa. • 2. Who was the king of Songhai and why did he conquer Mali? • Sonni Ali was the king. • He conquered Mali in order to control the Sahara trade routes. • Timbuktu’s importance as an intellectual center and Djenne’s gold and ivory would allow Songhai to thrive in trade and commerce.

21. 3. Why did Sonni Ali become an enemy of Islam? • Although he took a Muslim name, he killed Muslim scholars who did not respect Songhai religion. • 4. Who was Mohammed Askia? • He became king of Songhai • He embraced Islam • He allowed Songhai traditions to be practised • Restored Timbuktu as an important center of Islamic scholarship. • Made Songhai a more equitable society • He encouraged Islamic education.

22. 5. Why was Djenne highly regarded? • Because of its medical knowledge and practices. • Doctors discovered mosquitoes caused malaria and they performed eye surgery.

23. 6. A. How were slaves obtained? • Horses, spices, and cloth were exchanged for captives of war, prisoners, enemies and criminals. • Muslim leaders raided nearby provinces. The captured and sold people who practiced African religions. • B. How did some people prevent themselves from being captured? • They converted to Islam to protect themselves because under Islamic Law, free Muslims could not be enslaved.

24. C. How were slaves important to trade in Songhai? Arabian and Moroccan merchants used slaves as porters to carry goods. Those who survived the trip across the desert were sold at markets as bodyguards, soldiers and household servants.

25. 1. In what ways did the rulers of Songhai demonstrate their religious tolerance? • Sonni Ali demonstrated religious tolerance by respecting the traditions of the Songhai people even through he accepted Islam into his own life.He did not tolerate Muslim scholars who did not respect these traditions. • Like Ali, Mohammad Askia demonstrated religious tolerance by allowing Songhai traditions to be practiced even though he was a devout Muslim. • He chose not to force Islam on his non-Muslim subjects even though the daily work of the kingdom was based on Islamic traditions, laws and beliefs.

26. 2. In your opinion, what factors contributed to the success of the Songhai Empire? • Was a direct result of its gold and ivory resources. • Was due to the leadership of Sonni Ali and Mohammad Askia. • Was because of Askia’s commitment to education. • Was due to Timbuktu’s success as a centre of science, religious, culture, and learning • Was because of Djenne’s medical knowledge and technology.

27. 3. What impact do you think the destruction of Timbuktu had on West Africa? • The destruction of Timbuktu had a devastating effect on West Africa because the people who captured Timbuktu did not value it and did not maintain its success. • Timbuktu fell into decline and lost its status as a great centre of learning. This loss of status and distinction may have had a demoralizing effect on the people.

28. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QvdwCryAIM&feature=related

29. Great Zimbabwe The House of Stone

30. 1. What was strategic about Great Zimbabwe’s location? It was located between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers. It linked the goldfields of the African interior with the east coast trading port of Sofala. From here the gold was shipped to Persia, India and China in exchange for silks, spices, cotton and porcelain.

31. The first settlers were ancestors of the present day ___________ people. • Shona People. • 3. What did archaeologists conclude about Great Zimbabwe? • It was a religious center where Mwari, the Supreme Shona god was revered. • Birds were royal emblems and became a powerful symbol.

32. 4. Why were Africans origins denied? • Similar structure were not seen in Africa • Some excavations removed prove that the Africans built it. • 5. What does Great Zimbabwe mean? • Houses of Stones

33. 6. What were the three main structures of Great Zimbabwe? • The Hills Complex, • the Great Enclosure, • and the Valley Ruins.

34. 7. What caused Great Zimbabwe to decline? • Gold trade moved and gold supplies ran out. • Grazing lands were exhausted, trees were gone and soil eroded.

35. Why do you think Europeans refused to believe that the buildings of Great Zimbabwe were build by Africans? • They did not believe Africans had the skill or technology to build such carefully constructed buildings. • Europeans assumed they had been built by foreign travelers. • This attitude reflected European feelings of superiority and their arrogance toward other cultures they believed to be inferior to their own.

36. Swahili City-States: Ancient Crosswords

37. 1. What is Swahili culture? Bantu? Arabs? • Swahili culture: Integrated Bantu-speaking peoples and Arabs • Bantu: Farmers and cattle herders from the African interior • Arabs: Merchants and traders from Ethiopia

38. 2. Identify Kiswahili. • A Bantu language mixed with Arab elements, from the Arab word Sawahil, meaning coast. • 3. How were Swahili people linked? • They were linked by a common language and Islamic faith. • 4. How did the Islamic faith connect the people to the rest of the world? • Through trade, which also brought wealth and prosperity.

39. 5. How did they maintain strong ties with their trading partners? • Swahili merchants often arranged marriages between their children and those of Arab, Asian and African traders. • Blood Relations strengthened their commercial alliances and added to their prosperity.

40. 6. Identify Kilwa. • Large trade center. • 7. Identify Lamu. • The oldest and best preserved Swahili city. • 8. What caused the decline of the Swahili-City. • Portuguese conquered the Swahili city-states and pushed the African traders out of African trade.

41. 1.Locate the Swahili city-states in your atlas. How did their coastal location benefit them? • The coastal location of the Swahili city-states benefited them because it allowed them to trade with states in the Middle East and Asia via the Indian ocean.

42. 2. In what ways did Islam work as a unifying force in the Swahili city-states? • Islam was a unifying force in the Swahili city-sates because religion kept their culture strong. • They developed their own language, Kiswahili, and recorded not only their histories into the Kiswahili language, but also the Qur’an. • They created a literate population that could read their histories and religious texts. This enabled them to maintain their traditions and values.

43. West Central Africa Kingdom of the Kongo

44. On the lower Congo River Capital in Mbanza

45. King was the Manikongo, which was a divine kingship. • Define Kingship: political & spiritual head of state.

46. Ancient-Kikongo-speaking peoples probably arrived in the region from the north as part of the larger Bantu expansion. One of the large-scale migrations that occurred as a result of the population growth that followed the introduction of iron tools.

47. Was divided into six provinces, each administered by a governor appointed by the Manikongo. • Specialized skills in farming & iron production, which led to trade in salt and copper.

48. Principal products of the Empire included ivory and hides, and later as trade flourished with Europeans, slaves.

49. Shrines to the “spirits of the land” were located along the river.