What is African American Studies?
The first Black Studies departments were established in this decade.
1960s
Egypt, Nubia, and Kush were formed along this body of water.
The Nile River
This man was ruler of Mali during its peak and is remembered for promoting Islam is the region.
Mansa Musa
This society was led by pharaohs who could be any gender.
Egypt
Most indigenous African societies practiced this kind of religion, which means they worshiped multiple gods.
Polytheistic
This university housed the first Black Studies department.
San Francisco State University
This body of water separates Africa and Europe.
Mediterranean Sea
These people, located in modern-day Nigeria, did not leave any written records, so we use artifacts to learn about them.
Nok
This society is best known for their iron-working skills and their terracotta sculptures.
Nok
This is the name for the oral historian and musician who was responsible for maintaining the stories of their people.
Griot
The study of this ethnic group was often included in early Black Studies departments.
Puerto Rican
This major geographic feature covers nearly 1/3 of Africa.
The Sahara Desert
This king of the Aksumites is credited with bringing Christianity to the region.
King Ezana
Coins featuring a famous king from this East African society were found in Rome.
Aksum
West African traditions were carried to the Americas through this process.
Transatlantic Slave Trade
This language was taught in the Black Studies department at Hunter College.
Swahili
The Ghana, Mali, and Songhai civilizations formed along this major river.
The Niger River
This man, whose story is immortalized in a famous Mande epic poem, is remembered as the founder of the Mali Empire.
Sundiata Keita
The last great West African empire.
Songhai
The term for Yoruba deities.
Orisha
The "Dark Continent" myth
This is the name for the semiarid region of Africa that borders the desert.
The Sahel
This early African people began in West Central Africa and spread throughout Central and Southern Africa, influencing the language and culture of those regions.
Bantu
This ancient society was a subject state of Egypt until they conquered the region and ruled for a century.
Nubia (Kush)
The word that describes the blending of different religious practices and beliefs.
Syncretism