Africa's Landscapes
About ___ percent of Africa is Rain Forests.
15.
How did the Ghana Empire develop?
(Must mention 3 of the following: Soninke, Wagadu, 5th century, Mande-Speakers)
The soninke are apart of the Mande-speaking languge group. The soninke called their land Wagadu, meaning Land of Herds. But outsiders called it Ghana to refer to the leader.
When we think of Africa, some of us often think of tribes. Well, when historians do research of ancient times, instead of first going to tribes, they look at language. How can language help us when reviewing history? It shows us how people traveled and interacted with others When we look at Africa both Before the Common Era and after, we use language-groups to tell history. In west Africa, one language group dominated: Mande-speakers. This is important to know remember for our next great empire.
So we know Mande-Speakers, in their individual tribes existed in West Africa. We had one particular tribe, the Soninke, rise to major power in year 300. When we say rise to power, we're saying their resources were greater in number and value, their social system was organized, and others recognized and respected this. Now, the Soninke called the area they lived in Wagadu. This means land of herds (or great herds). The name Ghana actually means Warrior King. This is what they called leader. Others living outside the empire began to refer to the area by this leader name, and so it is now known as Ghana.
Where does information about the Mali Empire derive from?
Oral history from griots. Written texts from Arabic scholars.
This city was controlled by both Mali and the Songhay.
Gao.
Ms. A wants students to practice _____ to study and learn.
What is Recall.
This Beyoncé album included a lot of West African artists.
The Lion King.
Describe some aspects of Ghana's unique culture in at least three different ways.
Must mention at least three of the following: Soninke, farming, Iron, Gold, Salt, Kings, Military.
Who were the two major kings that governed Mali? List at least 2 contributions for each one.
Sundiata: brought in susu, strengthened empire. made Koroukan Fouga.
Mansa Musa: pilgrimage made mali popular. islam and education
Describe the decline of the Songhay empire. There are 4 key points Im looking for.
Civil wars/massacres/weak military expeditions during Askia's son's rule. Empire- was broken up within. The Moors and Moroccans took over. Trade routes shifted.
During Unit 2, Ms. A's sister secured their tickets to see what superstar.
Beyonce, duh.
List at least 3 major rivers in Africa
Niger, Senegal, Nile, Volta, Zambezi, Limpopo, Orange, Congo, Benue.
How did Ghana's industries and resources contribute to the empire?
Must discuss uses of Salt & Gold
Key Take Away: Iron, Gold, and Salt were major industries in Ghana and allowed them to grow. Iron = better tools. Gold = money and decorating. Salt = edible/valuable.
Additional Take Aways: Salt was nearly as valuable as gold.
Now lets transition to another ore that generally contributed to Ghana's culture. IT was gold. Gold allowed for even ordinary people in the empire to adorn themselves with golden jewelry and gold spun into the clothing. Similar to iron, Ghana would have the ore extracted. However the exact location of Ghana's gold mines were a secret then, and even today archeologists struggle to locate them.
Lastly, we have one last mineral that was extremely important to Ghana's development. It was salt.
It initially came from Taghaza, a city that was mostly inhabited by people enslaved from war or for criminal behavior. It was considered a death sentence to work their to extract salt from the mines.
Salt was highly valuable. It's value derived from the fact that it could keep food from spoiling, it could make food taste good, and it could be used to replenish electrolytes and hydration while living in such a hot area. Since it was so valuable, it was taxed and traded. In fact, it could be traded for gold.
Describe the culture within Mali. I'm looking for at least 2 examples.
Must mention something about gender roles and clans.
Describe at least 2 contributions from the Songhay's 2 major kings.
Sunni Ali Ber: maintained peace between factions in the empire. made a strong army/navy.
Askia Mohammed: developed the government. professional army of slaves.
Watching Roots was meant to provide a visual example of life in _____. It referred to _____ culture.
Mali/Mandinka.
What waters border the African Continent to the East, West, & North?
Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean Sea. Red Sea.
Describe at least three identifying parts of trade in Ghana.
Must mention at least three of the following: Caravan, Islam, Things being traded, Trans-Saharan.
Key Take Away: Having resources like salt and gold allowed Ghana to thrive in respect to trade. People came for these goods/to deliver other ones.
Additional Take Aways: Caravans were full of life from what they traded, where they came from, and who was in them.
With major industries like salt and gold, Ghana was able to thrive as an empire through trade. Donkey caravans would arrive daily, coming from different places throughout the empire. They would be trading goods such as slaves, spices, honey, jewelry, tools, metal, leather goods, rare birds, livestock, horses, special cloth, and most importantly news.
A caravan would include as many as 100 camels upon initial departure from wherever it started. It would be made up on merchants, enslaved peoples, bodyguards, scholars, ambassadors, poets, musicians, camels, and an official for tax purposes.
It usually took about 40 days to complete a caravan trip. They would walk about 3 miles a day.
There was one particular caravan that was a big deal: a Trans-Saharan caravan. This would be a caravan carrying rare ad wonderful treasures like jewels, silk, and furs, from throughout the Islamic World.
Describe how Mali had contact with other civilizations. There are four ways I'm looking for.
Must mention something about ships, europe, mansa musa hajj, or trade.
Trans-Saharan: long existed in Africa. connected to Arabia and Europe. Slavery wasn't as important.
Trans-Atlantic: started in 11th century. Raids were started by the Portuguese. Took over the Trans-Saharan.
Describe the difference between the working memory and long term memory and why the matter when studying.
Long term memory: holds on to information, but must be built upon through recalling information.
Often, students attempt tp use their working memory, but it can fail them during tests. Instead they should practice recalling to strengthen their long term memory.
List at least 3 different types of landscapes/vegetation types in Africa.
Desert, Steppe, Savanna, Forest, Tropical Rain Forest, Mountain.
Describe ways that Ghana had contact with other civilizations. I'm looking for three things.
Must mention the following: Al-Moravids, the Susu, Ghana's King.
The Al-Moravids were a Muslim Confederation made up of various Berber groups from Northern Africa. They advocated for radical changes in Islam and generally promoted the religion. In 1050, they attacked Ghana.
The Susu, another Mande-speaking group, was living under Ghanaian rule, though they didn't want to. When the Ghanian empire was weakened from the Al-Moravid attacks, the Susu broke away from Ghana's rule.
As both of these events are taking place, Ghana was generally loosing it's large influence over the land. Their Kings weren't as respected. Instead, another West African Kingdom was growing in power and started taking over Ghana's old lands. They also absorbed the Susu people into their kingdom. This developing empire was Mali. Mali is the next empire we will study.
Ghana's reign as a major West African power lasted for 700.
Connect the episode of roots to a key point of Mali.
Depends on what they say.
Describe the impact Ghana and Mali had on the Songhai empire.
Should mention something about the passing down of resources like gold and salt.
What's the purpose of learning about ancient West African civilizations?
Must mention how they relate to African Americans. Say something about ancestry.