This site is 100% ad supported. Please add an exception to adblock for this site.

Afro 1020

Terms

undefined, object
copy deck
Sahil
Transition between the savanna and Sahara desert. Located 100 miles north and south of the Senegal river, bend of the Niger, and Lake Chad. Known as the “Shore of the sea of sand”, and is moving south due to the spread of the Sahara.



Savanna
An area classified by tropical and subtropical grasslands and shrublands. They are generally hot and dry areas with vegetation of shrubs and grasslands. Some of the big food products made there are grains, millet, beef. It is located between the desert and the rainforest and has a limited amount of rainfall. It is an area of the easiest transportation and communication that allowed for large political units.
Rainfall
Rainfall varies greatly throughout the continent of Africa. There are some areas of the continent that have a lot of rain, such as the rainforests, and some areas of the continent with very little, such as the deserts. Rain greatly influences the landscape and has a significant effect on the health, diet, and where cities are located. Most rain is found in the forests near the equator.
Sudan
Sudan is a term which means, “The land of the black people”. It is used to describe the west African savannah zone.
Atlantic Ocean
This is the name of the ocean found off of the western coast of Africa. Provides an easy way for African countries to trade with America and Europe. Became of significant importance in the 15th century when Europeans began to show up off of the Atlantic coast. This ocean also played an important role in local African trade.



Two Prehistoric Revolutions
The revolution that came first in history was the agricultural revolution. This agricultural revolution was the revolution of learning how to farm and produce crops and cattle through farming methods. This revolution led to surpluses of food that meant that not everyone needed to work to get food. These surpluses led to people becoming specialized in other jobs. The other revolution was that of the iron revolution. This revolution happened later and lead to the knowledge of how to produce and use iron. This revolution was significant as it lead to the use of iron tools and weapons which led to a higher productivity among workers which allowed workers to do more than before.
Archeology
The study of past human societies through the recovery and analysis of material culture including artifacts, architecture, and biofacts. The work of archeology is not dispersed equally, which some cultures getting much more archeological work than others.
Ghana
An ancient empire of western Africa. This empire was located in present day Mali and Mauritania north of the Senegal and Niger River. It is considered a sahil state and was founded by the Soninke people. This empire also has a Tichit like background. Ghana has a prominent role in the transaharan gold trade that allowed them to expand their empire.
Soninke
These people were the founders of Ghana, and they are of Tichit background. They are a part of the early Maninka language group.
Songhay
The largest empire in size in Western Africa with a capital in Gao. There core area was located at the bend of the Niger river. They first appear in 800AD, and become an empire in 1340 after the decline of the Mali Empire. In the late 1400’s Sooni Ali greatly expanded the empire. Askia the Great started a top-down government in the early 1500’s to further centralize the government. They serve as an example of a large scale centralized government.
Mali
Was a west African empire located along the bend of the Niger river.
From around 1230 until 1600.


Nubian States
These were located between the 1st and 6th cataracts of the Nile, located mainly in present day Sudan. Oldest state is Kerma founded in 3200 BCE just south of the third cataract. The second oldest is Napata located between the 4th and 5th cataract founded in 1000 BCE. The youngest state is Meroe located at the 6th cataract founded in 500BCE to 500 AD. These states were followed by small Christian kingdoms. Old Nubians migrated or merged with Muslim newcomers. Some accomplishments of these states is that Nubia is the oldest urban area in Africa with Meroe being the center of iron manufacturing. They ruled Egypt for around 80 years starting in 730 BCE. Nubia and Egypt got some of their technologies from east and west of the Nile. Food production in Kerma started in around 3000 BCE.



Augustine
A leader of the catholic church. He was the bishop of the people of North Africa, and was a Berber, writer, and a saint. He has an autobiography called “Confessions” and wrote City of God. He was an African who had an influence on Christian religion.
Monasticism
A devout religious follower. These followers maintain a practice of religious solitude. This following takes place at a monastery and the people are considered monks.
Berber
These people were considered traders of the Sahara. They mastered several techniques to survive in the Sahara. They specialized in transaharan trade and are known as the oldest population in N. Africa. Augustine was a Berber.
Non-Centralized Political Authority
Political authority that is not run by a single government of leader. Government remained in the hands of the citizens, decisions were reached through consensus, and a leader was chosen to deal with specific issues. Afterwards, the leader would return to its position as an ordinary citizen. No permanent political authority.
Bantu
A language family of 450+ languages. Started to move from forests of west Africa in the 4th century. Had a peaceful expansion of languages. With bantu expansion came knowledge of iron production, food production. Had a kingdom in Zimbabwe which traded gold and was a contemporary of Old Ghana. Zimbabwe traded gold. It refers to the many people speaking the 450+ languages which are mutually understandable. Subset of the Niger-Congo languages.
Ibrahima (Prince Among Slaves)
He was a muslim prince of the West African country Futa Jalon. He is captured during a battle against the Hebohs and is sold into slavery. He eventually ends up becoming a slave on a plantation in Natchez, Mississippi. On the cotton and tobacco plantation, Ibrahima worked very hard and never complained or made problems. Through his hard work he became overseer and got a wife and kids. An American doctor whom he had saved in Africa works constantly to try to free him, but it isn’t until US Secretary of State gets involved that he is finally freed in 1828. Clay thought he might be a valuable means to improve relations with West African empires. When he finally returns to Africa with his wife he dies relatively soon due to a fever.
Atlantic Slave Trade
This event took place from 1530 to 1820. Its roots come from the Portuguese learning a way to sail off the Atlantic coast. The Portuguese were then followed by other European countries who came in to do trade conducted with Africans. Many west Africans did not know what happened to those who were captured and sold. Plantation owners used indentured white labor, criminals, and Native Americans, but Africans were found to be most useful due to their ability to work in the Southeastern region of the US which is quite similar to West Africa. There were reported high rates of African death during the middle passage from Africa to America.
European Scramble for Africa
This event took place from 1885-1900. During this time period, Europeans unpredictably scrambled for colonization of Africa, set up rigid borders, became highest level of government. African rulers couldn’t protect citizens from colonization. It was an irrational division dividing up people who had been together, and putting people together who had never been together. Borders were determined by who got there first, and many of these borders are still seen today playing a role in post-colonial governments. Many places, such as Senegal, put in a new economic and political system coming out of European rule.
Lineage
- It served as the building blocks for everything up until the 20th century. There are three systems used in Africa, the patrilineal (father), matrilineal (mother), and double descent systems. Lineages from a similar ancestor are considered a clan. Lineages help each other out when there is problems. The lineage system leads to three divisions in society, (free-borns, artisans, and non-free people).
Organization of African Centralized Political Authority
- The basis of a centralized political authority is that a leader protects the people, and in return the people pay tribute to the leader. This type of political authority arose after the development of food technology. In this system, a permanent leader would make decisions for the community. In west Africa, a permanent ruler was elected from certain eligible lineages by the members of a council. The borders of these centralized authorities were fluid constantly expanding and contracting.
African Instituations for Regulating African International Relations
For international relations, Africans organized them through the use of paired relations. Organizations based on lineages were used for conducting international relations. The paired relations consisted of host-guest, landlord-stranger, and patron-client. Marriage was also a means to expand and strengthen foreign relations. Caravans were used to conduct their international relations. Oral traditions explained whom lineages had relations with.
Oral Traditions
These are accounts passed down from generation to generation usually is spoken or song form about stories from before the present generation. These can be used to explain things such as who lineages had relations with, tales of major events in the past, and who their ancestors were. Sometimes told through Griots.
Islam in Africa
Arrived at the end of the 7th Century. Islam was spread in Africa mainly through trade. It spread mainly from the north to the south up the Nile, and a little from the east Africa inwards. It served as a basis for education. It brought a written language but did not necessarily share it, however many children memorized the Quran. The sharing of religion brought a commonality, but there was a tension between Islam and African religions. Arab conquest in North Africa encouraged adoption of Arabic identity. South of the Sahara, spread of Islam came through trade mainly peacefully. Sometimes considered a means to go against European colonization and nationalism.



Sufism
The practice of Sufism became popular with many Muslims in Africa. Are considered basically orthodox, but had additional prayers, and might meet at their own mosque on Fridays. The Quadiriyya brotherhood, Tijaniyya Brotherhood, and Sanussiyya brotherhood.
Islam
Founded by Muhammad in 622. The holy book is the Quran. Based on the five pillars of Islam Core for believers.

Deck Info

27

jumpshot187

permalink