African Study Guide 4/5/11

1. African Study Guide 4/5/11 Key ? None Outcome: Using prior knowledge of content material to answer questions regarding Medieval Africa Warm-up: Get out your study guide & checking pen. Late work? Put it inot your folder! Let’s ROCK! 

2. Where was Taghza located? Taghaza North of Ghana They produced salt! Trade type: barter

3. Where was Wangara located? Wangara, South of Ghana They produced gold! Trade type: silent trade

4. What geographic location was not settled? The Sahara desert People can’t settle here because they can’t farm! Why?

5. 4. Part 1 Around what geographic location did most people settle in Africa? They would settle around rivers, flood plains would be used for their fertile soil but people would settle farther away.

6. How did this affect people’s settle-ment patterns in West Africa? • People would settle in areas that had a fresh water source so they could use it as a trade route, eat the fish, use it for their crops & drink it. • People would migrate to the area with fertile land and natural resources

7. What made West African farming more efficient? Iron tools The Nok are the first to use and trade iron tools.

8. How did Ghana become wealthy? Ghana collected taxes as traders came in And left the kingdom. Location, location location! Ghana was located at the end of the trans- Sahara trade routes so all of the traders needed to go through them!

9. Why is the location important? Different goods traded to different locations… Because people don’t have the same natural resources nor the same human resources in the same areas so the needs and/or wants are different

10. What increased trans-Saharan trade? • Introduction of the camel • Muslim traders

11. What first brought Islam to West Africa? Trade Muslim traders came across the Sahara to trade gold and salt!

12. Explain what extended-family communities did to surviveduring difficult times. Joined other communities to provide necessary assistance Became a village!

13. List the goods each of these traders would have • Traders heading South • Copper • Cowrie Shells • Salt • Traders heading North • Gold • Leather goods • Hides • Kola nuts • Ivory • Slaves

15. Sahel – In Africa, a sahel was a strip of dry grassland between a desert and a savanna where some West Africans settled as they mined for salt in Tahagza.

16. A griot was an important part of West African culture who kept the stories & history of the past as well as kept the genealogy of the village. Because of this, they taught the customs to others and advised the king!

17. Matrilineal Relating to the system of tracing descent through the female of the family Female Male

18. Savanna • In West Africa, extended families farmed in the savanna, a region containing tall grasses, some trees and shrubs because there would be some water and fertile soil.

19. Caravan: Islam traveled to West Africa because Muslim traders started trading using camel caravans. These caravans allowed them to carry large amounts of goods while traveling quickly across the Sahara desert.

20. Desert The Sahara desert receives less then 10 inches of rain per year. This made it very difficult for traders to travel across this environment with goods without a camel!

21. diviner • The villagers went to the diviner to find out when the next flood would come because they wanted to know if they should plant along the flood plain. He talked to the spirits and told them not to plant there this year.

22. Fill in the graphic organizer Answers on slides 30 - 35

23. What influence did Islam have upon West Africa? • Example of the influence: • Religious practice – Islam with 5 Pillars of Faith • Explain the change in the culture: • Prayed in Arabic • Regarded Muslims as a single community • Combined Islam with their belief in spirits and use of amulets & charms

24. What influence did Islam have upon West Africa? • Example of the influence: • Government & Law • Explain the change in the culture: • Change of succession to patrilineal line • Title of sultan, amir/emir used for local rulers • Adoption of shari’ah with customary physical punishment

25. What influence did Islam have upon West Africa? • Example of the influence: • Education – greater value placed upon learning • Explain the change in the culture: • Education encouraged with universities built • Timbuktu became famous for scholarship • Turban used as headdress showing graduation from Sankore University

26. What influence did Islam have upon West Africa? • Example of the influence: • New Language: Arabic • Explain the change in the culture: • Became language of religion, learning, commerce & government

27. What influence did Islam have upon West Africa? • Example of the influence: • Architecture: built mosques rather than small shrines • Explain the change in the culture: • Houses changed to cube shaped structures of brick with flat roofs

28. What influence did Islam have upon West Africa? • Example of the influence: • Art: used calligraphy • Explain the change in the culture: • Geometric patters used within their art & architecture • Textiles with appliqué or kente cloth used

29. Create a flow chart outlining the development of settlement. Trade center • Aunts, uncles, • ect. lived • together • help farm • trade with • other families tribute • Lived together for • Protection • Shared tasks • began use of iron tools Used river for trade Traded externally Wall for protection Taxes paid for army

30. Explain the trade strategy the Wagnerians used, why the North African traders liked this method of trade and why the king of Ghana benefited from this situation. • Wangarans used silent trade • North African traders liked this because they did not have to learn a different language to effectively trade • Ghana benefited because the traders would leave Ghana to go to Wangara which meant the traders were taxed 4 times (coming into and leaving Ghana) making them wealthy to buy luxuries

31. Homework: Test