Chapter 6, Lesson 3
African Society & Culture
It Matters Because:
The people of early Africa formed complex societies
with many common characteristics. They created artistic
works that reflected their beliefs & built economies.
I. African Society
A. Most early Africans farmed in rural villages
1. Lived in mud huts
B. Artisans lived in towns
1. Skilled in metalworking, woodworking, pottery making, etc.
C. People often lived in extended families
1. Extended family - family made up of several generations
& branches
2. Elders were authorities
3. Members expected to support & care for each other
I. African Society
D. Bantu tribes migrated from W. Africa about 3000 BC
1. Many tribes shared similar language, technology, culture
2. 220 million Africans speak hundreds of Bantu languages today
3. Culture was matrilineal - traced ancestry, inheritance, etc.
through mothers
E. Children learned history and basic life skills
1. Oral history - stories passed down by word of mouth
2. Teaching life skills was duty of family & village
F. Queens such as Dahia al-Kahina & Nzinga led armies in
battle
II. The Slave Trade
A. In 1441, First African slaves bought to Europe
1. First slaves sold to Europe captured by African merchants
2. Slavery common throughout the world
3. Africans enslaved other Africans since ancient times
a. Bantu raided villages, captured slaves for labor or to sell
B. Muslims enslaved many Africans
1. Quran banned enslavement of other Muslims
C. Portugal first European nation to trade African slaves
1. First worked as house slaves in Portugal
2. Later on sugarcane plantations in the Atlantic
III. African Art
A. African art taught history, also served religious purpose
B. First African art was rock painting
1. Showed daily life: hunting, dance, everyday activity
C. Woodcarvers made masks, statues for religious purposes
1. Carvings believed to hold spiritual power
D. Metalworkers made statues from bronze & iron
IV. Music, Dance, Storytelling
A. Music & dance connected to everyday African life
1. Religious ceremonies
2. Also used to ease difficulty of everyday tasks
3. Slaves used music to remind them of home
a. became American music styles: spirituals, the blues
b. also became ragtime, rock & roll, rap
B. Storytelling helped Africans keep their history, religions