Traditional Life in
Africa
Family Ties
►Family
loyalty was a bond that
held society together
►Hunting bands consisted of a
few nuclear families
►More likely to live in extended
families that shared a common
living area
►Eldest male led the family
►What
does patriarchal mean?
Patterns of Government
►Most
people lived in small
villages
►Some smaller villages were
linked to larger ones
►Village leaders often affected
daily lives of the people
►Decisions
solved through
public discussion
►Elders of village had affect on
final decision
►Consensus – common
agreement
►New boundary set, people
would plant trees to mark it
Economic Organization
►Most
farmers or herders
►Farming common in river
valleys and savanna
►Subsistence farmers
►Herding in dryer areas, ex.
Masai
►What
is subsistence farming?
Lives of Women
►Respected
because bore
children
►Men could marry more than one
woman (polygamy)
►Women did the planting,
weeding, and harvesting
►Women were leaders in some
cultures
►Bride
Wealth was a gift the
man was expected to give the
bride’s family showing a
woman’s importance
►How
are some African cultures
different than any of the other
cultures we have studied this
year?
Inheritance and Descent
►Both
matrilineal & patrilineal
cultures
►Different cultures inherited property
from different members of the family
(ex. Ashanti boys inherit from uncle)
►Some children would take uncle’s
name
►Father responsible for sister’s
children
The Age-Grade System
►Learned
at a young age
►young people pass different stages
of life with other members of their
age group
►Included all boys or girls born in
the same year
►Together took part in special
ceremonies that marked stages of
life
Old Ways of Learning Together
►Elders
of a community started
off as teachers
►Age-grade system most
important
►Muslim boys attended Koranic
schools where they learned to
read and write Arabic
Traditional Beliefs, Diviners &
Healers
►Most
African religions were
monotheistic
►Many believed their ancestors
would help or harm them
►Believed in a supreme being
►Diviners
served as interpreters
between people & divine
world; their purpose was to
explain causes of misfortune
►Animism is the belief that
spirits lived in the animal
world
Christianity, Judaism, & Islam
►Judaism
& Christianity spread
through northern Africa
►African Christians formed their
own churches, blending in
their own culture & beliefs
►Islam spread into Africa as
early as 800 C.E.
►What
social studies concepts is
the spreading of religion an
example of?