Ghana: A West African
Trading Empire
Tuesday, January 22nd
Take out your ISN to page 83
and answer the question in
Preview 13
Tuesday, January 22nd
Journal #21
In your journal answer the following:
You are a trader heading into West
Africa in about 1000. The caravan
carries many goods, but the most
precious is salt. Salt is so valuable
that people trade gold for it! The
gold traders never meet you face to
face, though. You wish you cold talk
to them to find out where they get
their gold. Why do you think the
traders are so secretive?
Ghana: A West African Trading
Empire
 In this chapter we will explore the kingdom
of Ghana and learn about the role of trade
in the rise of West African kingdoms
 Read 13.1 on page 145
 How do we know about the kingdom of
Ghana? When did the kingdom of Ghana
begin? How might Ghana have become a
kingdom?
Ghana: A West African Trading
Empire
 Look at the graphic organizer on page 145.
 What do you see?
 Only one of these people traveled, which
one is it?
 What is the camel carrying?
 In what direction is the camel traveling?
 What is the man in the southern part of W.
Africa holding?
 Who might the figure in the center be?
Ghana: A West African Trading
Empire
Introduction
Empire lasted 500 CE – 1200s
Present day Mauritania and Mali
Senegal and Niger Rivers
Arab scholars – earliest writings – was
already flourishing country
Ghana – “warrior chief”
13.2 Ghana’s Government and
Military
Read 13.2 and complete the
reading notes on page 84 of your
ISN
13.2 Ghana’s Government and
Military
Government and Military
King and his Government
King was head of army
Led religious worship
Wealth through gold trade
Conducted business in a court
Government officials
appointed by king
paid from gold money
Matrilineal bloodline (based on woman’s
family)
Son of king’s sister took over throne
13.2 Ghana’s Government and
Military
Ghana’s Military
Regular army, reserve
soldiers, and elite soldiers
Wore headdresses
Weapons: spears, daggers,
clubs, bow and arrow
200,000 warriors
TRADING GAME
 Notice there are 5 areas of the room: North
Africa, Sahara Desert, Taghaza, Ghana, and
Wangara
 2 students will be salt miners in Taghaza
and 2 students will be Ghana officials in
Ghana
 The rest of you will be split into 2 groups:
North African Traders and Wangaran gold
miners – sit in your assigned areas
 Note: Wangara is a gold-rich region of
south Ghana. Historically, the salt miners
of Taghaza were slaves of Arab merchants –
you will be referred to as salt miners in this
activity
TRADING GAME
Salt Miners – you keep 3 salt tokens.
Write your names on the others and
give them to the Taghaza salt miners
– the tokens you have represent salt
you will “mine” during the game.
Tokens given to the traders represent
salt they have already acquired in
Taghaza
North African traders – you get a gold
token
Wangaran’s – you get a sheet of
paper – place this on the floor in
front of you
TRADING GAME
We will not play a game to
demonstrate how trading was
conducted between N. African traders
and Wangaran gold miners. The
traders and miners will be competing
in the game as individuals. The
winners will be the N. African trader
who ends the game with the most
gold tokens and the Wangaran gold
miner who ends the game with the
most salt tokens
TRADING GAME – how to play
Step 1 – N. African traders crawl
across the Sahara Desert. When a
trader reaches Ghana give one gold
token to the Ghana official and then
walk to Wangara to find a Wangaran
gold miner with whom to trade. As a
N. African trader approaches the
Wangaran, the Wangaran turns his or
her back.
TRADING GAME – how to play
Step 2 – The N. African trader and the
Wangaran gold minder practice
making and accepting the first offer
(this is a practice round – tokens will
be returned afterwards).
The N. African trader places one or
more salt tokens on the paper behind
the Wangaran. Then the N. African
trader turns your back and claps
The Wangaran turns around and
examines the offer and places one or
more gold tokens next to the salt and
turns and claps.
TRADING GAME – how to play
Step 2 Continued:
The N. African takes the gold
token(s), leaves the salt, claps and
leaves
The Wangaran picks up the salt
tokens
You MAY NOT talk during this
TRADING GAME – how to play
Step 3 – Make a counteroffer
If neither the N. African or the
Wagaran gold miner is happy with
the 1st offer they can make a counter
offer.
TRADING GAME – COUNTEROFFER
N. African trader – if you aren’t
happy with the Wagaran’s 1st offer,
leave the gold and salt
Wagaran, if the gold and salt are still
there, you can add more gold tokens
or leave the same # of tokens
N. African trader – if you aren’t
satisfied with the Wagaran’s
counteroffer, take your salt, leave the
gold and find another Wangaran with
whom to trade
TRADING GAME – COUNTEROFFER
N. African traders can return to
Taghaza for more salt tokens if they
run out. However, you must pay one
gold token to Ghana for every 3 salt
tokens you transport through Ghana,
and you cannot redeem more tokens
than you originally had.
TRADING GAME – getting more salt
tokens
After N. African traders have traded
their 3 salt tokens they can get more
by going to Taghaza
You may return to Wangara through
Ghana, but you have to pay one gold
token for every 3 salt tokens you
move through Ghana. You cannot get
more salt tokens than you can pay
taxes on, and you cannot get more
than you have available to you (with
your names on) in Taghaza
TRADING GAME – TIME TO PLAY
Now we have gone over the rules so
let’s play the game for real.
Taghaza salt miners – you will write
a “receipt” for salt issued that
traders must show to Ghana officials
for tax purposes as they travel
through Ghana so you can’t smuggle
salt through Ghana
TRADING GAME – Winner, Winner
Chicken Dinner!
N. African traders – count your gold
tokens
Wangaran gold miners – count your
salt tokens
Ghana officials – count how many
gold tokens you collected
TRADING GAME – DEBRIEF
How did you feel during this activity?
How were the students representing
Ghana bale to get gold?
Why were traders willing to pay this
tax to Ghana?
What problems did you encounter
when you could not talk with the
person with whom you wished to
trade?
Why might N. African traders and
Wangaran gold miners have used a
method of trading that involved silent
communication?
13.3 Trade: The Source of Ghana’s
Wealth
What Did the tokens in the
game represent? How were
the hardships of crossing
the Sahara shown?
Read 13.3 and complete
the notes on page 84 of ISN
13.3 Trade: The Source of Ghana’s
Wealth
Trade: Source of Ghana’s
Wealth
Located between two trade areas: North
and Western Africa
Location of Ghana allowed it to control
and TAX the trade to make MONEY! 
History of Trans-Saharan Trade
400-500 BCE earliest trade in Africa
Two things that helped trade grow:
Camel: caravan routes, no water needed for
long time
Spread of Islam: brought goods during
spread.
13.3 Trade: The Source of Ghana’s
Wealth
The Journey South
Travel on trade routes was
long and difficult
Not many towns along way
Few that were there
traders stopped at and
rested
13.4 The Gold-Salt Trade
 How do you think Ghana became
wealthy? How was this shown in the
game?
 Read 13.4 and answer the reading notes
on page 85 of your ISN
13.4 The Gold-Salt Trade
The Gold-Salt Trade
Many items were traded, but gold
and salt were the biggest two
Wangara: Secret Source of Gold
South of Ghana was Wangara, much gold
there in secret
Taghaza: A Village Built with Salt
Salt was just as important as gold
Needed in part of diet
Salt deposits or water method
Taghaza existed due to salt trade
13.4 The Gold-Salt Trade
Ghana’s system of Taxes
Traders paid taxes on all
goods they had when they
came AND left
Tax money paid for armies
to protect traders and the
empire
13.5 The exchange of Goods
 Why do you think students were not
allowed to talk to each other? What did
the clap mean?
 Read 13.5 and answer the reading notes
on page 85 of ISN
13.5 The exchange of Goods
The Exchange of Goods
Kumbi was the main
marketplace in Ghana
Goods from all over the world
were in Kumbi
Slave market as well
Barter was the form of money
Silent barter – different languages
could trade and guarded secret of
gold mines
13.6 The Decline of Ghana and The
Rise of Mali
 Read 13.6 and complete the reading
notes on page 86 of ISN
 Most of this lesson has focused on the
benefits of trans-Saharan trade.
 What were some costs involved with this
trade.
 Ghana's accessibility to outsiders also
brought invaders.
 Ghana’s wealth stimulated the population
growth that depleted the kingdom’s
natural resources
13.6 The Decline of Ghana and The
Rise of Mali
 The Decline of Ghana and the Rise of
Mali
 Height (most success) of empire around 1000
C.E.
 In late 1000s, Almoravids (warriors) attacked
Kumbi and took it over.
 Ghana began to lose natural resources
Large population consumed more than could be
provided
 Empire ended in 1203 when rival kingdom took
over
 New empire rose: MALI.
Bigger than Ghana
Made money also from the gold trade
Islam was the official religion