Directions FOR SILENT BARTER:
1. Read your kingdom’s supply and demand products. Understand what products or goods you
need to obtain through silent barter.
2. Place your product that is for sale at your table. Wait for the deba to signal it is time to trade.
3. Select 2 traders to travel the trans-Sahara trade route to another kingdom. They will place your
product next to a good or product that your country needs or wants. Remember YOU CAN NOT
SPEAK TO OTHER KINGDOMS.
4. The other merchants who stayed in your kingdom (table) may talk to one another to decide if
they will accept the offer for trade.
5. The deba will signal again for traders to go back to see if their trade was accepted.
Task #1:
A. Define scarcity. Discuss how your kingdom’s geographic location creates scarcity.
B. Discuss WANTS vs NEEDS. Create a t-chart of 5 modern wants and 5 needs.
C. Create another t-chart that explains your kingdom’s wants vs needs.
Task #2:
Based upon the amount of products your kingdoms wants VS needs, fill in the economic resource guide
to describe what products you will be trying to obtain.
ECONOMIC RESOURCE GUIDE:
1. Kingdom’s needs:_____________________________________________________________
2. Kingdom I traded with to obtain needs:____________________________________________
3. Kingdom I traded with to obtain wants:____________________________________________
4. Biggest obstacle or struggle during silent barter activity:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
5. After the 3 rounds of silent barter discuss if your kingdom obtained its needs? And wants?
Explain what you obtained through silent barter:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
6. Salt made the difference between life and death to people of West Africa. What in your daily life
has the same value to you? Name at least 3 items in order of importance giving reasons why you
couldn't live without them. There are very few geographical barriers today. Can you think of
something other than these that might pose a problem for countries meeting their needs today?
Provide at least 3 examples.
The Kingdom of the Sahara
NEEDS: gold, iron, honey,
ABUDANCE: salt, horses
WANT: slaves, ivory, cloth
The Kingdom of Ghana
NEEDS: salt, metal, tin, horses, cloth,
ABUNDANCE: gold
WANT: silk, ivory, slaves, leather goods
The Kingdom of Zimbabwe
NEEDS: salt because its so hot and your people need to retain body moisture
ABUNDANCE: incense, dye, silk
WANT: honey, horses, cloth, iron, gold
The Kingdom of the Berbers
NEEDS: cloth, honey, salt
ABUNDANCE: horses, iron, tools, leather goods, ivory
WANT: gold
Interesting fact: The Latin word for salt is sal. Roman soldiers received salt as part of their pay, which was called a
salarium-hence the word salary. A really good soldier was "worth his salt."