1. WARM UP QUESTION
Which list of Niger River regions is in order from MOST rainfall to LEAST?
A. Sahel, savannah, rainforest, Sahara
B. Sahel, rainforest, savannah, Sahara
C. rain forest, Sahel, savannah, Sahara
D. rain forest, savannah, Sahel, Sahara

2. Historical and Artistic Traditions of West Africa
None of the early African empires we’ve studied developed a written language. How do you think people pass down traditions and history if they can’t write it down??

3. Does your family have some stories that they tell again and again??
Oral History
When people lack a written language they use spoken words to record their history.
Does your family have some stories that they tell again and again??

4. Griots Griots were West African storytellers
They were highly respected
Their job was to remember and pass on their people’s history
They had to remember hundreds of names and events

5. Proverbs
Griots passed on more than stories, they also recited proverbs
Proverbs are short sayings of wisdom or truth

6. West African Proverbs “It takes a village to raise a child.”
“Talking doesn't fill the basket in the farm.”
“Rats don't dance in the cat's doorway.”

7. Epics Epics are long poems about kingdoms and heroes
The Sundiata is an epic about Mali’s king Sundiata
The epic tells how Sundiata’s family was killed by a conqueror when he was a boy, but Sundiata was spared because he looked weak. As a grown man, Sundiata overthrew the conquering king.

8. Histories
Much of what we know about West Africa comes from the writings of Muslim travelers and scholars
One writer was Ibn Battutah- he described the political and cultural lives of West Africans
Europeans learned about Africa from another traveler/writer named Leo Africanus
Ibn Battutah’s travels

9. Sculpture
West Africa was famous for its statues made of wood, brass, clay, ivory, stone
Sculptures of people were often used for ancestor worship
African artists were deeply respected
Pablo Picasso was influenced by African art
Bronze sculpture, Mali, 1500s

10. Masks & Clothing Carved masks of animals used for dance rituals
Africans wove special cloth called Kente that was used for special occasions
Kente cloth is a hand-woven, brightly colored fabric
Antelope mask, West Africa

11. Music & Dance
Music and dance were forms of entertainment and helped people honor their history
Dancing used for celebration at weddings, funerals

12. Review Questions
African storytellers who memorize and recite the names and histories of their people are called
a. griots.
b. kente.
c. Dausi.
d. Battuta.

13. Review Questions
How was music and dance incorporated into the lives of the people of early West Africa?
a. It played only a small role.
b. Children were taught that music and dance were evil forms of entertainment.
c. It was entertainment and also a way to celebrate their history and other important events.
d. Only very important citizens were allowed to
play music or dance.

14. Review Questions
In what way is the musical tradition of the early West African empires present today?
a. in epics
b. in histories
c. in wedding and funeral dances
d. in the proverbs

15. Review Questions
Which of the following best describes the subject of a West African sculpture?
a favorite family pet
the sculptor’s grandfather
a cow or other animal used as food
an important tree or plant

16. Review Questions
For special occasions, West African kings and queens wore garments made of
a. cotton with gold thread.
b. finely woven silk.
c. kente.
d. highly polished ebony wood.

17. Review Questions
Much of what we know about early West Africa comes from the writing of travelers and scholars from Muslim lands such as Spain and Arabia.
What is the BEST inference you can make from this statement?
a. The people of West Africa were not interested in keeping track of their histories.
b. The people of West Africa never traveled beyond the borders of their empire.
c. The people of West Africa left no written histories of
their own.
d. Very few travelers ever visited early West Africa empires.