1. From extended families to kingdoms
West african civilizations

2. Family Based Communities
Part I

3. Extended families
The earliest farming communities were made of extended families.
An extended family includes close relatives
Grandparents
Parents
Aunts
Uncles
Children
15 to 20 people

4. Ancestor worship
West African societies traditionally believed in unseen spirits of their ancestors
Ancestors honored with carved statues
Food offerings were made to the spirits to keep them happy
Ancestors thought to protect the village

5. animism West Africans also traditionally practice animism
They believed (and some continue to believe today) that bodies of water, animals, trees and other natural objects have spirits
This religious practice reflects the dependence and respect of West Africans for nature

6. Developing villages
Part II

7. villages
Family communities joined with other families to get needed help:
Work together to control flooding
Mine iron or gold
Provide Protection
A village might contain people

8. Village life Loyalty to family was important
Everyone had tasks to complete
Men hunted, farmed, fished, herded
Women farmed, collected firewood, ground grain, carried water, cared for children
Elderly men and women taught traditions/values through songs, dances and stories
Children began to work beside adults as soon as thy were able

9. Rise of Towns and cities
Part III

10. Why did cities grow?
Ancient cities in West Africa were not as big as modern cities
Some had 1,000s of residents
Two reasons for growth:
Ironworking
Expanded Trade

11. Ironworking
Smelting furnaces heated with enormous amounts of charcoal to melt ore
Iron metal was extracted
Red-hot iron was hammered and bent into useful shapes:
Axes
Hoes
spears

12. Cause and effect Iron tools improved farming techniques
Surplus food gathered during harvest
Large volume of food supported larger villages = towns
Ability to trade or sell surplus to others
New trades: weavers, potters, leatherworkers, bead makers, carvers, tradesmen, construction workers

13. Trade cities
Djenne (Mali), founded in 800 CE/AD, is one of sub-Saharan Africa's oldest cities.
It is located on an island in the Niger River delta
It is a few hundred miles downstream from Timbuktu.

14. Trade Routes
Djenne was a natural hub for traders who shuttled their goods between the Sahara desert and the forests of Guinea.

15. Grand mosque
Through the years Djenne became a center of Islamic learning and its market square is still dominated by the beautiful Grand Mosque.
Wooden bars protrude from the façade (or face) of the mosque.

16. Market day
A young woman from the Peul or Fula people balances a calabash on her head.
Djenne’s market square is directly in front of the Grand Mosque. Monday is the traditional market day.
A tinsmith cleverly displays his wares for customers.

17. calabash Cultivated plants often called gourds
Grown mainly for use as a water containers
Very bitter; poor food source
Often used to make musical instruments
Calabash horn credit AlexanderKoller

18. City architecture
Like the Grand Mosque, most of the towns and cities of West Africa used mud and clay to construct homes with a squarer shape than the huts of the village

19. Close Proximity
Just as city dwellers today live closer together than people in the countryside, West African cities used square buildings to place more people in a smaller area of land.

20. Infrastructure
Between buildings, narrow streets provided room for pedestrians.
Grooves down the middle of the streets acted as sewer system.

21. Niger River as a resource
The Niger River and the delta were a valuable resource
Fresh Water
Fish
Transportation for Trade
Laundry
Personal Hygiene (bathing)
Picture by Bruno Morandi

22. Establishing kingdoms
Part IV

23. Trade leads to kingdoms
Rulers of some cities became wealthy by collecting taxes from the goods that were bought and sold.

24. Raised armies With their wealth, they could afford to: hire warriors
form large armies
Conquer more territory

25. Controlling trade Routes
Controlling the trade and the trade routes was the key to power
This allowed the ruler to take over the trade in those areas—taxing more goods and becoming even wealthier.

26. Advantages & Disadvantages
Kings provided protection
Armies made sure trade routes were safe
Wars between small cities ended
Kings handed out luxurious presents equally throughout their lands
Conquered people had to pay tribute to the king
Goods were taxed
Men had to serve in the king’s army
Governors might be set up to replace local elders/leaders

27. Review questions What was the benefit of an extended family?
Why were villages even more useful?
How did towns develop?
What lead to the growth of kingdoms?