1. West African Culture and Daily Life
7th Grade World History

2. Geography Four major vegetation zones: Niger River
Desert, sahel, savannah, rain forest
Niger River
grow food
route for trade, transportation, and communication.

4. Trade West African kingdoms grew through trade Gold & Salt Trade:
West Africa received salt
North Africa received gold
Kings gained control of the trading systems,
Develop strong empires

6. The Camel
Made trans-Saharan trade possible (trade across the Sahara desert).

7. Village Life and Family
Life centered around the village
where a clan lived.
Kinship groups
formed the government of many African societies
Labor specialization
Some people focused on specific types of work
very diverse economy

9. West African Religion Ancestor worship Animism
celebratory masks, music, dance, food, and stories.
Animism
all things in nature have spirits.

11. Influence of Islam Berber traders
introduced Arabic and Islam to West Africa
Islam blended with traditional West African beliefs.

12. Oral Tradition
History and cultural values passed on through oral stories
Storytellers were called griots.
educated the clan about their history,
communicate with past ancestors
entertained people.