Patterns of Life in Africa

Proverb of the Yoruba Read the proverb on page 85 in your textbook (Ch 4 Section 2) What does this tell us about the daily lives of the Yoruba? What does the proverb tell us about male and female jobs? What do you think they value?

Family Ties Family loyalty was the bond that held societies together throughout Africa Availability of resources helped to determine family sizes Ex- hunting and gathering families would be smaller than civilized societies Farming and herding societies had extended families Parents, unmarried children, married children and their spouses and other relatives

Family Ties Farming Villages Families pooled their labor so that everyone worked together Clearing land, building homes and harvesting crops All projects needed lots of people to help Large families gave you plenty of labor Living Areas Shared a common living area or compound Separate homes for different family members Eldest male was the leader of the family Children were taught that their work was needed by the family Respect for their ancestors and those that came before them

Family Ties Lineage Clan United people beyond the extended family Ability to trace their descent to a single ancestor Linked different families together Creates bonds of loyalty and responsibility Kept all the different groups united with one another Clan Groups of lineages could form a clan- which traced itself back to a common ancestor Shared duties and responsibilities to one another Each clan had its own leaders Strong sense of community and cooperation

Patterns of Government African societies developed different governmental systems Villages would unite to form a larger government Village leaders would be picked for each village and they made the decisions for the village Listened to the people and tried to reach a consensus on disagreements Powerful empires like the Songhai and Mali had emperors Question: What would make a place more likely to have an empire or a group of villages?

Community and Consensus Consensus- common agreement amongst the people Village leaders stressed the good of the community over the individual Ex- The Ibo of West Africa In a dispute over land the leader and council would listen to both sides The goal is to make both sides happy After a decision was made the parties would exchange gifts to show that they were satisified

Economic Activities Those not living in the larger city areas are mostly engaged in farming and herding Savanna area was ideal for farming with good soil and rainfall Subsistence Farmer- produce enough for their own needs with little surplus Farming in forest areas required slash and burn methods Hard on the soil and required movement after 2-3 crops to different areas

Herding Activities Drier areas of the Savanna farming was not a viable option In areas with no Tsetse fly most people were herders Masai – live in East Africa and herd cattle Herders lived off the cattle that they cared for Food and clothing Owning cattle gave people higher status in the society Dependent on their animals for survival

Textbook Activity Analyzing Pictures Answer the following: Look at the pictures on pages 86 and 87 Carefully look at the people, things and environment that you see Read the captions of the pictures Answer the following: 1.) What other tasks might members of this family share? (Pg 86) 2.) How does the environment influence how people live on the savanna (pg 87)

Lives of Women Major contributors to the wealth of a family Did the planting, weeding, and harvesting Sometimes took surplus crops to markets Respected in society for their child bearing ability Educated the young boys and girls in the villages Prepared daughters for future roles as wives and mothers Compare and Contrast: How does this compare with the lives of women in the United States?

Lives of Women Social Status of Women Many places women had few rights Varied from place to place Wolof – made women their leaders Ashanti- believed that women made land fertile (they were the landowners) Many places women had few rights Polygamy- practice of having more than one wife Bride Wealth In many areas women were married at 14 to 15 Men offered gifts to the brides family as a sign of respect Bride wealth recognized the value of the wife Both sides of the family gained something by this arrangement It was similar to a marriage license in USA Society