1. Unit 3: Sub-Saharan Africa Today’s Topic: African Tribalism & Animism
In your notes . . .
Unit 3: Sub-Saharan Africa Today’s Topic: African Tribalism & Animism

2. Ancient African Kingdoms
Africa had empires that ruled vast territories for centuries.
Nile and Kush in Northeast
Mali and Songhai in the West
Otherwise, African culture is DIVERSE – TRIBES!

3. African Tribalism
Stateless Society: Outside of north and western Africa, there are fewer organized kingdoms.
Tribal culture changes dramatically from village to village – DIVERSITY.
Most tribes rely on waterways such as the Nile, Congo, or Niger for survival.

4. The Bantu Migration Bantu originally came from Equatorial Africa.
Over thousands of years, Bantu people migrated south from West Africa.
Today, most Sub-Saharan black Africans have some connection to the Bantu people: language, religion, customs, etc.

5. Family & Lineage Most tribes are structured around the extended family
parents, children, grandparents . . .
Lived in small villages
Families were combined into larger communities known as lineage groups/clans
Your lineage says a lot about your place in society.
Extended family has struggled as many rural Africans have begun moving to cities – urbanization.
Tribes are either patrilineal or matrilineal (trace heritage through father or mother’s family).
In many tribes, women make the important decisions.

6. Community & Education The group is more important than the individual.
Age Sets: Based on one’s age, a tribesperson has different responsibilities.
Men: hunt, protect, farm
Women: raise children, prepare food, clean
Different villages had different methods of raising and educating children:
Congo – boys and girls were raised by mom until age 6. Learned language, family history, songs, etc.
After that they were separated, girls to the “house of women” and boys to the “house of men”
Traditions are handed down orally from generation to generation.
Griots of West Africa serve as storytellers using poetry, dance, and rhythm to pass on history.

7. Griots of West Africa

8. Religion in Tribal Africa
North Africa: Islam dominates
Sub-Saharan Africa is more diverse.
For the majority of its history, Africa has been dominated by Animism & Ancestor Worship.
Animism: the belief that all things have some kind of spirituality
Ancestor Worship: having deep respect for wisdom of dead ancestors
Islam has spread beyond the Sahara.
Christianity was introduced to many parts of Africa by Europeans (1500s – 1900s).
Today, many Africans combine Christianity with tribal beliefs.

9. Problems Facing Modern Tribes
National unity is difficult when many Africans show more loyalty to a tribe than the nation.
Communication problems centered on language.
Tribal warfare, much of which is connected to European Imperialism.
Tribal control of government and government positions: Nepotism
Urbanization is challenging traditional tribal practices and breaking up lineage groups/clans.