8-1 African Geography

Section 1: Africa’s Early History

Section objectives

1. You will learn how the geographic features of Africa affected human cultures.

2. You will discover how historians learned about the migrations of early peoples.

3. You will also find out the predominant patterns of life in many early African societies

Vocabulary

Sub Sahara Africa - The area of Africa which is south of the Sahara desert.

savannas: Vast dry grasslands south of the Sahara Desert in Africa

tropical rain forests: Vast forests that receive much rainfall and have dense vegetation

jungle: Thick growth of plants found in a tropical rain forest

linguists: Scholars who study languages

Bantu: Family of closely related African languages

oral traditions: Poems, songs, and stories passed by word of mouth from one generation to another

griots: Highly trained West African speakers and entertainers who memorized oral traditions

matrilineal: Describes a society in which people trace their ancestors and inherited property through their mothers rather than through their fathers

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Essential Questions for Section 1

1. What different kinds of landforms, climates, and features are in Sub-Saharan Africa?

2. What methods have been used by scholars to learn about the history of Sub-Saharan Africa?

3. What do scholars believe about the role of women in many early African societies?

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Scarcity of Water

Facts on the scarcity of water

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The vast area south of the Sahara Desert is known as Sub-Saharan Africa. Much of this region is a high plateau. The steep shoreline has few harbors, and rapids block most rivers. These features protected the interior of Africa but made trade difficult. Along the Sahara’s southern edge, rainfall is uncertain, preventing farming.

There is evidence that the Sahara region once had fertile land based on the wall paintings found or rocks in the desert.

The Sahara desert is growing. This process is known as desertfication. It is caused by overgrazing, poor irrigation and the use of trees for firewood.

Farther south stretch the savannas—vast dry grasslands with a few trees and thorny bushes. Early farmers in the savannas grew sorghum, millet, and rice and herded cattle.

In central and west Africa lie vast tropical rain forests that receive more than 100 inches of rain a year and have dense vegetation. In areas of jungle, dense tangles of plants grow wherever sunlight reaches through the trees. Farmers grew root crops such as yams. But the hot, wet climate favors insects that carry deadly diseases. Farther south lie more dry grasslands broken by deserts.

The African plateau has six large basins around Lake Chad and Africa’s five major rivers. Lake Victoria is one of the world’s largest lakes. A steep-sided crack called the Great Rift Valley runs from north to south along the plateau’s eastern edge. The peaks of Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro jut far above the countryside.

To learn about early African history, linguists—scientists who study languages—use computers to analyze modern African languages. They suggest that Bantu, a family of closely related African languages, came from west central Africa. Some 2,000 years ago, Bantu-speaking people migrated east and south. Today, 33% of African languages are Bantu based.

Scholars also study African oral traditions—poems, songs, and stories passed by word of mouth from one generation to another. The griots (GREE-ohz) of West Africa were highly trained speakers and entertainers who memorized oral traditions. Kings hired griots to tell their achievements.

Historians have found evidence of early cultural exchange between Africa and Asia. Musical instruments and a language in East Africa are similar to those found in Indonesia. Also, the banana, frequently found in Africa, is native to Asia.

People of Sub-Saharan Africa coped with their harsh environment. Because wheat and barley did not grow well, they domesticated millet and sorghum. As the climate grew drier, people migrated south or switched to herding. Archaeologists use scientific methods, up-to-date technology, and detailed analysis to study African ruins. They also use knowledge from history and the social sciences, earth sciences, and mathematics.

Early Africans lived in small, independent farming, herding, or fishing villages. Ties of kinship bound the society together. Women played a crucial role. They were the primary farmers. Many Sub-Saharan societies were matrilineal. People traced their ancestors and inherited property through their mothers rather than through their fathers.

Animism is the major belief system of traditional Africa. It involves the worship of ancestors, and spirits of nature (all living things). The mask represent the spirits for many traditional African ceremonies and art.

Agrarian societies - Seasonal cycles of planting and harvesting guided activities. Village elders had unquestioned authority over daily life. The village-centered society of Africa survived the rise and fall of kingdoms. It remained the basic unit of African social, political, and economic development.

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Key Ideas

• In traditional societies, economic opportunities are limited to that which is practiced in the family. An example is that in traditional societies, sons learn the same trades as their fathers.

• Australopithecines, one of the earliest known human relatives, dates back 5 million years and was discovered in the Great Rift Valley of Africa.

• Geographic isolation severely limits opportunities for cultural diffusion, so that a society that is isolated may maintain its traditional ways. Cultural diversity is a result of geographic isolation. Link to Harvard's tribal & musical mapping of East African tribes

• Families are the center of most traditional societies, and this is where values would be taught to the young.

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Answers to essential questions

1. What different kinds of landforms, climates, and features are in Sub-Saharan Africa?

• Sub-Saharan Africa contains plateau highlands, deserts, dry savanna grasslands, tropical rain forests, and jungles. There are six large basins around Lake Chad and the five major rivers. Lake Victoria is one of the world’s largest lakes. A steep-sided crack called the Great Rift Valley runs from north to south along the plateau’s eastern edge. Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro are two mountain peaks in the region.

2. What methods have been used by scholars to learn about the history of Sub-Saharan Africa?

• Scholars have explored the history of Sub-Saharan Africa using the study of linguistics, oral traditions, musical instruments,and plants. They have also used archaeological methods and tools and up-to-date technology.

3. What do scholars believe about the role of women in many early African societies?

• Women played crucial social and economic roles in early African societies. African women were the primary farmers. Also, many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa were matrilineal.