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Diverse Societies in Africa - Coggle Diagram
Diverse Societies in Africa
Stateless Societies
Religious beliefs of early africans
Why were oral traditions important in early Africa?
Lineage importance to stateless societies
Authority in a stateless society was balanced among lineages of equal power so that no family had too much control.
A Land Of Geographic Contrasts
Civilization
In Africa there were golden places to live. Such as the Northern Coast and Southern tip of Africa. They had fertile soil and Mediterranean type climates. These areas were dense with crops, farmers, and herders.
Savannas were a very important part of living in Africa. Roughly around 40% of Africa are these savannas. They were great plains of grass with nice trees and other agricultural aspects that protected the land. These places were filled with tribes and civilizations. Even with Africas uncontrollable weather and thin fertile soil. The savannas were protected through the way the land was set.
Control of the natural environment (civilization)
Africa is one of the biggest Continents in the world. It takes up about 1/5 of the worlds land. However, there are certain issues that making inhabiting this area a bigger struggle than places such as Europe. An example would be their rivers and ports. They have few due to the rigid terrain and water surrounding them. To put it into perspective, Europe has like double their amount while being 1/3 its size.
Deserts and wasteland.
Africa has two large deserts, the Sahara in the North and the Kalahari in the South. The Sahara Desert stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea. It's a really rough place to be. Mostly consisting of flat hot ground with scattered rocks and gravel.
What problems might the expansion of the Sahara Cause?
The expansion of the Sahara Desert is very bad for those who with to settle in Africa for several reasons. The Desert is almost impossible to live in, and it expanding means that more places in Africa will be uninhabitable.
The deadly rainforests
Rainforests in Africa are almost just as bad as their deserts. These places are huge and full of dense leaves and brush. The trees are so large and wide they form a canopy atop the Rain Forest. This place is home to an insect called the tsetse that is really deadly to cattle and other important animals. This has made it pretty uninhabitable for settlers.
Why might the rain forest be called “Nature’s Greenhouse”? It would make sense that a place full of brush and fruits would be called natures greenhouse. The canopy acts as a defense from the sun while keeping all the plants warm and moist. It's like a perfect place for plants and animals.
https://mi01000971.schoolwires.net/cms/lib05/MI01000971/Centricity/Domain/264/AFRICAN%20EMPIRES%20POWERPOINT%2007.pdf
Early humans adapt to their environments
Hunting-Gathering Societies
Nomadic hunting-gathering societies are the oldest form of social organization in the world. Which started in Africa and now form a extremely small percentage of the population
Efe are one of several hunting-gathering societies in Africa. Live in the Itruri Forest in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Live in small groups of 10-100 members, that is made of up of their family and the respected older male would serve as an opinion giver not as much as a chief
Migration
To what might the Efe attribute their long success as a hunter-gatherer society?
They were organized and everyone had a job to do to feed the group. Also with a group of 100 hunter-gatherers they can gather lots of materials and food.
Pastoral Societies
Kept cattle, goats or sheep. They used these animals to produce food for their family which kept them on the move to find fresh pastures and a good water source.
Millions of modern Africans are pastoral herders as well. The Masai of Tanzania and Southern Kenya still measure their wealth by the size of their herds.
The Masai diet consists of mostly meat, blood, and milk. The families are called bands, just like the Efe are free to come and go as they please
Migration
What happened to the pastoralists of the Sahara 8,000 years ago? Why did this happen?
The Sahara was drying up making it really hard to have herd animals especially without food or water. This happened due to the over use of nomadic people that called North Africa home.
Transition to a Settled Lifestyle
Agriculture in Africa probably began by 6000 BC. Between 8000 and 6000 BC the Sahara received increased rainfall and turned into a savanna. About 6000 BC the Sahara began to dry again. Most farmers moved to the Nile Valley and South-West Africa, while others stayed in the savannas because of how well grain grew
Along with grain came cattle, but where the tsetse fly was found it wasn't possible to keep cattle, but in south and east of rain forest it became important to their agricultural life. Also in the rainforest they planted root crops that didn't needs lots of sun.
Growing their own food allowed the Africans the ability to permanently settle in a house. This later lead to advances in health and better creativity such as working with metal, pottery, and crafting jewelry
Later these smaller communities needed a great leader which people gathered to fill this position and later led to developing into great kingdoms
Civilization
Why would complex settlements require more government than smaller communities?
Because more complex settlements would start having disputes and would need laws unlike their past way of living with no laws and do what you need to survive.
https://www.britannica.com/animal/tsetse-fly
West African Iron Age
West Africas earliest known culture was that of the Nok people. They live in what is now Nigera between 500 bc and ad 200. Their name came from the village where the first artifacts fro their culture were discovered.
Nok artifacts have been found in the area stretching for 300 miles between the Niger and Benue Rivers. They were the first West African people known to smelt iron. The iron was fashioned into tools for farming and weapons to hunt. Some of the tools and weapons made their way into overland trade routes.
Culture
How do artifacts provide a picture of daily life?
Answer: The tools reveal how people helped them identify their daily tasks
What major changes affected societies during africa iron age?
Answer: Iron tools lead to a wilder reliance and agriculture and the rise in settlement and urban societies.
https://www.britannica.com/place/central-Africa/The-Iron-Age
What are some possible reasons that Djenne- Djeno was abandoned?
Answer: The drought caused famine, and war.
Unlike cultures to the north, the peoples of africa south of the sahara seem to have skipped the copper and bronzes ages and moved directly in to the Iron age. Evidence of iron production dating to around 500 bc has been found in the area just north of the Niger And Benue rivers. The ability to smelt iron was a major technological achievement of the ancient Nok of sub-sahara Africa.
DO NOT GRADE THIS ONE, SHE WASN'T HERE!
