HIST2321 IDST2372

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States Societies of Sub-Saharan Africa (16)
Benin Chief and Warriors
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Effects of Early African Migrations

• Bantu-speaking peoples settle south of Equator
• Agriculture, herding spreads with Bantu
  migrations
• Iron metallurgy

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States Societies of Sub-Saharan Africa

• Effects of Early African Migrations
• Agriculture Population Growth
• Bananas
• Domesticated in south-east Asia
• Malay sailors colonize Madagascar, 300-500 CE
• Introduce bananas, yams, chickens
• Well-adapted to African climate
• Food supply increases with this key crop
• Population Growth

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Population Growth
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African Political Organization

• Kin-Based Societies
• Stateless, segmented societies
• No elaborate hierarchies, bureaucracies
• Average population of village 100
• Ruled by elders
• Network of villages resolve disputes in ad
  hoc manner
• Higher government authorities rare

Yoruba Ruler Nigeria 12th Century CE
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African Political Organization

• Chiefdoms
• Population pressures after 1000 increase
  competition, disputes
• Small chiefdoms appear, overrule kin-based
  groups
• Small kingdoms form
• Ife, Benin

Yoruba Ruler Nigeria 12th Century CE
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Kingdoms and empires of sub-Saharan Africa,
800-1500 C.E.
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Kingdom of Kongo

• Basin of the Congo (Zaire) river
• Conglomeration of several village alliances
• Participate actively in trade networks
• Organization
• Most centralized rule of the early Bantu kingdoms
• Royal currency cowries
• Ruled 14th-17th century
• Undermined by Portuguese slave traders

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Islamic Kingdoms Empires

• Islam spreads to west Africa
• Trans-Saharan caravans
• Coastal east Africa through maritime trade
• Profound influence after 8th century

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Trans-saharan Trade Islamic States in West
Africa

• Desiccation of Sahara begins c. 5000 BCE
• People on both sides had little influence on each
  other
• Introduction of Arabian camels revolutionizes
  trade
• One humped dromedary not native
• 70-90 days to cross Sahara
• Riding saddle developed south of Sahara
• Arabs establish trading communities
• Gao

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Arabian Camel
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States Societies of Sub-Saharan Africa

• Islamic Kingdoms Empires
• Trans-Saharan Trade Islamic States in West
  Africa
• Camels

Caravan Approaching Timbuktu,
ca. 1850 C.E.
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The Kingdom of Ghana

• Not related to modern State of Ghana
• Developed 4th-5th c. CE
• Protection against camel-driving raiders
• Center of African gold trade
• Imported from south to Ghana
• Also sold ivory, slaves
• Koumbi-Saleh
• Capital of Kingdom of Ghana
• High point 9th-12th c.e.
• Population 15,000-20,000
• Military, cultural center

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Islam in West Africa

• Kings of Ghana convert 10th c.
• Positive impact on trade, relations with north
  Africa
• Synthesized Islam with local traditions
• Sundiata (r. 1230-1255)
• Empire of Mali extends over Kingdom of Ghana
• Neighboring kingdoms as well
• Took greater advantage of trans-Saharan
  trade
• Nominally Muslim, but did not force conversions

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Mansa Musa (r. 1312-1337)

• Grandson of Sundiata
• Fervent Muslim
• Performed Hajj in 1324-25
• Constructed numerous mosques
• Supported Muslim scholars
• Empire declines after his rule

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States Societies of Sub-Saharan Africa

• Mansa Musa Islam pilgrimage to Mecca in
  1324

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States Societies of Sub-Saharan Africa

• Sources From the Past Sundiata the
  Reconstruction of Niani How did he reshape West
  African History?
• With Sundiata peace and happiness entered Niani.
  Lovingly Sogolons son Sundiata had his native
  city rebuilt. He restored in the ancient style
  his fathers old enclosure where he had grown
  up..In their new-found peace, the villages knew
  prosperity again, for with Sundiata happiness had
  come into everyones home...
• - Sundiata An Epic of Old Mali

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States Societies of Sub-Saharan Africa

• Islamic Kingdoms Empires
• The Indian Ocean Trade Islamic States in East
  Africa
• The Swahili
• The Swahili City-States
• Kilwa
• Zimbabwe
• Islam in East Africa

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The Indian Ocean Trade Islamic States in East
Africa

• East coast maritime trade weak until 2nd century
• Bantu peoples populate coast
• Swahili (coasters) engage in trade with Arabs
• Language a form of Bantu, influenced by Arabic
• 10th century trade increases

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The Swahili City-States

• Great wealth, 11th-12th centuries CE
• Development of city-states
• Architecture moved from wood/mud to coral, stone
• Chinese silk, porcelain imported

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Nok Sculpture
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Kilwa

• City-state on east African coast
• Fishing, limited trade, 800-1000 CE
• Turn to agriculture, increased trade in pottery
  and stoneware
• Major trading center by 14th century
• Exporting over a ton of gold per year by 15th
  century CE

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Zimbabwe

• dwelling of the chief
• Stone complex called Great Zimbabwe built early
  13th century CE, capital
• Population 18,000 in late 15th century
• Managed trade between internal and coastal regions

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Islam in East Africa

• Ruling elites in east Africa accept Islam without
  forcing general population to convert
• Often retained pagan religious traditions and
  practices
• Islam serves as social glue with other merchants,
  states

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Arabian Society Cultural Development

• Some kingdoms, empires, city-states with
  well-defined classes
• Ruling elites
• Merchant class
• Peasant class
• Other areas in sub-Saharan Africa continue to use
  traditional kin-based groups
• Extended families, clans
• Idea of private property less prevalent
• Land held communally
• Harvests distributed by elders

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Sex Gender Relations

• Men work with specialized skills
• Tanning, iron work
• Heavy labor
• Both sexes work in agriculture
• Male rule more common, but some expanded roles
  for women
• Merchants, some military activity
• Islamic norms slow to penetrate African society
• Age Grades
• From early agricultural period, Sudan
• Peer groups of single age cohort
• Crosses lines of family kinship

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Slavery Slave Trading

• Practiced since ancient times
• Most slaves captives of war
• Debtors
• Suspected witches
• Criminals
• Used principally in agricultural labor,
  possession a status symbol
• Trading
• Increased trans-Saharan Indian Ocean trade
  stimulates slave trade, 9th c. CE
• Africa replaces eastern Europe as principal
  source of slaves
• Creates internal African slave trade
• More powerful states attack smaller kinship-based
  groups
• 10,000-20,000 slaves per year

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The Zanj Revolt

• Slaves from Swahili coast exported to work in
  Mesopotamia
• Sugarcane plantations
• Salt deposits
• 869 CE, slave Ali bin Muhamad mounts revolt of
  15,000 slaves
• Captures Basra
• Later crushed by Abbasids

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African Religion

• Great diversity of religious belief
• Common element single, male creator god
• Lesser deities associated with natural phenomena
• Ancestor worship
• Diviners
• Religious specialists, principally men
• Oracle reading, spells, other rituals
• Limited emphasis on theology
• Morality, balance of nature important

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Early Christianity in North Africa

• 1st century popular in Egypt, north Africa
• Initially weak in sub-Saharan Africa
• The Christian Kingdom of Axum, 4th c. CE
• Ethiopia
• Merchants, then kings convert
• Bible translated into Ethiopian
• Isolated during Islamic period, renaissance
  during 12th century CE
• Massive churches carved out of solid rock

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The Obelisk at Axum
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Ethiopian Christianity

• Isolation from other Christian areas until 16th
  century
• Independent development
• Strong African influence
• Spirit world
• amulets

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African Islam

• Reflected interest of local converts
• Supplemented traditional religions of sub-Saharan
  Africa.
• Islam adapted to womens greater freedom under
  African customs
• Adopted by merchants, elites as expedient

Mosque at Jenne
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States Societies of Sub-Saharan Africa

• Ibn Battuta on Muslim Society at Mogadishu
• One of the customs of the people of this city is
  that when a ship arrives in the anchorage, the
  sunbuqs (these are small boats) come out to it.
  In every sunbuq is a group of a young people out
  of the town, and every one of them brings a
  covered dish with food in it. He offers it to one
  of the merchants of the ship and says, This is
  my guest....
• - Ibn Battuta in Black Africa

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States Societies of Sub-Saharan Africa

• African Society Cultural Development
• The Arrival of Christianity Islam
• Early Christianity in North Africa
• The Christian Kingdom of Axum
• Ethiopian Christianity
• African Islam
• Islam and African Society

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Key Words Terms (16)

• Bantu
• Trans-Saharan trade
• Stateless Societies
• Zanj
• Tiv
• Ife
• Sundiata

• Mansa Musa
• Age groups
• Kinship groups
• Girots
• Animism
• Diviners