Early Empires of West Africa

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Early Empires of West Africa

• 500 BC- AD 1650

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The Big Idea

• Three great trading empires shaped West African
  History.

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Essential Questions

• How did salt and gold contribute to the rise of
  the empire of Ghana?
• How did great leaders contribute to the rise and
  fall of Mali and Songhai?
• How has the history and culture of West Africa
  been preserved?

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Which is worth more?
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Empires of Northwest Africa grew wealthy trading
salt for gold.
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Video

• https//www.youtube.com/watch?vBi9bJhRZtKA

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Ghana
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As you read

• Create a timeline
• Your timeline should include at least five
  significant events that mark growth in the Ghana
  Empire
• Be sure to include at least one important person
  in your timeline.

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Early Ghana

• Around 300 BC, early farmers (Soninke) banded
  together to fight off nomadic herders who
  threatened to take their land.
• These bands of farmers became the beginnings of
  the empire of Ghana.

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Ghana grows

• The people of Ghana learned how to work with
  iron.
• They made iron tools for farming.
• They also made iron weapons which were far
  superior to weapons made of bone or wood.
• Their ability to grow plenty of food and their
  strong army helped Ghana grow quickly.

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Trade

• Ghana lay between the Sahara to the north and the
  forests to the south. This location made them a
  perfect location for trading the region's two
  most important resources---salt and gold
• By 800 AD, Ghana controlled most of West Africas
  trade routes.
• By 1050 AD, Koumbi Saleh (West Africas largest
  city) was a major trading center.

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Silent Bartering

• Much of the trading was done through the process
  of silent bartering, a process in which people
  exchange goods without ever contacting each other
  directly.

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Salt is mined in huge slabs.
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Then traded for gold.
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Taxes and Tributes

• Ghanas rulers collected taxes from the traders
  for the goods they brought to market.
• People who lived in Ghana also had to pay taxes.
• When Ghana conquered neighboring tribes, they too
  had to pay tributes.

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Ghanas Wealth

• In addition to the taxes it collected, Ghana grew
  wealthy from the large amounts of gold it
  produced.
• All gold produced in Ghana was officially the
  property of the king, and he was the only one
  allowed to own gold nuggets.
• The common people could only own gold dust, which
  they used for money.
• This ensured that the king was always the
  wealthiest man in the empire!

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Tunka Manin

• The most powerful of Ghanas rulers was Tunka
  Manin.
• He ruled around 1068 AD and ruled a court that
  was the wealthiest Ghana had ever seen.

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Ghanas decline

• Three major factors led to the decline of Ghana
• The Almoravids attacked Ghana in 1060 and started
  a 14 year war which ended in the destruction of
  Koumbi Saleh and significantly weakened the
  empire.
• Herds of animal brought by the Almoravids
  overgrazed the land, leaving it useless for
  farming. Many farmers left for other lands.
• Around 1200, conquered tribes rebelled and within
  a few years had completely taken over Ghana.

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Overgrazing
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Your timeline

• What significant events did you include in your
  timeline?

1200 AD
300 BC
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EQ Check In

• How did salt and gold contribute to the rise of
  the empire of Ghana?

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Mali and Songhai
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Essential Question

• How did great leaders contribute to the rise and
  fall of Mali and Songhai?

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As you read

• Record details about the leaders of Mali and
  Songhai in a chart like this

Sundiata Mansa Musa Mahgan Sunni Ali Askia

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Sundiata

• Sundiata and his army conquered Ghana in the
  1230s, taking over salt and gold trade and
  improving agriculture.
• He introduced cotton as a crop which was used to
  make clothing.

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Mansa Musa

• Mansa Musa was Malis most famous ruler.
• He was a Muslim who brought Mali to the height of
  its power and wealth in the 1300s.
• During his reign, Islam spread throughout West
  Africa.
• During his reign, Timbuktu became an important
  trading city.
• He encouraged education, including teaching his
  people to read Arabic.

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Mansa Musa song

• https//www.youtube.com/watch?v4TWOIkEygWM

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Maghan

• Maghan was Mansa Musas son who took the throne
  of Mali when Mansa Musa died.
• He was a weak ruler and was unable to defend Mali
  against invaders.
• In 1431, the Tuareg nomads seized Timbuktu, and
  by 1500 nearly all of the land owned by the Mali
  Empire was lost.

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The Songhai

• The Songhai were former members of the Mali
  Empire.
• As Mali weakened in the 1400s, the people of
  Songhai rebelled and regained their freedom.
• Because of their Islamic beliefs, the Songhai
  were able to trade with the Berbers in the north
  and grow richer.

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Sunni Ali

• Sunni Ali became a ruler in 1464 and led the
  expansion of the Songhai Empire.
• He unified, strengthened and enlarged the empire.
  
• He encouraged everyone to work together and
  promoted religious harmony by combining Muslim
  and local religious beliefs.

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After Sunni Ali

• Sunni Ali died in 1492.
• His son, Sunni Baru, inherited the rule but was
  not a Muslim.
• The people were afraid that they would lose their
  trade with Muslim lands because he was not a
  Muslim, so they rebelled against the king.

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Askia the Great

• The leader of the Songhai rebellion was Muhammad
  Ture, who later took the title of Askia (great
  military leader).
• Askia supported education and built a great
  university (Sankore) in Timbuktu.
• He continued to encourage the growth of Islam.

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Askia the Great

• Askia divided Songhai into five provinces and
  appointed governors for each.
• He also created a professional army.

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The Fall of Songhai

• In 1591, Morocco invaded Songhai to gain control
  of the salt mines there.
• Moroccos army and weapons were superior to the
  Songhai, and Timbuktu was completely destroyed.
• Changes in trade routes completed the fall of the
  empire. Trading ports appeared on the Atlantic
  coast, which were much easier for European
  traders to reach.

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EQ Check in

• How did great leaders contribute to the rise and
  fall of Mali and Songhai?
• Which leaders helped build the empires?
• Which leaders weakened the empires?

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Crash Course

• https//www.youtube.com/watch?vjvnU0v6hcUo

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Traditions of West Africa
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Essential Question

• How has the history and culture of West Africa
  been preserved?

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Storytelling

• Writing was never common among the early West
  African Empires.
• The only written language used by the Ghana,
  Mali, and Songhai was Arabic.
• Instead of writing their stories, the stories of
  West Africa have been preserved as oral
  histories.

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The Griots

• Griots were storytellers of West Africa.
• Griots were highly respected in their
  communities.
• They told stories about their ancestors,
  important achievements, and other tales to
  explain things to their people.
• Griots were entertaining as well as educational.
• In addition to stories, the Griots recited
  proverbs (short sayings of wisdom or truth) and
  poems.
• They had to memorize hundreds of names and facts.

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Anansi

• The most well-known tales from West Africa are
  the stories of Anansi.
• Anansi was a spider, and his character often
  demonstrated how the small or weak could
  accomplish great things.

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• Watch the video A Story, A Story
• As you watch, write down
• What lessons (morals) do these stories teach?
• Why would they be important to pass down from
  generation to generation?

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Plan a Fable

• Next, you will plan your own fable.
• First write down the following information
• Characters (You need at least three characters)
• Problem (Choose one of the events/rulers of the
  empires we have studied)
• Moral (What lesson could be learned?)
• Choose a problem and lesson that has universal
  appeal (applies to all people in all places),
  similar to the examples you have seen today.

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Masks and Clothing

• Many artists carved elaborate masks that
  resembled animals or important people.
• These masks were used to act out the Griots
  stories.

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Kente Cloth

• Kente cloth is the best-known craft of West
  Africa.
• It is brightly colored cloth woven from narrow
  strips of fabric.

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The Colors of Kente

• In Kente, each color represents the following
•     Blue peace, togetherness, love and
  harmony    Black maturity, mourning, funeral
  and passing rites    Gold/Yellow richness,
  royalty, prosperity, wealth    Green land,
  vegetation, harvest, growth, and renewal  
   Grey Healing rituals cleansing rituals   
   Pink feminine mildness and feminine
  qualities    White pureness, cleansing rites
  and festivals    Maroon mother earth and
  healing    Red death funerals mourning  
   Purple feminine worn by girls and women  
   Silver peace and joy referencing to the moon

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Kente Patterns

• Kente patterns also have meaning.
• Forgiveness

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Conflict/Diversity
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Family/Hard Work
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Progress/Growth/Energy
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Experience/Knowledge
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Design your Kente

• Next, you will choose a design and color your own
  Kente.
• Choose colors that you think represent you well
  and tell YOUR story!

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EQ Check in

• How has the history and culture of West Africa
  been preserved?