December 2021 Flashcards

1
Q

What are the three climate zones located in West Africa from north to south and what are there characteristics?

A

Desert (dry), Savannah (dry + wet season), and rain forest (hot and wet)

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2
Q

In what climate zone did civilizations develop?

A

In the savannah, also called “sahel”

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3
Q

What river made West African empires possible?

A

the Niger river

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4
Q

Why didn’t civilizations in West and South Africa share ideas and goods?

A

Without north/south travel, they had no communication

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5
Q

On what was the social and political structure of West African society based?

A

clans - descended from a common ancestor and kinship family

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6
Q

How was information passed on in pre-Islamic Africa and by whom?

A

By “oral tradition” storytellers called “griots”

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7
Q

What technology led to the rise of civilization in West Africa?

A

Iron working

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8
Q

What item attracted Mediterranean people to West Africa?

A

Gold

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9
Q

Across what natural boundary did they travel and how could they manage it?

A

The Sahara, and camels allowed them to cross it in caravans.

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10
Q

What were the three empires of West Africa in order of date and size?

A

Ghana, Mali, Songhai

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11
Q

What item did West Africans need that was worth its weight in gold?

A

Salt

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12
Q

What was located at Taghaza and why would it have been such a terrible place to work?

A

Salt mines operated by slave labor and dependent on caravans for food and water

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13
Q

What system did the Wangarans use to keep the source of gold a secret?

A

Silent barter (silent trade)

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14
Q

What was the basis for the wealth of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai?

A

taxes levied on trade

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15
Q

What valuable tool for running an empire did West African kings get from Muslims?

A

writing; paperwork made it easier to run an empire

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16
Q

Why might kings of Ghana have accepted Islam, but kept their own traditions at the same time?

A

Increase wealth; the old traditions kept them in power over their people, justifying their rule

17
Q

Who was the first king of Mali’s empire and by what name was he known?

A

Sundiata Keita, the “Lion King”

18
Q

Who was the most famous king of Mali and what famous thing did he do?

A

Mansa Musa (Emperor Moses), famous pilgrimage to Mecca, showing off and giving away gold

19
Q

Who was the most famous king of the Songhai empire and what did he do?

A

Askia Muhammad, also a devout Muslim, copied Mansa Musa’s hajj

20
Q

For what was Timbuktu known?

A

Great center of Islamic learning

21
Q

What treasure does Timbuktu keep today?

A

Thousands of medieval manuscripts

22
Q

Who was Ibn Battuta and what did he do?

A

A Moroccon traveler who journeyed and wrote about Mali.

23
Q

How was Islam practiced in West Africa?

A

Matriarcal systems were replaced by partriarchal systems, and ancestor worship continued.

24
Q

What common problem befell Mali after the death of Mansa Musa and Songhai after the death of Askia Muhammad?

A

the problem of succession

25
Q

Why did the Almoravids of northwest Africa attack Ghana and why might have their motivations not be so pure?

A

They claimed Jihad to combat corrupted practices of Islam by the kings, but in the end they made away with the gold.

26
Q

What is the legacy of the Bantu migrations and how long were they?

A

Spread the Bantu language group throughout sub-Saharan Africa over a period of 1500 years.

27
Q

What did African oral tradition include?

A

griots who preserved peoples history, folktales that taught lessons to the young, and proverbs or wise sayings, shared from generation to generation

28
Q

What did African musical tradition include?

A

Call-and-response songs, drums, and other instruments accompanied by dance

29
Q

What did Africa artistic tradition include?

A

sculpture, masks, basket weaving, and textiles like kente cloth

30
Q

How were these traditions spread to the Americas?

A

Through the enslavement of Africans to Europeans

31
Q

Who introduced Europeans to slave trade?

A

Africans, they had a long tradition of selling their people