Chapter 13 – History of West Africa

Section NotesEmpire of GhanaMali and SonghaiHistorical and Artistic Traditions

VideoImpact of the Salt Trade

ImagesReligionSalt TradeOvergrazingOral Traditions

Quick FactsChapter 13 Visual Summary

MapsWest Africa, 500 BC-AD 1650Ghana Empire, c. 1050Mali and SonghaiAssessment Map: West Africa

Close-upTimbuktu

Empire of Ghana

The Big Idea

The rulers of Ghana built an empire by controlling the salt and gold trade.

Main Ideas

• Ghana controlled trade and became wealthy.

• Through its control of trade, Ghana built an empire.

• Attacking invaders, overgrazing, and the loss of trade caused Ghana’s decline.

Main Idea 1:Ghana controlled trade and became wealthy.

Sometime after 300 the first farmers in Ghana, the Soninke, were threatened by nomadic herders. The Soninke began to band together for protection, forming the beginnings of Ghana.

They grew in strength, learning to work with iron. They used iron farm tools to produce more food, allowing the population to increase. They also made superior iron weapons.

Ghana lay between the vast Sahara Desert and deep forests, a good position to trade in the region’s most valuable resources, gold and salt.

Gold and Salt

Gold

• Gold came from the south, from mines near the Gulf of Guinea and along the Niger.

• People wanted gold for its beauty.

Salt

• Salt came from the Sahara in the north. People needed salt to survive.

• It could preserve food, and made bland food tasty.

Trading Gold and Salt

• The exchange of gold and salt sometimes followed a silent barter process in which people exchange goods without ever contacting each other directly.

– Helped ensure traders did business peacefully

– Kept exact location of gold mines a secret from salt traders

• As trade increased, Ghana’s rulers gained power.

– Their military strength grew as well.

– Began to take control of trade routes

– Rulers of Ghana became wealthy.

• Additional sources of wealth and trade included wheat, sheep, cattle, honey, leather, cloth, and tassels made from golden thread.

• As trade increased, Ghana’s capital, Koumbi Saleh became West Africa’s largest city and a great trading center.

Main Idea 2:Through its control of trade, Ghana built

an empire.

By 800 Ghana was firmly in control of West Africa’s trade routes.

Traders were protected by Ghana’s army.

Ghana’s rulers made money by forcing traders to pay taxes. The people of Ghana also had to pay taxes, and conquered neighboring tribes had to pay tribute.

Ghana’s mines produced huge amounts of gold, which was officially the property of the king.

The rulers banned anyone else in Ghana from owning gold nuggets. Common people could own only gold dust.

Expansion of the Empire

• Travel and communication were difficult in their large empire, so they allowed conquered kings to retain much of their power.

• Ghana’s kings used their wealth to build a powerful army and conquer many of their neighbors. Many conquered areas were trade centers, bringing more wealth.

• The empire of Ghana reached its peak under Tunka Manin.

Main Idea 3:Attacking invaders, overgrazing,

and the loss of trade caused Ghana’s decline.

Invasion

• The Muslim Almoravids attacked Ghana in the 1060s.

• Destroyed the city of Koumbi Saleh

• They cut off trade routes and formed new partnerships with Muslim leaders.

• Without trade, Ghana could no longer support its empire.

Overgrazing

• The Almoravids brought herds of animals with them.

• The animals overgrazed, leaving the soil to blow away.

• Unable to grow crops, many farmers had to leave.

Internal Rebellion

• In about 1200 the people of one of the areas Ghana had conquered rose up in rebellion.

• Within a few years the rebels had taken over Ghana.

• Weakened, Ghana was defeated by one of its neighbors.

Mali and Songhai

The Big Idea

Between 1000 and 1500 the empires of Mali and Songhaideveloped in West Africa.

Main Ideas

• The empire of Mali reached its height under the ruler Mansa Musa, but the empire fell to invaders in the 1400s.

• The Songhai built a new Islamic empire in West Africa, conquering many of the lands that were once part of Mali.

Main Idea 1:The empire of Mali reached its height

under the ruler Mansa Musa, but the empire fell to invaders in the 1400s.

Mali lay along the upper Niger River.

The area had fertile soil and trade on the river.

In the 1200s a harsh ruler conquered Mali. Sundiata was a boy at the time, but as an adult, he built up an army, won back his country’s independence, and conquered nearby kingdoms, including Ghana.

Sundiata took over the salt and gold trades, worked to improve agriculture, and introduced cotton as a crop.

He took power away from local leaders and adopted their title of mansa for himself. This gave him both political and religious authority in society.

Sundiata died in 1255.

Mansa Musa

• Mali’s most famous ruler was a Muslim named Mansa Musa who ruled from 1312 to 1337.

• Mali reached the height of its wealth, power, and fame in the 1300s, and Islam spread through a large part of West Africa.

• During his reign Mali added many important trade cities to its empire, including Timbuktu.

• In 1324 Mansa Musa made a pilgrimage to Mecca, spreading Mali’s fame far and wide.

• He supported education, stressed the importance of learning to read Arabic, and hired Muslim architects to build mosques. A mosque is a building for Muslim prayer.

• When Mansa Musa died, his son Maghan, a weak ruler, took the throne.

• Raiders invaded from the southeast and set fire to Timbuktu.

• In 1431 the Tuareg, nomads from the Sahara, seized Timbuktu.

• By 1500 only a small area of Mali remained.

Main Idea 2:The Songhai built a new Islamic empire in

West Africa, conquering many of the lands that were once part of Mali.

From their capital at Gao, the Songhai kingdom participated in the same trade that had made Ghana and Mali rich.

Songhai had been part of the Mali Empire, but as the empire weakened in the 1400s, the people of Songhai rebelled.

Songhai leaders shared Islam with the North African Berbers, so the Berbers were willing to trade with the Songhai.

Sunni Ali, who became ruler of the Songhai in 1464, worked to unify, strengthen, and enlarge his empire.

Sunni Ali encouraged everyone to work together. To build religious harmony, he participated in both Muslim and local religions.

Askia the Great

• Muhammad Ture led a successful rebellion against non-Muslim king. – Eventually, he became known as Askia the Great.

• Askia supported education and learning.

– Timbuktu became known for its schools, particularly the University of Sankore.

– Djenné was another city that became a center of learning.

• As Songhai’s Muslim traders gained influence in the empire, so did Islam.

– Askia encouraged the growth of Islamic influence.

• Askia set up five provinces within Songhai with loyal appointed governors.

• He created a professional army with specialized departments.

Songhai Falls to Morocco

• Morocco wanted control of Songhai’s salt mines.

• The Moroccan army attacked in 1591, carrying advanced weapons, including the arquebus.

• The invaders destroyed Timbuktu and Gao.

• Overland trade declined as port cities on the Atlantic coast became more important.

• Africans south of Songhai and Europeans both preferred trading at Atlantic ports to dealing with Muslim traders.

Historical and Artistic Traditions

The Big Idea

West African culture has been passed down through oral history, writings by other people,

and the arts.

Main Ideas

• West Africans have preserved their history through storytelling and the written accounts of visitors.

• Through art, music, and dance, West Africans have expressed their creativity and kept alive their cultural traditions.

Main Idea 1:West Africans have preserved their history

through storytelling and the written accounts of visitors.

Early West Africans did not have a native written language. They passed along information through oral histories. An oral history is a spoken record of past events.

The task of remembering and telling their history was entrusted to the griots, the storytellers of early West Africa.

In addition to stories, the griots recited proverbs, or short sayings of wisdom or truth.

Some of the griot poems are epics, long poems about kingdoms and heroes. Many of these are collected in the Dausi and the Sundiata.

Visitors also wrote about the region. Ibn Battutah was the most famous Muslim visitor to write about West Africa. From 1353 to 1354 he traveled through the region and wrote about his journey.

Main Idea 2:Through art, music, and dance,

West Africans have expressed their creativity and kept alive their cultural traditions.

• Elaborate masks of painted wood

• Bore the faces of animals such as hyenas, lions, monkeys, and antelopes

• Worn during rituals

Masks

• Ornate statues and carvings out of wood, brass, clay, ivory, stone, and other materials

• Usually of people

• Often made for religious rituals

Sculpture

Cloth, Music, and Dance

• Central part of African society

• Used to celebrate specific events or ceremonies

• Some dances today from many years ago

Dance

• Singing and drumming performed as entertainment

• Also used to honor history and mark special occasions

Music

• The most famous is kente.

• Kente is a hand-woven, brightly colored fabric.

• Cloth woven in narrow strips then sewn together

Cloth

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