Early Culture and Trade

Extended familyDaily lifeReligionTechnologyTrade

Extended Family Father, mother, children & close

relatives live in one household

Those born within the same two or three years…or peers.Those born within the same two or three years…or peers.

Daily Life

Value hard work Men hunted and farmed Women farmed, carried water,

cared for children

Religion Traditional beliefs- honoring unseen

spirits of ancestors Animism Shows importance of nature and

family Traditional means customary or time-

honored

What societies have we studied that

have believed in more than one god?

Greek Society (Neptune, Venus)Roman Empire – Polytheistic at first,

then when a king became Christian, the people became Christian.

Native American Societies – Rain dances, corn and fish ceremonies.

Animism The belief that

bodies of water, animals, trees, and other things in nature have spirits.

Technology

Discover iron for tool making

Nok used iron for farm tools and weapons

Iron lets people move onto new land, population grows

Review Questions

Men and women in traditional West African society were loyal to theira. work groups and parents.b. extended families and age-sets.c. religious and military leaders.d. nobility and elders.

Review Questions

Farming in Africa improved around 500 BC becausea. people learned to build structures to

transport water.b. people began using animals to help

harvest.c. people learned how to make iron tools.d. people began fertilizing the soil.

Review Questions

How did West Africans find iron?a. They heated certain kinds of rock.b. They took it from invaders.c. They bought it from traders.d. They baked clay miniatures.

Review Questions

What does the animistic belief system reveal about traditional WestAfricans?a. They were well-traveled.b. They were influenced by Asian culture.c. They relied on nature for survival.d. They kept religious practice separate

from daily activity.

Review Questions Which of the following statements about

trade routes in Africa is true?a. Salt was carried south while gold was carried north.b. Salt was carried north while gold was carried south.c. Salt was carried east while gold

was carried west.d. Salt was carried west while gold was carried east.

Review Questions Which of the following best explains the different parts of West African

village society?a. The village chief organized all of the farming

activities and the elders organized religious practices.

b. A village inclueded basic family unites, extended families led by village chiefs, and council of elders.

c. West Africans depended on the natural world for survival in their villages.

d. Families had little power in the village and the village chiefs led the elders.

Review Questions

Which two factors contributed most to the survival of early West African villages?

a. Farming and geographyb. Religion and culturec. Work and familyd. Technology and natural resources

Review Questions

What two factors had the biggest impact on the growth of West Africa?

a. Slavery and saltb. Iron tools and farmingc. Climate and religiond. Technology and trade