http://www.hp.uab.edu/image_archive/um/painting06.jpg

West Africa: Ghana, Mali and Songhay

In your notes, summarize the following info:

Animism

Traditional African religious beliefs:– One God above a host of lesser gods

or sem-divine figures– Ancestral spirits– Sacrifice to ensure divine protection

and generosity– Rites of passage to move from child

to adult, life to death

Western African Kingdoms

Important developments:– long distance trade– introduction of Islam

Led to:-- kingdoms and empires flourishing in 5th –

16th century -- each had extensive trade with North through

Trans-Saharan Trade Route, large standing armies, and an effective system of taxation

QUESTION: How would these last three things lead to a “flourishing empire”?

Current Day Location

Not in modern Ghana

about four hundred miles northwest in Northern Senegal and

Southern Mauritania

Ghana developed in West Africa between the Niger and the Gambia Rivers (from 300- 1100). The rivers helped Ghana to grow rich because they were used to develop trade by transporting goods into and out of the empire. Ghana also collected taxes from traders who passed through the kingdom, thus securing their position as powerful “middlemen.”

http://www.nevadasurveyor.com/africa/web/pages/niger_river.htm

Summarize this info

Ghana Empire

(Modern day Ghana)

The empire started when several clans of the Soninke people of west Africa came together under the leadership of a great king named Dinga Cisse

Few natural resources: salt and gold.

Adept at making things from iron.

Warriors used iron tipped spears to subdue their neighbors, who fought w/ weapons made of stone, bone, and wood.

http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/center/mm/eng/mm_rs_01.htm

Summarize: Ghana became a rich and powerful nation, especially when the camel began to be used as a source of transport. Ghana relied on trade and trade was made faster and bigger with the use of the camel.

http://es.encarta.msn.com/media_461532998_761558787_-1_1/Caravana_de_camellos.html

news.nationalgeographic.com/. ../salt/photo6.html

Muslim warriors came into Ghana and fought with the non-Islamic people there. This weakened the great

civilization of Ghana. Local warriors then decided to break away from the power of Ghana and form their own local kingdoms. This ended many of the trade

networks.

MAKE A PREDICTION: How do you think these events will effect Ghana?

Islamic Mosque in Ghana

blankbluesky.com/ travel/ghana/

http://www.btsadventures.com/img/mosque.jpg

Sundiata: the founder of the Mali Empire

In 1235, at the battle of Kirina,Sundiata and Sumanguru met inbattle. According to legend, bothwere sorcerers, and their magicwould determine the outcome.Sundiata roared at the troopsof King Sumanguru, who wereterrified and ran for cover.Sumanguru retaliated, and theheads of eight spirits magicallyappeared above his own. Unfortunately for Sumanguru,Sundiata had the stronger magic,and the spirits were defeated.Sundiata then aimed an arrow atSumaguru, and although it onlygrazed Sumanguru's shoulder, itdrained him of all magic, andSumanguru was defeated.

Mansa Musa (1312-1337), king of Mali, developed the gold and salt trade of Mali. The kingdom became very powerful and rich under his leadership.

Mansu Musa: Lord of the Negroes of Guinea. (Photo courtesy of History of Africa)

Mansa Musa made a pilgrimage to Mecca, a holy city in Arabia, in 1324.

• 60,000 servants and followers

• 80 camels carrying

• 4,000 + pounds of gold

• 500 of his servants carried a staff of pure gold

http://bseleck.bei.t-online.de/timbuktu/img_tim/mansamusag.gif

Mansa Musa also built many beautiful mosques

in western Africa.

http://travel.u.nu/pic/ml/djenne.jpg

When Mansa Musa died, no kings as powerful as he followed. So, Mali weakened. Eventually, Berbers and

others came into the area to claim kingdom’s territory. Although Mali fell, the kingdom of Songhay

would rise in its place.

http://www.uchicago.edu/docs/mp-site/plaisanceplan/graphics/berbers.jpg

Berbers (1893)

http://www.exzooberance.com

The picture above is one artist’s idea of what the great Songhay leader, Sunni Ali might have looked like. Sunni Ali saw that the kingdom of Mali was weakening and he led his soldiers to conquer the area. He began the kingdom of Songhay. He also set up a complex government to rule all the lands he had conquered. Soon after he died, one of his generals, Muhammad Ture, took over.http://www.abcorpaffairs.com/gallery/

Songhay remained a rich and strong kingdom under Muhammad Ture’s rule. It had a complex government centered in the city of Gao, and great centers of learning. But later rulers were not as powerful. In the late 1500s, Morocco invaded Songhay to take its rich trade routes. Moroccans had a new weapon, the gun, and the army of Songhay did not. This led to the fall of Songhay.

(Photo courtesy of African Origin of Civilization by Cheikh Anta Diop)

All three kingdoms of West Africa relied on trade for their strength and wealth.

PREDICTIONS:

How do you think this info will lead into our discussion of the trans-Atlantic slave trade?

Timbuktu Gao

Jenne

Gold, Ivory, Wood, Slaves

Silk, Ceramics, Beads, Islam from Europe and Asia

Coming into West Africa

Coming from Africa and going to Europe and Asia

Salt