Lesson 2-Trade in West Ghana and West Africa

​Bell Ringer
5-10 minutes

​Goods and services let's make a deal!

​ I am willing to trade you my item for an item.
What trade good item are you willing to trade me in exchange for something that you may want, or need for a profit gain.

​What are you willing to trade?

Let's trade an item for an item

​Module 14: Early African Civilizations

​Lesson 2: Trade in Ghana and West Africa, & The influence of Islam

​

Standard: 7.6-Explore and evaluate the development of sub-Saharan civilizations in East, South, and West Africa.

Objective:7.6.3-Analyze the influence of Islam on the civilization of sub-Saharan Africa.

Objective: 7.6.6-Trace the influence of trade on the development of sub-Saharan Africa.

I can Statement: “I can trace the development of trade and analyze the influence of  Islam on the civilizations of sub-Saharan Africa. ”

​What will you learn Today?

• West Africa's gold and salt trade became a source of great wealth.

• ​As trade increased the ruler's of Ghana gained power.

• Islamic beliefs influenced the growth of slave trade in Ghana.

Trade in Ghana and West Africa

​Ghana lay between the Niger and Senegal rivers in sub-Saharan Africa. This was a good location to trade the region's most valuable resources-----gold and salt. Gold came from the south, and salt came from the Sahara in the north. West Africa's gold and salt trade became a source of great wealth. People wanted gold for it's beauty, and wanted salt for their diets because it could preserve food. In fact, salt was very valuable Africans sometimes cut up slabs of salt and used for pieces of money. Camels carried salt from the mines of the Sahara to the south to trade for gold. Along with the gold and salt, they also bought and sold human beings as slaves. Slavery was a part of Ghana society. The Saharan slave trade affected at 10 million enslaved men, women, and children.

Multiple Choice

What two rivers does Ghana lay between in sub-Saharan Africa?

• Mississippi and Red river

• Niger and Senegal river

• Nile and Yellow river

• Amazon and Yangtze river

Match

Match the following

• came from the south and people wanted for its beauty.

• came from the north, used for pieces of money, and could preserve food.

• became a source of great wealth.

• Saharan slave trade affected and enslaved men, women, and children

• bought and sold as slaves

gold

salt

salt and gold

10 million

human beings

• gold

• salt

• salt and gold

• 10 million

• human beings

​ Silent Barter Trade

​Scarcity drove the trade in gold and salt. South of the Sahara, salt was scarce and in northern Africa gold was scarce. People had to make trade-offs to get what they needed or wanted and did not have. In Ghana, this exchange sometimes followed a silent barter process, a series of steps by which a task is accomplished.

Silent barter is a process in which people exchange goods without ever contacting each other directly. The method made sure that traders did business peacefully, and kept the gold mines a secret from salt traders.

The process
1. traders went to the riverbank near gold fields, left slabs of salt in rows, beat a drum to tell the gold miners that trading had begun, the salt traders move back several miles from the river bank.
2. the gold miners arrive by boat and left a fair amount of gold for the salt, the gold miners move back several miles so the salt traders could return.
3. salt traders returned and if they were happy with the amount of gold left for trade, salt traders beat the drum again, took the gold and left.
4. gold miners then returned and picked up their salt. Trading continued until both sides were happy with the exchange.

Multiple Choice

According to the sentence, South of the Sahara salt was scarce, and in northern Africa gold was scarce.

What do you think the word scarce mean?

• abundant, plenty

• poor, lacking

• drought, famine

• limited, not enough of

Multiple Choice

a series of steps by which a task is accomplished

• procedure

• change

• process

• method

​ Growth of trade, Influence of Islam & Ghana Builds an Empire

​Muslim traders had a large influence on Ghana's society. Historians believe that Islamic beliefs about slavery influenced the growth of the slave trade in Ghana. The Qur'an, Muslims holy book, encourages the kind treatment of slaves and states that is a humane act for an owner to free a slave. Islam forbids Muslims from enslaving other Muslims. However, any non-Muslim could become a slave. Traders began to see a profit in the slave trade. An Arab geographer described an area along the a trans-Saharan trade route as "chiefly remarkable for black slaves." The slave trade continued to play a significant role in Ghana's growing economy.

Ghana Builds and Empire: Ghana was finally in control of West Africa's trade routes. Ghana rulers became wealthy, gained power, and looked for ways to make money from other traders passing through their lands. Ghana rulers raised money by forcing traders to pay taxes. Not all Ghana's wealth came from taxes and tribute. Ghana's rulers kept huge stores of gold for themselves, which was the property of the rulers taxes, tributes, and gold were all forms of income. To keep order in their empire Tunka Manin (Toohn-kah MAH-nin) became king of Ghana's empire. Tunka Manin was the nephew of the previous king named Basi that was passed down from uncle to nephew. Once Tunka Manin became king he surrounded himself with finery and many luxuries.

Multiple Choice

What is the Muslims holy book?

• The Torah

• The Qur'an

• The Holy Bible

• The Upanishad

Multiple Choice

Who was the king of the Ghana Empire and the nephew of Basi?

• King Tut

• Menes

• Tunka Manin

• Shi Huangdi

Open Ended

Exit Ticket: Why do people or countries trade?