Chapter 14 The Cultural Legacy of West Africa

Which of these is the best example of an oral tradition?

• a great-grandmother's photo album

• a grandfather telling a story about his childhood

• a grandmother's diary

• a grandfather playing a game with his grandchildren

Which term best describes a job of a griot?

• keeping records

• curing diseases

• carving masks

• trading goods

Stories about Sundjata tell about

• the tasks and importance of griots

• the trade caravans across the Sahara

• the hajj by the great ruler Mansa Musa

• the king who founded Mali's empire

How did traditional West African folktales come to the Americas?

• Traders sold them.

• Slaves brought them.

• Explorers discovered them.

• Missionaries wrote them down.

How did West Africans preserve their history before writing was introduced?

• Booksellers made marks with sharp sticks on wet clay.

• Painters made a long series of paintings like a comic strip.

• Foreign visitors kept the only record of events in the region.

• Poet-musicians memorized the stories and passed them down.

The genealogy of a family gives information about the family members'

• jobs

• houses

• ancestry

• recreation

Some of the most famous griots today are known through their

• scientific discoveries

• printed calendars

• large museums

• popular music

How do West Africans make kente cloth, the most famous West African textile?

• by stamping patterns onto squares

• by sewing narrow strips together

• by weaving a single huge cloth

• by applique with bits of fabric

The Benin empire (in what is now Nigeria) became particularly well know for which art form?

• coiled-fiber baskets

• wood-and-leather drums

• brass sculptures

• printed textiles

Sculptures from the ancient Nok culture were formed from

• rare wood

• iron and brass

• gold plate

• terra-cotta