West Africa

Savannah

• Grassland in Africa with shrubs and tall grass. Animals that graze do well in this climate.
• Around 500 BC West Africans discovered that iron ore could be heated and turned into a molten iron which could be used to make tools for clearing the land, cutting trees, and making weapons.
• The belief that spirits can be found in nature. For many in Africa water, trees, and animals have a spirit life.
• Households with many close relatives living together.

Extended Families

• The ruler of Songhai following Sunni Ali. He restored the city of Timbuktu as a center of science, math, and law.
• The ruler of Songhai for much of the 15th century. He enlarged the Songhai Empire and brought peace between religions.
• Truths to help warn people of possible problems. A source of wisdom.
• Households with many close relatives living together.

Animism

• The belief that spirits can be found in nature. For many in Africa water, trees, and animals have a spirit life.
• Storytellers who were respected in Africa for keeping history alive. They helped to remember the past.
• The Mansa of Mali from 1235 until 1255 AD. He was the son of a previous king. He won back Mali's independence and is the focus of much oral tradition.
• Term used as a general label for the approximately 500 ethnic groups in Africa who speak Bantu languages.

Oral History

• This empire, which began as part of the Mali Empire, reached its height in the 15th century AD during the rule of Sunni Ali. Moroccan invaders conquered this empire in the 16th Century AD.
• History of the past told by spoken word rather than written word.
• Brightly colored cloth woven into narrow strips then sewn together to make clothes in Africa.
• A Mandinka word meaning "King of Kings" or emperor. It is particularly associated with the Mali Empire.

Griots

• The ruler of Songhai for much of the 15th century. He enlarged the Songhai Empire and brought peace between religions.
• Storytellers who were respected in Africa for keeping history alive. They helped to remember the past.
• Grassland in Africa with shrubs and tall grass. Animals that graze do well in this climate.
• Term used as a general label for the approximately 500 ethnic groups in Africa who speak Bantu languages.

Proverbs

• A powerful Muslim king of Mali who ruled from 1312 until 1337 AD. He helped spread Islam through large areas of West Africa.
• A type of drum used by the Bantu-speaking people of Africa. Made of wood and cow skin this drum is used for celebrations and communication.
• By 1100 AD this city became an important trading area. By 1300 the city was the center of the Mali Empire.
• Truths to help warn people of possible problems. A source of wisdom.

Kente

• The collapse of Ghana in the 13th Century AD can be traced to invasions, internal fighting, and overgrazing of the land.
• The largest hot desert and third largest desert in the world. It is located in Africa.
• Songhai fell because of internal struggles, Moroccan invaders, traders from Europe, and inferior weapon technology.
• Brightly colored cloth woven into narrow strips then sewn together to make clothes in Africa.

Kinship Network

• A group of persons descended from a common ancestor or constituting a people, clan, tribe, or family.
• Term used as a general label for the approximately 500 ethnic groups in Africa who speak Bantu languages.
• These people from North Africa led caravans across the Sahara to trade with the people of West Africa.
• This empire, which began as part of the Mali Empire, reached its height in the 15th century AD during the rule of Sunni Ali. Moroccan invaders conquered this empire in the 16th Century AD.

Sahara

• History of the past told by spoken word rather than written word.
• This empire controlled West African trade routes and reached its height by about 1060 AD through trade and taxes.
• The largest hot desert and third largest desert in the world. It is located in Africa.
• Term used as a general label for the approximately 500 ethnic groups in Africa who speak Bantu languages.

Bantu

• This empire controlled West African trade routes and reached its height by about 1060 AD through trade and taxes.
• Salt and gold were the two most important trade goods that allowed Ghana to become a prosperous empire.
• The Mansa of Mali from 1235 until 1255 AD. He was the son of a previous king. He won back Mali's independence and is the focus of much oral tradition.
• Term used as a general label for the approximately 500 ethnic groups in Africa who speak Bantu languages.