Traditional African Society

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1000 different languages; 1000+ different tribes

Stateless Societies

Early African Societies

By about 2500 BC many people in these regions practiced herding and mixed farming.

Anthropologists think that the first humans lived in East Africa. Over thousands of years, people spread out over the continent, forming distinct cultures and societies.

• During early phase of their history, Africans lived as hunter-gatherers

• About 9,000 years ago, some began to grow native crops

• In some parts, pastoralism, practice of raising herd animals, arose before farming

Early Farming Societies

Early African Societies

• First farmers likely pastoralists of Sahara—wetter 8,000 years ago

• 5,000 years ago climate changed, Sahara became drier

• As land became desert, people migrated to Mediterranean coast, Nile Valley, parts of West Africa

Pastoralists in Sahara

Stateless Societies

– Stateless societies cultural groups in which authority is shared by lineages of equal power instead of being exercised by a central government; no one executive ruler• Community rule over individual rule

Usually the community Usually the community that made the decisions that made the decisions consisted of male family consisted of male family

headsheads

Stateless Societies• Function of mobile population,

underpopulation, and land as resource• Even when dense population, there was no

state• Hunters valued over warriors• Ideal was the large complex household with Big

Man surrounded by 10-40 people• Control happened laterally, not hierarchically

(secret societies, age-grade societies, ritual experts as mediators)

What are some characteristics of a stateless society?

– Society divided into lineages – group traces its collective ancestry to a common ancestor

– Authority is balanced among the various lineages – families.

– No single group holds a majority of power.– Operate through sharing of ideas and possessions,

and cooperation is how they assume that society will operate.

continued . . .

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Stateless Societies

Lineages share power

No centralized authority

Elders negotiate conflict

Age-set system

Characteristics of Traditional Tribal Life

– Tribes

• a political group that comprises several bands or lineage groups, each with similar language and lifestyle and occupying a distinct territory

Common Traits or Characteristics of Traditional

African Tribal Life1. The good of the group comes ahead of the

good of the individual.

2. All land is owned by the group.

3. Strong feeling of loyalty to the group.

4. Important ceremonies at different parts of a person’s life.

5. Special age and work associations.

6. Deep respect for ancestors.

7. Religion is an important part of everyday life.

8. Government is in the hands of the chiefs [kings].

An African’s “Search for Identity”

1. Nuclear Family2. Extended Family3. Age-Set

4. Clan

5. Lineage (ancestry)

TRIBE (communal living)

Common Features

• Many societies developed village-based cultures

• At heart, extended family living in one household

• Families with common ancestors formed clans to which all members loyal

Specific Duties

• Loyalty to family, age-sets helped village members work together

• Men hunted, farmed; women cared for children, farmed, did domestic chores

• Even very old, very young had own tasks; elders often taught traditions to younger generations

Age-Sets

• In some areas, people took part in type of group called age-sets

• Men who had been born within same two, three years formed special bonds

• Men in same age-set had duty to help each other

Social Structures

Structure of African Society

Definitions

• Tribe- group of people that share language, customs, traditions, geographic location

• Clan- group of related families • Extended family- parents, children,

aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents (common in Africa)

• Nuclear family- parents and children (not common in Africa )

Kinship and Family Ties

How people are related in traditional African society?

Kinship: means a relationship that binds two or more individuals

1. Blood relative

2. Marriage

What is kinship?

• Sense of being related to another person(s)

• Set by rules (sometimes laws)

• Often taken for granted as being “natural” rather than cultural

• Cultures define “blood” relative differently

Kinship

Includes relationships through blood and through marriage.

Functions:• Provides continuity between

generations.• Defines a group on whom a person

can rely for aid.

Family Ties• Farming and herding

societies consisted of extended families

• Kinships created strong bonds and a sense of community

Lineage: Lines of Descent

Matrilineal versus Patrilineal

• Lineages• •Some societies group people in lineages—

those with common ancestor

• Members of a lineage have strong loyalties to one another

• In some African societies, lineage groups take the place of rulers

• These stateless societies balance power among lineages

• Stateless societies—no centralized system of power

Lineage

• Means line of descent or family tree

Traditional Societies: Family Descent

– Patrilineal trace ancestors through fathers

– Matrilineal trace ancestors through mothers

• 20% of African societies are matrilineal today

Inheritance and Descent

Patriarchal: Male-Dominated society

very common in African tribes

Patrilineage

• Descent is traced through male lineage.

• Inheritance moves from father to son, as does succession to office.

• Man’s position as father and husband is the most important source of male authority.

• Example: Nuer or Sudan.

Patrilineal Descent• Found among 44% of all cultures

• Kinship is traced through the male line

• Males dominate position, power and property

•Girls are raised for other families

•Found in East and South Asia and Middle East

Matriarchal: female Dominated society

uncommon

Matrilineage

• Descent is traced through the female line.

• Children belong to the mother’s descent group.

• The inclusion of a husband in the household is less important.

• Women usually have higher status.

• Example: Hopi.

Matrilineal Descent• Found among 15% of all cultures

• Kinship is traced through the female line

• Women control land and products

•Found in the Pacific, Australia, small parts of Mediterranean coast

• Declining though capitalism

Status and Roles of Women

Status of Women

Roles of Women• An African woman's roles are as life

bearer, nurturer, and source of generations.

• For an African woman in a traditional rural community, the chief measure of success in life is her ability to bear many children.

• The very existence of the family and clan depends on women's ability to bear children, who will provide security for their parents in old age and who will continue to nourish the spirits of the ancestors through sacrificial offerings.

• As a result, much African art is directed toward encouraging the fertility of women.

• Many shrines are devoted to spirits that provide the blessings of fertility, and these frequently contain sculpture and other objects devoted to the concept of fertility.

Marriage customs

• Many traditional African societies are polygamous

• Polygamy: having more than one spouse– Men may only have multiple wives if he can

support them

Bridewealth- payment a man gives a woman’s family before marriage (land, cattle, cloth, tools)

Dowry- payment a woman’s family before marriage (land, cattle, cloth, tools)

Some tribes allow divorce, some do not

“No marry’d Women, after they are brought to Bed, lie with their Husbands till three Years are expired, if the

Child lives so long, at which Time they wean their Children, and go to Bed to their Husbands. They say

that if a Woman lies with her Husband during the Time she has a Child sucking at her Breast, it spoils the Child’s Milk, and makes it liable to a great many

Distempers. Nevertheless, I believe, not one Woman in twenty stays till they wean their Children before they lie with a Man; and indeed I have very often seen Women

much censur’d, and judged to be false to their Husbands Bed, upon Account only of their suckling

Child being ill.”--F. Moore (European trader) on the River Gambia in

the 1730s, Travels into the Inland Parts of Africa (London, 1738), pp. 132-3.

Bride Wealth

Part of Roles of Women

Bride Wealth• It has been argued that such a system

commodifies the bride and thus dehumanizes her, but others also make the argument that the system defines her value to the marriage in a concrete way and that it contributes to the stability of the marriage, because were the marriage to end in divorce the "bride-wealth" must be returned to the groom's family, and if it has already been invested in "bride-wealth" for the bride's own brothers this can be difficult indeed.

• The "bride-wealth" creates a bond between the families which forces them to invest in the success of the marriage.

• When there is trouble between husband and wife the relatives on both sides intervene to find a solution.

• The male-female couple from the Dogon people of Mali represents the ideal of pairing that is necessary for procreation.

• The linking of the male arm around the woman's neck emphasizes the bond that is created by marriage.

Age Grade or Set

Traditional Societies: Age-Set System

• Age-Set System a cohort of young people within a region who are born during a certain period– Pass through life stages/rites of passage together– At each life stage the age group inherits different

responsibilities– Boys and girls are generally separated

Age Set • Group of boys or girls born in

the same year

• Go through rituals together

• Transition into adulthood together

• i.e. Manhood initiation

• Circumcision ceremony for boys

• Scarification- ritual markings for tribe

The Age Grade System

• What are some advantages of an age-set system?– Each member can help others to pass through the

various stages of life – they can also help each other obtain the specific individual benchmarks of each stage.

– Teach discipline, community service, and leadership all together

Problems of Tribalism Today

Problems of Tribalism Today

1. The tribe is more important than the nation.2. Communication problems.

3. Inter-tribal warfare civil wars.

4. Tribal favorites for government jobs: Nepotism Urbanization:

Breaks down tribal traditions.Tribal intermingling on the job.

50 Globalization & Diversity: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, Wyckoff

Tribalism Tribalism problemproblem

• Tribalism is Tribalism is often a often a stronger force stronger force than than nationalism.nationalism.• Political Political

parties based parties based on tribeson tribes

• Problem of Problem of creating creating nationalism nationalism artificially.artificially.

Griots

African GriotsMusician, Storyteller,

Tribal Historian

Griots, pronounced "greeohs", are storytellers of West Africa who use poetry and rhythm to

teach villagers about their history. Their home is the

territory of the Mandinke people in the country of Mali where their

tradition is alive to this day.

"Griot" is the French term for this class of musicians; the local term

is jeli.

• Historian

• Genealogist

• Orator, artist, musician

• Counsellor

• Spiritual Leader

Modern Role of the Griot

• tutored princes and gave council to kings.

• used their detailed knowledge of history to shed light on present-day dilemmas.

• would memorize significant events, like births, death, marriages, hunts, seasons and wars, ensuring that the collective heritage, culture and lineage of the clan continued.

Historical Role of the Griot

Music and Dance

• In many societies, music, dance central to many celebrations, rituals

• Carving, wearing of elaborate masks part of these rituals as well

• Early Africans excelled in sculpture, bronze as well as terra cotta

• Traditional music performed with variety of wind, stringed instruments

Griots

• Many early societies did not develop systems of writing

• Maintained sense of identity, continuity through oral traditions

• Included stories, songs, poems, proverbs

• Task of remembering, passing on entrusted to storytellers, griots

West Africans have preserved their history through storytelling and the written accounts of visitors.

Some of the griot poems are epics that are collected in the Dausi and the Sundiata.

Writing was not common in West Africa. People passed along information through oral histories, a spoken record of past events.

West African storytellers were called griots. They helped keep the history of their ancestors alive for each new generation.

In addition to stories, they recited proverbs. These were short sayings of wisdom or truth. They were used to teach lessons to the people.

Proverbs

• Griots passed on more than stories, they also recited proverbs

• Proverbs are short sayings of wisdom or truth

Griots: Oral Storytelling

• Tradition passed down by storytelling

• Two forms of tales– Human characters– Animal characters

• Human tales dealt with creation, death, success & love

• Animal tales focused on small creatures vs. larger beasts

West African Proverbs

“It takes a village to raise a child.”

“Talking doesn't fill the basket in the farm.”

“Rats don't dance in the cat's doorway.”

The griot profession is inherited, passed on from one generation to the next.

Griots are very different from the rest of society, almost a different ethnic group.

They are both feared and respected by people in West Africa for their wisdom and talent with words.

Griot singer Suso is playing the kora (note his name on the instrument).

Traditional Societies: Griots• Father of the poor people

Husband of beautiful ladiesAt whose absence the city is not interestingAt whose absence the people are not happy…

Be our motherBe our fatherProvide us with clothingBe the salt we need for our gravyBe the oil we need for our porridge…

You are our eyesYou are our mirrorYou are our hands and legsThat we use to walk.