WEST & CENTRAL AFRICA ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE

BY WILL BROCK, BAILEY CARWHILE, DYLAN

KOTERAS, KEVIN ROMANAZZI, PETER

SCHIER, AND BRITON WEIR

ORIGINS OF THE

EMPIRES, KINGDOMS, AND MINISTATESMali Collapses

• Mansa Musa- ruler• Timbuktu became capital city for trade and learning• The study of the Qur'an helped increase literacy• After Mansa Musa, empire collapsed due to less capable

leaders

EMPIRES, KINGDOMS, AND MINISTATESSonghai

• Gained independence from Mali- 1430• Last and largest West African Trade Empire• Controls important trade routes• Economy based on farming, fishing, and trading• Conquered by the armies of Morocco

EMPIRES, KINGDOMS, AND MINISTATESSahel

• Tributary state and Islamic jihad work together to form states

• Guns of Morocco broke up the region

EMPIRES, KINGDOMS, AND MINISTATESWest African States

• Commerce based – slave trade• Destroyed by slave trade

Zimbabwe and Swahili States• States destroyed by Portuguese

SLAVE TRADE• Trans-Saharan and coastal slave trade began with trade

regulation by Arab and Swahili traders on the Swahili coast in the 800’s.

• These traders would capture Bantu natives from modern-day Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania.

• These early slaves were bought and used in Europe and Africa.

SLAVE TRADE• Atlantic slave trade took place between the 16th and 19th

centuries, with the Portuguese beginning it in 1526 shortly before other Western European countries.

• Most slaves were taken from West Africa and sold to African traders, who shipped them to the Americas through the triangular trade route to be sold along with other imported goods.

SLAVE TRADE• All in all, about 12 million Africans were shipped over the

Atlantic.

• Many Africans died during their transport through Africa before getting on the boats to America, so slavery actually caused even more damage than the above statistic suggests.

THE SPIRIT WORLD4 main concepts:

• The belief in impersonal mystical power• The belief in spirit beings• The belief in divinities/ gods• The belief in Supreme Beings

IMPERSONAL MYSTICAL POWER

The spirit world in Africa tribes is represented through artwork such as masks, statues, and sculpturesDuring Rituals, wooden masks are worn by the tribe members to depict deities/ ancestorsThey use these masks to channel their spirits and communicate with them during ceremonies such as celebrations, initiations, death, and crop harvesting. They usually depict animals, humans, or mystical creaturesThe statues and sculptures are used to connect 2 different spiritual forces

SPIRIT BEINGSAlthough they believe in God, the spiritual aspect is more important to themThey believe in the concept of good and bad

• Good spirits- the spirits of the dead and nature spirits, but not all believe in nature spirits.

• Bad spirits- they’re held responsible for the wrongdoings of humans

DIVINITIES/ GODSTheir religious beliefs impact all aspects of their lives.Eating, farming, chores, hunting, tools, clothing, marrying, working, education, healing, funerals, common daily religious activities.They have their own set of morals that provide people with a world- view, which is an insight into the way of life of traditional Africans.They all believe in God and follow the same concepts as other monotheistic religions, besides those listed above.

SUPREME BEINGSThe supreme beings are not different from God, except that they are more recognized in religions that do not accept the monotheistic aspect.

QUESTIONSWho was the ruler of Mali?What was the last and largest West African Empire?What helped increase literacy in Mali?What was Songhai conquered by?Where were most slaves taken from?When did Atlantic slave trade take place?How many Africans were shipped to North America?Do West Africans believe in God?They believe in the concept of _____ and _____ spirits.Are supreme beings different from God?