Cultural Legacy of Africa
Early Peoples/Government• First hunter-gatherers
• Settled Farming communities- Slash and burn agriculture
• Villages develop: power shared; no
• central authority
Family• Some families patrilineal: inheritance
passed through father’s side
• Some matrilineal: inheritance traced through mother’s side
• Belonged to a lineage: group of household who claimed a common ancestor. Several lineages formed a clan
Religion• Polytheistic• Used rituals and
ceremonies to influence nature and sprits
• Spirits of ancestors could affect people on earth
• Islam moves into West African Kingdoms
African Written and Oral Tradition• Griots: Record keepers• Before West Africa had written histories griots
would memorize everything and recite to the people
• Very important in West African culture• Folktales: a story that is usually passed down
orally and becomes part of a community’s tradition
• Folktales pass along history and teach young people morals and values
• Famous folktale about the “trickster” hare-Brer rabbit
• Proverb: Popular sayings that use images from everyday life to express ideas or give advice
• Ex: “Every time an old man dies it is as if a library has burnt down”
• Written tradition: After Islam spread to West Africa written tradition became more important.
• West Africans used Arabic to
write
West African Music• Music: Communicates ideas, values, and
feelings. Celebrates historic events and important occasions
• Call and response: A leader sings a short phrase then the group repeats the phrase
• Enslaved Africans
brought call and
response to
America
Instruments• Balafon: Original Griot instrument.
Wooden bars laid across a frame
like a zylophone
Ngoni: Small stringed instrument
Made of hollowed out piece of
carved into the shape of a canoe
• Kora: Harplike instrument with 21 strings
• Made out of gourd that is cut in half and covered with cow skin
• Drums: Important part of West African culture
• Used during parties,
meetings, ceremonies,
and religious gatherings
• Made out of hollowed out
logs and covered with
animal skins
Dance• Dance very important
• Used for rituals, ceremonies, important events, celebrate success, educate children, seek help of spirits, and connect with ancestors
• Dance movements reflect the conditions people live in
Masks• Masks made of wood:
very detailed
• Very important for
ceremonies,
performances, and
sacred rites
• Used to summon
spirits of the gods and ancestors
• Inspired artists such as Picasso
West African Visual Art• Sculpture-used to call upon spirits and
honor leaders.
• Used ivory, wood, bronze
• Turned practical objects into things of beauty-storage containers, utensils, furniture, baskets
Textiles• Kente Cloth: most famous
• Sew together narrow strips of fabric
• Colors and design have symbolic meaning
• Seen today around the world especially in quilts