West African Societies in the 15th Century PDF

1 CARIBBEAN HISTORY CORE TOPIC: THE ECONOMIC REVOLUTION AND THE COMING OF THE AFRICANS 1.​ Overview of West African societies in the 15th century: economic, religious and political organization and social relations. 2.​ Reasons for the change from t...

1 CARIBBEAN HISTORY CORE TOPIC: THE ECONOMIC REVOLUTION AND THE COMING OF THE AFRICANS 1.​ Overview of West African societies in the 15th century: economic, religious and political organization and social relations. 2.​ Reasons for the change from tobacco to sugar and from logwood to mahogany. 3.​ Social, economic and political changes accompanying the transitions. 4.​ Trade in enslaved Africans: procurement, transportation and sale in the Caribbean. 5.​ Plantation Society: social, economic and political organization. WEST AFRICAN SOCIETIES IN THE 15th CENTURY West African societies were divided just like the indigenous American peoples. In some places were found great empires and in other vast areas, there were people with the same culture and similar languages living in separate communities. Between the forests to the south and the desert to the north is a wide belt of grasslands known as the Sudan / Savannah region. Within this region, three empires Ghana, Mali and Songhai developed between AD 800 to 1600. In the south is the tropical forest region which extends between 150 to 300 km from the coast. The only links between settlements in this area were footpaths, and the cascading rivers were too dangerous for canoes. Poor communications kept the forest peoples separated. Here can be found the forest states of Benin, Oyo, Dahomey and Asante. When the slave trade began in the 15th century, the Africans of the savannah and tropical forests had different skills and technologies and political organization. Economic Organization The people of the savannah region had various occupations. There were the farmers who grew crops such as peanuts, millet, yams and many green vegetables. They also reared goats and sheep. There was plenty of water so the crops grew well. In addition to farming, there was weaving, pottery making, leather working and craft made from wood, ivory and metal. However, the savannah empires were organized mainly for trade because movement was easy. Timbuktu, Koumbi Saleh, Walata and Jenne which were towns located on the northern fringe of the Savannah traded with the farmers. There were local merchants in these towns called dyula who travelled by camel to trade goods like gold with the people to the North of the desert, who supplied them with salt and other goods which they in turn sold to the forest peoples in the south. Both import and export taxes had to be paid on these goods and this money went to the treasuries of local rulers. The people of the dense tropical forest region were also farmers. They planted root crops such as yams, cassava and bananas and reared small animals only such as chickens, pigs, goats and guinea fowl because of the tsetse fly which killed horses, dogs and cattle. The farmers of this  2 region were able to grow a surplus of food because they knew how to use the land properly. For example, they kept part of the land unplanted to allow it to recover its fertility, they shifted their village every few years to a new site cleared in the forest and they knew how to combine crops. With these skills and the use of wood ash and animal manure, they were able to grow a varity of crops. In addition to farming, there was fishing, hunting and gathering. There were also skilled potters, carpenters, cloth weavers, sculptors, miners and metalworkers including goldsmiths and blacksmiths. The forest people also traded gold, ebony, leopard skin and pepper to the people in the North. Some forest centres specialized in making brass and bronze from copper and tin. Political Organization The empires of the western Sudan did not develop separately but started with the development of Ghana in the year 800. It was later conquered by King Sundiata in 1240 and so led to the emergence of Mali, an empire of the Mandinka people. By the time slave trading began in the 15th century almost all the West African Savannah was part of the vast Songhai Empire. In 1513, Mali was conquered by a ruler of the Songhai Empire which became the largest empire in the Western Sudan. The forest zone did not produce vast empires like those of the savannah at the time when enslavement began. The village was often the most important organization that is the basic political and social unit. This was so in the case of the Igbo. Each village managed its own affairs through a council of elders whose head was a Chief or Headman. Igbo political life was very democratic. Every adult male had the right to voice his opinions in the village assembly and the elders had the right to accept the will of these assemblies. When disputes arose over trade, the villagers sent elders to consult the priest at one of the shrines where oracles were kept (the greatest of these oracles was Orachuku). The priest would listen to the dispute and then make a ruling that would be respected by all the communities. The Akan people who had their home on the Gulf of Guinea had a political organization that started with groups of villages. In the 15th century most of the Akan people still lived in these independent village groups or clans. There existed a few strong states among them which were ruled by people who had conquered their neighbours e.g. the Fante and Denkirya. In future centuries, many of the Akan clans and small states were brought into one state by another Akan people the Ashanti /Asante. This group was known for its golden stool which symbolized the supremacy of the Asantehene over all the states of Asante. However, in the 15th century many of the Akan peoples had a political organization that was (very similar) slightly different from the independent villages of the Igbo. Yoruba political life was also similar to the Igbo’s in that the Yoruba did not have a centralized ruler over the entire Igboland or Yorubaland. Secondly, the town kingdoms over which the Oba ruled were a collection of villages which meant that the village was an administrative unit in both Igboland and Yorubaland.  3 Unlike the Igbo, Yoruba political life was centred on forest towns rather than villages. Each town kingdom and its nearby forest lands were ruled by an Oba or King. In this way, Yoruba government was less centralized and more monarchical. It was also less democratic because the ordinary people did not have a lot of say in government. However, in the 15th century, Yoruba did not have a king or emperor. They shared a common culture, a language, trade and a belief that they shared a common ancestor, Oduduwa, the first King of Ife. Benin and Oyo were two great town kingdoms of Yorubaland. In Oyo, the ruler was called the Alafin and he committed a ritual suicide if his people were not satisfied with him. Like the Yoruba, Benin’s rulers were called obas but unlike them, Benin brought the chiefs of neighbouring families under their control and forced them to live in Benin. The great power of the oba in Benin was due to the wealth of his government. Benin was located at the southern edge of the routes that led to the savannah towns. In the early days, the Edo merchants sent ivory, pepper and ebony to the north. In the 15th century, a new trading opportunity arose when the Portuguese ships arrived on the coast. Social Relations The basic unit of society was the family which could be patrilineal or matrilineal. Each extended family group lived in one particular part of the town, and marriage was forbidden between members of the same extended family. Consequently, marriage between towns was frequent as was the capturing of wives during warfare. The conduct of each family was governed by its patriarch and his senior relatives. The young Igbo believed that they were all direct descendants of one common ancestor and were distinct from the people of other Igbo villages. Although the Igbo clung to their village groups, they understood that they belonged to a wider society. Igbo shared a common language and Igbo men chose their wives from another village. Igbos maintained the tradition of an initiation for boys upon entering manhood. There was the belief in many African societies that there were three groups of people in a village e.g. the living, the ancestors whom the living joined at death and those waiting to be born. There were many rules and customs. The dead were not treated as separate and were often called upon to give advice especially in times of trouble. When an Edo elder died, he was buried with all the tools that were necessary to join the other spirits of the clan and become a spirit elder. A shrine was also built so that the living could show their respect to the leadership and guidance given when he was alive. The society of living Edos, like most African peoples was grouped into grades according to their age. There were headmen and elders and below them were the younger men who were warriors and organized the villages’ trade and farming. Finally, there were the youths who were the village workers. Some African people had more age sets. Sometimes, entry into the different  4 ranks and ages was controlled by societies. There were groups of elders who had kept alive the traditions and rules of an African people for many centuries. Religious Organization Islam was first brought to the Sudan in the 9th or 10th century. Its spread helped to join the civilization of North Africa and Egypt closely with that of the Western Sudan. However, many of the people of West Africa continued to believe in their local religions. The religion of the people of West Africa was based on ancestor worship. Every family was united in the worship of common ancestors, and each tribe was united in the common worship of tribal gods who were often mythical ancestors. The people of West Africa were polytheistic. They believed in an original creator-god as a remote being who was largely irrelevant to everyday life. The other tribal gods varied in importance. Each had a specialized function but all were believed to have responsibility for the fertility of their followers. They believed in Shango, the god of thunder and lightning and Ogun, the god of war. The gods and spirits were served by priests who were men who had the ability to understand and explain their power over humans. The priests were considered important and were highly respected. They were also medicine men and could cure illnesses with medicines made from plants and herbs. Questions Economic Organization 1.​ What were the names of the three trading empires that developed in the West African savannah region between AD 800 and 1600? 2.​ In which part of West Africa was the savannah region located? 3.​ What was the geographical location of the forest region? 4.​ What was the main product traded for gold with the people to the north of the desert? 5.​ Identify the various skills of the people in the savannah region. 6.​ List the names of the forest states. 7.​ Explain why communication was difficult in the forest states. 8.​ Identify the various skills of the people in the forest region  5 9.​ Explain why only small animals were reared in the forest region. 10.​Give two reasons why the farmers were able to grow a variety of crops. Political Organization, Social Relations and Religious Organization 1.​ What was the basic political and social unit of the Igbo? 2.​ What evidence is there to suggest that the Igbo political system was democratic? 3.​ Explain how disputes were resolved. 4.​ List one similarity and one difference between the Yoruba and Igbo political system. 5.​ Name the two great town kingdoms of Yorubaland. 6.​ What was the name given to the ruler of Oyo and explain the circumstances which forced him to commit suicide. 7.​ Explain the following terms: a) matrilineal b) patrilineal 8.​ Which religion was introduced to the people of West Africa? 9.​ List the characteristics of the west African traditional religion. 10.​List two similarities between the forest states and savannah region. 11.​List four differences between the forest states and savannah region. Prepared by S. Branche