AP African American Studies Unit One - Origins of the African Diaspora

African American Studies

An interdisciplinary field that explores and examines the history, culture, and experiences of people of African descent in the United States and the Black Diaspora.

What led to the popularization of African American studies?

Towards the end of the civil rights movement, black students began entering white institutions in large numbers. Through the Black Campus Movement, students of color began to demand courses in black studies. (1965-1972)

The African Diaspora

The worldwide communities of people that are of African origin living outside the continent of Africa.

Egypt: Location and Key Leaders

Modern day Egypt along the Nile, Ramses II

Egypt: Important Facts

Economy based in farming along the Nile River. Polytheistic belief system. Oldest of the African kingdoms.

The Kush: Location and Key Leaders

Modern day Sudan, Piye

The Kush: Important Facts

Economy based in trading gold, iron, and animal skins. Syncretistic belief system. Known for the pyramids.

The Axum: Location and Key Leaders

Modern day Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, and Eritrea, King Ezana

The Axum: Important Facts

Economy based in trading ivory, slaves, and perfumes. Christianity was dominant religion. Oldest Christian Orthodox church and kingdom, supposedly descendents of King Solomon, they claim to hold the Arc of the Covenant.

The Nok: Location and Key Leaders

Modern day Nigeria, around the Niger and Bani rivers. Loose political formations.

The Nok: Important Facts

Economy based in smelting iron, known for the creation of terracotta clay objects. Polytheistic and animistic beliefs. Known for their sculptures, and their storytellers, the Griot.

The Bantu: Location and Key Leaders

Modern day Cameroon, party Nigeria. Had loose political formations.

The Bantu: Important Facts

Economy was simple, based on subsistence farming. Polytheistic and animistic beliefs. Some of the most indigenous African people, also created a large family of languages.

Ghana: Location and Key Leaders

Modern day Mali and Mauritania, had African tribal chiefs. Key city state: Koumbi Saleh.

Ghana: Important Facts

Economy was based in trans-Saharan trade in gold and salt. Animistic traditional beliefs. Supplied 2/3 of the worlds gold by 1400.

Mali: Location and Key Leaders

Around the Niger River, Mansa Musa. Cities: Timbuktu and Jenne.

Mali: Important Facts

Economy based in trans-Saharan trade in gold, salt, ivory, textiles, glass beading, and slaves. Dominant religion was Islam, and they were famous for the Hajj - the pilgrimage to Mecca. Mansa Musa is considered as the richest man to ever live.

Songhai: Location and Key Leaders

Largest of the West African empires, modern day Mali. Led by Suni Ali and Askia Muhammad. Cities: Timbuktu and Gao.

Songhai: Important Facts

Economy based in trans-Saharan trade in gold and salt. Islam was prevalent, but many people were still traditional. Eventually conquered by Morocco.

The Swahili States: Location and Key Leaders

Modern day Somalia, Tanzania, and Kenya. Had ruling families and influential merchants. Cities: Kilwa, Zanzibar, Mogadishu.

The Swahili States: Important Facts

They largely received silk and spices from Asia - China specifically - and traded with them. Dominant religion was Islam. Swahili is and was one of the most widely spoken religions in Africa.

The Kongo: Location and Key Leaders

Modern day Angola. Had Mankingo kings. Cities: Mbanza.

The Kongo: Important Facts

Economy based in salt, copper, ivory, fabrics, and slaves. Religion: Catholic predominantly. By the 1400s, they are a huge, unified, and powerful trading nation.

African Region: Northern Africa

Algeria, Canary Islands, Ceuta, Egypt, Libya, Madeira, Melilla, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, Western Sahara

African Region: Southern Africa

Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa

African Region: Eastern Africa

Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mozambique, Reunion, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

African Region: Western Africa

Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Saint Helena, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo

African Region: Central Africa

Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, São Tomé and Príncipe

The Five Primary Climate Zones

Desert, semiarid, savannah grasslands, tropical rainforest, and the Mediterranean zone.

Characteristics of the Desert and Semiarid Areas

Herders were often nomadic, moving in search of food and water, and some trading salt.

Characteristics of the Sahel

People traded livestock.

Characteristics of the Savannah Grasslands

People cultivated grain crops.

Characteristics of the Tropical Rainforests

People grew kola trees and yams, and traded gold.

The Five Major Rivers

Niger River, Congo River, Zambezi River, Orange River, and Nile River

What aided in the spread of the Bantu people across the continent?

Technological innovations, the development of tools, and agricultural innovations, cultivation of yams, bananas, and grains, led to the spread. Population growth led to the Bantu expansion. This is entitled the Bantu Migration.

Languages in the Bantu Linguistic Family

Western and Central African Languages - Xhosa, Swahili, Kikongo, and Zulu

The Griots

Griots were prestigious historians, storytellers, and musicians who maintained a communities history, traditions, and cultural practices.

Spiritual Practices of West and Central Africa

Veneration of the ancestors, divination, healing practices, and collective singing and dancing survived in African diasporic religions such as Louisiana Voodoo.

Significance of the Axum Empire to Black Communities

The former Axum king, King Ezana, was the first to introduce them to Christianity. Ge'ez, their script, is still used today. The texts and beliefs are extremely prevalent in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

What term made African societies atypical of most others?

Matrilineal. African societies traced kinship through the mother, matrilineal, rather than through the father, patrilineal. European societies were known for patrilineal kinship tracing.