Unit 1: Origins of the African Diaspora (copy)

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An interdisciplinary field that analyzes the history, culture, and politics of people of African descent in the U.S. and throughout the African diaspora.

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A Varied Landscape:Africa is geographically diverse, with five primary climate zones and bordered by seas and oceans. It has major rivers connecting regions and facilitated trade.

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Technological and agricultural innovations contributed to the population growth of West and Central African peoples. Bantu-speaking peoples' linguistic influences spread throughout the continent.

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Ancient complex societies like Egypt, Nubia, and Aksum emerged in Africa. These societies made significant contributions to history, culture, and religion.

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Ghana, Mali, and Songhai:The Sudanic empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai emerged and flourished in West Africa. They were known for their gold mines, strategic locations, and trade routes.

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West African empires had centers of learning, such as Tombouctou in Mali, and griots who preserved and shared community history and traditions.

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African societies blended aspects of introduced faiths with Indigenous spiritual beliefs and cosmologies. These syncretic practices were brought to the Americas by enslaved Africans.

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The Kingdom of Zimbabwe and the Swahili Coast were important centers of trade and cultural exchange in Southern and East Africa. They had significant architectural and economic advancements.

Kingdom of Kongo

A powerful West Central African kingdom that voluntarily converted to Roman Catholicism in 1491, strengthening its trade relationship with Portugal.

African Catholicism

A distinct form of Christianity that emerged in the Kingdom of Kongo, incorporating elements of Christianity and local aesthetic and cultural traditions.

Transatlantic slave trade

The trade of enslaved people from West Central Africa to the Americas, with the Kingdom of Kongo becoming the largest source of enslaved people in this history.

Christian names

Names given to enslaved Africans based on saints or the day of the week they were born, which have African origins and exemplify the endurance of ideas and practices across the Atlantic.

Kinship ties

Extended family connections that formed the basis for political alliances in early West and Central African societies.

Queen Idia

The first iyoba (queen mother) in the Kingdom of Benin, who served as a political advisor and led armies into battle.

Queen Njinga

Queen of the kingdoms of Ndongo and Matamba, who engaged in guerilla warfare against the Portuguese and participated in the slave trade to amass wealth and political influence.

African diaspora

The dispersion of African people and their descendants throughout the world, with Queen Idia and Queen Njinga becoming iconic symbols of Black women's leadership.

Portuguese trade

Trade between West African kingdoms and Portugal for gold, goods, and enslaved people, leading to increased presence of Europeans in West Africa and sub-Saharan Africans in Iberian port cities.

Portuguese colonization

The colonization of Atlantic islands such as Cabo Verde and São Tomé by the Portuguese, where they established plantations using the labor of enslaved Africans.