Trade and Cultural Interactions vocab

Sub-Saharan Africa

Refers to the region of Africa that lies south of the Sahara Desert.

Bantu

A general term for various African peoples who speak over 500 different languages but share a common ancestry.

Griots

Special class of oral historians in West African societies who pass historical knowledge from generation to generation.

Mansa

Title for the ruler of the Mali Empire in West Africa.

Great Zimbabwe

An ancient city in southeastern Africa known for its massive stone structures and role in trade networks.

Sahel

Semidesert region immediately south of the Sahara Desert in Africa.

Savanna

Area of fertile grasslands in Africa located south of the Sahel region.

Lineage

Descendants from a common ancestor in African societies, defining rights and responsibilities.

Intermediaries

Individuals or groups that act as go-betweens in trade, like the people of the Ghana Empire.

Monopoly

Sole control over a particular commodity or trade, as seen in Ghana's control over gold trade.

Ibn Battuta

14th-century traveler who extensively explored the Islamic world

Caravan

A group of people who travel together

Mansa Musa

Mali ruler who established a large kingdom and embraced Islam

Trans-Saharan Trade Network

Established trade routes across the Sahara desert

Songhai

West African empire that conquered Mali

Mamluk trade network

Trade network established by the Mamluks in Egypt and Syria

Sahel

Semidesert region south of the Sahara

Savanna

Lush tropical grasslands region

Bantu

Group of Niger-Congo languages spoken in central and southern Africa, including Swahili, Xhosa, and Zulu

Griots

West African storytellers, historians, and musicians who pass down oral traditions through generations.

Lineage

a group of descendants from a common ancestor.

Intermediaries

a person who serves as a go-between in an exchange involving two other parties.

Monopoly

sole control over something; the complete and exclusive control of an industry by one company.

Sundiata

Founder and first emperor of the kingdom of Mali.

Epic of Sundiata

a West African tale about the legendary founder of the Mali Empire, Sundiata Keita, recounting his life, battles, and rise to power in the 13th century.

Timbuktu

a city in Mali, West Africa, known for its historical significance as a center of learning, trade, and culture during the medieval period.

Mansa

Title of the rulers of the Mali Empire, such as Mansa Musa, sometimes translated as "emperor".

Dhows

an early type of ship that carried trade goods across the Indian Ocean.

Swahili

a Bantu language widely used as a lingua franca in East Africa and having official status in several countries.

Kilwa

located on a small island off the coast of present-day Tanzania.

Menelik

Legendary founder of a line of emperors who ruled Ethiopia until the 1970s.

Sankore

Mosque still standing in Timbuktu.

Ghana

Soninke clans joined under a strong leader to form the kingdom of Ghana along the Niger River.

Mali

West African empire that grew rich from trade.

Hausa

West African people who lived in several city-states of what is now northern Nigeria.

Yoruba

West African people who formed kingdoms in what is now Benin.

Benin

Kingdom that arose near the Niger River Delta and became a major West African state.

Great Zimbabwe

City that grew into an empire built on gold and trade.

Mutapa

Southern African empire established by the leader Mutota.

Age sets

Groups of similar ages who take part in the same ceremonies.

Berbers

North African Muslims.

Mosques

Islamic houses of worship.

Theocracy

Government controlled by a religious leader.

Stateless societies

Societies without central government.

Patrilineal

Tracing ancestry through the father.

Matrilineal

Tracing ancestry through the mother.

Maghrib

Part of North Africa that is today the Mediterranean coast.

Almoravids

Islamic group that established an empire in North Africa and Southern Spain during the 11th century.

Almohads

Islamic group that overthrew the Almoravids in the 12th century.