West African Civilizations

Kinship

A connection between people by blood, marriage, or adoption

Clan

A group of people related by blood, marriage, or adoption

Griot

An official storyteller in an African Civilization

Savannah

A flat grassland, with few trees, in a tropical region

Timbuktu

A city of central Mali in West Africa, founded in the 13th century

Swahili

An African language that blends Bantu and Arabic elements

Kongo

An ancient kingdom along the western coast of Africa, founded sometime before the 14th century

Shona

A Bantu-speaking culture

Specialized Labor

People who are specialized in a certain type of work. They are trained or knowledgeable workers

Oral History

An unwritten verbal account of events. An example is a story family members pass down each generation

Vegetation Zones in West Africa

The 3 vegetation zones in west Africa are the forests, grasslands, and deserts. In the northern part of west Africa is the Sahara Desert, the middle is the savannahs, and the southern part is made up of forests.

Ghana’s Decline

A Muslim group came to power and wanted other Muslims to see their interpretation of the religion. When people disagreed they declared war, which led to the downfall of everything in Ghana.

Arab Influence on Culture/Government

The Arabs brought their goods and spread Islam. They set the official language as Swahili and changed to government system to a monarchy, each king basing on descendants

Great Zimbabwe

The largest settlement of Africa, it was the center of the Shona empire. It was used for farming and cattle, it was located near key trade routes

Organization of the Kongo Kingdom

Very organized, they divided the kingdom in 6 provinces that each has their own government. They made sure they had key resources like good trade routes, the kingdom lasted for 500 years.