Africa
The Bushmen of the Kalahari and the Pygmies of the Congo Rainforest
I.Bushmen (known as the San, Khoi, !Kung) (until the last ___ years, they lived as they had for thousands of years, but now only a handful still live using the old ways -many believe they are the closest to the original homo sapiens sapiens that we have today).
A.Lived in the Kalahari Desert
B.Loose clan groups which constantly were moving for hunting and gathering, at which they are very skilled; used ______(tranquilized the animals) for hunting
C.No leaders—groups made decisions together though wiser people were often listened to
D.______were the doctors of the body and spirit, which are seen as inseparable
E.Built temporary shelters and use whatever is at hand; had few belongings; men and women had distinct responsibilities; no concept of ______
F.Dancing and music are a large part of their spiritual life; they believe in a great god who takes different forms at different times, and a lesser god who is evil
II.Pygmies (known as Mbuti, Efe, Aka, Baka, Twa Sua) (are currently losing their habitat but they still do survive as a culture)
A.Live in the ______Rainforest of the Congo area and several surrounding states
B.Both hunt and gather in the rainforest; plenty of food though much of it comes from starches; ______is prized; live in small clan groups of 15-60 people
C.No leaders—decisions made by consensus of the group
D.Shamans heal the sick and help heal troubles between members of the clan
E.Build ______shelters of branches and banana leaves; very few belongings
F.The rainforest is a living being for them and its health reflects their health; Jengi is the spirit of the forest; music (using drums, flutes, water drums, a cappella singing) is used for worship, for hunting, for communicating with each other through the thick forest, but also ______, as is the telling of tales; music also makes the forest ______which is important to their lives
Pirates
I.Barbary Coast Pirates (often called ______)
A.Generally Muslim pirates who raided Christian trading ships, though other ships were fair game as well
B.Began as a way to fight off the ______, but eventually became a way to make a living
C.Captured passengers for slavery (occasionally they would be offered for ransom) and did a regular trade in slaves from Africa to the ______Empires of the East.
D.Their headquarters were in cities in Algeria, Tunisia, and then Morocco, with the pirate leaders becoming the sovereigns of these areas; these were independent states of the ______Empire
E.They were so successful, European countries found it easier to pay ______for safe passage than to try to fight the pirates
F.Barbarossa, who lived in the early 1500s, was the most successful and strongest leader of all the Corsairs
G.Originally used ______ships, with slaves being used to row—the lifespan of the slaves was very short; eventually they started using sailing ships
F.Very flamboyant and proud about their piracy; often raided coastal towns of the Mediterraneanto gain riches and slaves; much more open than the pirates of the Caribbean.
Timeline for Africa and Early Colonization
1439 / Portugal takes the Azores and increases expeditions along northwest African coast, eventually reaching the Gold Coast(modern Ghana). The Portuguese explorations were motivated by a desire for knowledge, a wish to bring Christianity to what they perceived as pagan peoples, the search for potential allies against Muslim threats, and the hope of finding new and lucrative trade routes and sources of wealth. Wherever the Portuguese—and the English, French, and Dutch who followed them—went, they eventually disrupted ongoing patterns of trade and political life and changed economic and religious systems.1441 / Beginning of European slave trade in Africa with first shipment of African slaves sent directly from Africa to Portugal.The Portuguese would come to dominate the gold, spice and slave trade for almost a century before other European nations became greatly involved.
1481-2 / El Mina is founded on the West African "Gold Coast,"the most important of the chain of trading settlements hat the Portuguese established here. African gold, ivory, foodstuffs, and slaves were exchanged for ironware, firearms, textiles, and foodstuffs.
ca. 1500 / Benin at height of its power. Benin City (Edo) was founded around the 12th century and had ongoing political and cultural ties with Ife and other urban centers in the area; a second Benin dynasty began in the 16th century. Dahomey, with its capital at Abomey, was the most important kingdom in Benin's history. A major exporter of slaves to the New World during the triangular trade between Africa, Europe, and the New World during the 16-18th centuries, it was a military empire feared by all its neighbors"
After 1550 / Portuguese trade in Africa increasingly attracts rival European traders who, in the 16th century, created competing stations or attempted to capture the existing trade. In western Africa the new trade had profound effects. Earlier trade routes were now reoriented from the Sahara to the seacoast, and as the states of the savanna declined in economic importance, states along the coast increased their wealth and power. Struggles developed among coastal peoples for control over trade routes and access to new European firearms.
1562 / Britain begins its slave trade in Africa. Slave Trade increases significantly with development of plantation colonies of the Americas, especially in Brazil. Other countries involved in the European slave trade included Spain (from 1479); North America (from 1619); Holland (from 1625); France (from 1642); Sweden (from 1647); and Denmark (from 1697).
1570 / Portuguese establish colony in Angola.
1652 / Dutch establish colony at Cape of Good Hope, South Africa; and colonizing Boers ("farmers"), or Afrikaners, begin settling large farms at the expense of San and Khoikhoi, non-Bantu speakers of the region.
1700-
1717 / Asante (or Ashante) Empire of the Akan peoples is unified under Osei Tutu on the "Gold Coast"; dominates with control of gold-producing zones and the supplying slaves in exchange for firearms (to 1820s).
1720s / Rise of Kingdom of Dahomey of Fon (or Aja) peoples, on the "Slave Coast" in the Bight of Benin, based on slaving and firearms (into the 19th c.). The Abomey plateau, an early center of Aja and Yoruba populations, became the capital of the Dahomey monarchy beginning in the 17th century.