West African Society at the Point of European Contact
Powerful kingdoms, beautiful sculptures, complex trade, tremendous wealth, and centers for advanced learning - all are hallmarks of African Civilization on the eve of the Age of Exploration.
Hardly living up to the "Dark Continent" label given by European adventurers, Africa's cultural heritage runs deep. The empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay are some of the greatest the world has ever known. The great city of Timbuktu, home to arguably the world's oldest university, was the intellectual center of its age. The city was home to one of the largest libraries in the world since the library of Alexandria.
Although primarily an agricultural people, West Africans held many occupations. Some were hunters and fishers. Merchants traded with other African communities, as well as with Europeans and Arabs. Some West Africans mined gold, salt, iron, copper, or even diamonds. African art was primarily religious, and each community had artisans skilled at producing works that would please the tribal gods.
The center of African life in ancient and modern times is the family. This family often comprised hundreds of members because most Africans consider all individuals who can trace roots to a common ancestor to be family.
Like Native American tribes, there is tremendous diversity among the peoples of West Africa. Some traced their heritage through the father's bloodline, some through the mother's. Some were democratic, while others had a strong ruler. Most African tribes had a noble class, and slavery in Africa predates the written record.
Slavery practiced in Africa before contact with Europeans was very different from the slavery that would eventually be practiced in the United States. The slavery known to Africans prior to European contact did not involve a belief in inferiority of the slaves. In the United States, slavery was primarily based on race. In traditional African slavery, most slaves were captured in war. Although they were legally considered property, slaves were assimilated into the lives of the community where they lived and were often treated as family members by their owners. The children of slaves could not be bought or sold simply because their parents were slaves. Many slaves achieved high honors in their communities, and freedom granted by their owners was not uncommon. Plantation slavery was virtually unknown on the African continent.
The slave trade would bring ruin to West Africa. Entire villages disappeared. Guns and alcohol spread across the continent. Tribes turned against other tribes as the once-fabled empires faded into history.
Hardly living up to the "Dark Continent" label given by European adventurers, Africa's cultural heritage runs deep. The empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay are some of the greatest the world has ever known. The great city of Timbuktu, home to arguably the world's oldest university, was the intellectual center of its age. The city was home to one of the largest libraries in the world since the library of Alexandria.
Although primarily an agricultural people, West Africans held many occupations. Some were hunters and fishers. Merchants traded with other African communities, as well as with Europeans and Arabs. Some West Africans mined gold, salt, iron, copper, or even diamonds. African art was primarily religious, and each community had artisans skilled at producing works that would please the tribal gods.
The center of African life in ancient and modern times is the family. This family often comprised hundreds of members because most Africans consider all individuals who can trace roots to a common ancestor to be family.
Like Native American tribes, there is tremendous diversity among the peoples of West Africa. Some traced their heritage through the father's bloodline, some through the mother's. Some were democratic, while others had a strong ruler. Most African tribes had a noble class, and slavery in Africa predates the written record.
Slavery practiced in Africa before contact with Europeans was very different from the slavery that would eventually be practiced in the United States. The slavery known to Africans prior to European contact did not involve a belief in inferiority of the slaves. In the United States, slavery was primarily based on race. In traditional African slavery, most slaves were captured in war. Although they were legally considered property, slaves were assimilated into the lives of the community where they lived and were often treated as family members by their owners. The children of slaves could not be bought or sold simply because their parents were slaves. Many slaves achieved high honors in their communities, and freedom granted by their owners was not uncommon. Plantation slavery was virtually unknown on the African continent.
The slave trade would bring ruin to West Africa. Entire villages disappeared. Guns and alcohol spread across the continent. Tribes turned against other tribes as the once-fabled empires faded into history.