Key Content Terms for Chapter 15
As you complete the Reading Notes, use these terms in your answers.
oral tradition
call and response
griot
terra-cotta
genealogy
appliqué
folktale
kente
SECTION 15.2: West African Oral and Written Traditions
1. Why has oral tradition been so important in West
Africa?
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3. How have West African folktales
become a part of the culture in the
Americas?
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2. What are griots? Why were they important in West
African culture?
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4. How do West African written and oral traditions
influence life today?
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SECTION 15.3: West African Music
1. What functions did music serve in medieval West Africa? ____________________________________________
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2. Describe call-and-response singing. _______________________________________
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© Teachers’ Curriculum Institute
The Cultural Legacy of West Africa
SECTION 15.3: West African Music continued
3. Label each of the following traditional West African instruments by matching their descriptions in your book with
the pictures.
4. How does West African music and dance influence music today? ______________________________________
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SECTION 15.4: West African Visual Arts
1. What functions did visual art serve in West Africa? _________________________________________________
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2. What forms of visual art did West Africans create? _________________________________________________
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3. How has West African visual art influenced modern art and culture? ____________________________________
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© Teachers’ Curriculum Institute
The Cultural Legacy of West Africa