Name
Class
Date
Chapter 5 Early West African Societies
Section 2
HSS 7.4
MAIN IDEAS
1. Family and religion influenced daily life in
early West African society.
2. Iron technology changed life in West
Africa.
3. Trade shaped the history of West Africa.
Students analyze the
geographic, political,
economic, religious, and
social structures of the
sub-Saharan civilizations
of Ghana and Mali in
Medieval Africa.
Key Terms and People
parents, children, and near relatives who all live in one household
animism the belief that bodies of water, animals, trees, and other natural objects
have spirits
extended family
Academic Vocabulary
traditional
customary, time-honored
Section Summary
FAMILIES, RELIGION, AND DAILY LIFE
Thousands of years ago, much of Africa had a wet
climate. But the climate in many areas became drier,
creating desert. People who used to roam freely
had to leave the desert areas. They moved closer
together, settling in villages. At the heart of village
life was family.
A typical West African family was an extended
family. In an extended family, parents, children,
and near relatives all live in one household. In some
areas, men or women born within two to three years
of each other formed age-sets. People in extended
families and age-sets had a duty to help each other.
Traditional West African beliefs reinforce the
importance of the family. Loyalty helped support
village life. Everyone worked hard. The men hunted
and farmed. They grew versatile grains such as
millet and sorghum. The women took care of the
children, farmed, gathered firewood, carried water,
and ground grain.
Underline the sentence that
explains why West African village
life first formed.
Can you name another group that
values the extended family?
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
Chapter 5
30
Interactive Reader and Study Guide
Name
Class
Date
Section 2, continued
Religion was also central to West African life.
Most villagers believed that the spirits of people who
died stayed close to their village. The living would
erect statues in honor of their dead ancestors. They
would also deliver news to the dead ancestors and
offer food to the spirits. Another common belief was
animism, the belief that animals, trees, bodies of
water, and other natural objects have spirits.
TECHNOLOGY AND CHANGE
Over time new discoveries changed West African
culture. The most imporant discovery happened
around 500 BC when West Africans learned how to
make tools out of iron. The first people to use this
technology were the Nok people. The Nok lived in
modern-day Nigeria. They used iron to make
better farm tools to grow more food. With iron
tools, people could cut down trees and make more
land useable for farming. They also used iron to
make stronger weapons. With more resources, the
people had surpluses that they could trade.
TRADE AND WEST AFRICA
At first people had trouble traveling through the
African deserts to trade. Around 200 AD, they
started using camels. Camels could travel a long way
in the desert without needing water. People traded
gold, salt, cloth, and human slaves. Trade routes
went all the way to Europe and to the Islamic world.
Some trading camps, like Timbuktu, grew into
cities. Timbuktu later become the center of an
empire that grew from the riches made from the
trade routes across the Sahara.
Explain very briefly how the
family is central even to West
African religion.
Circle two ways the Nok people
used iron to help their people
grow stronger.
Why were camels well-suited to
desert travel?
CHALLENGE ACTIVITY
Critical Thinking: Drawing Inferences Early West African culture might
seem very different from our modern world. Are there any similarities
between the ways the early West Africans lived and the way you live?
Write a one-page essay explaining your answer. HSS Analysis Skills
CS 1, HI 1
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
Chapter 5
31
Interactive Reader and Study Guide