West African Empires and Griots: Keepers of the Memories
You have been given the incredible honor of becoming a Griot, a
storyteller/poet/musician that are the storehouses of history in West Africa. This is
also a huge responsibility, for it is your duty to pass on the history of the Mali,
Songhai, Hausa, Yoruba Empires, and Benin Empires. Your job is to tell us a
creative, exciting, and historically based story. You will be working with a partner
Griot, so think about how two storytellers can play off of one another and
enhance the story-telling process.
Directions:
1. My topic is________________________, My partner is_________________________.
On your own, please read the page listed with your topic on the back of this sheet. Write a
summary of the important facts of your topic (who, when, what, where):
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
2. Do some research on the topic. You can use the websites I have found, but feel free to use
ones you find. You can find these sites on my website under “file library” and click from there.
Please print out some information for class on Friday (don’t print everything from these sites—
select material that will help you). Have the information that is best highlighted and ready to
use in class.
3. Create your story….you don’t need to tell us EVERYTHING about it—pick important parts to
work into a narrative that will edu-tain us! You can create fictional characters that
experience the history “first hand” OR you can tell the historical facts in an interesting way.
4. Present on Monday. You will have a little time to get organized, but not much. I also want a
hard copy of your story (either hand-written or typed). Practice! Use props!
5. Grading: 15 pts. (3 weights)
Story was exciting, creative, and well told: 5 pts.
Story was historically based and accurate: 10 pts.
Mali:
Sundiata (The
“Lion King”) pg.
415
http://faculty.txwes.edu/csmeller/HumanExperience/ExpData09/03Biee/BieeWRTs/afrR_Sundiata.htm
http://www.pvsd.k12.ca.us/180120521134440680/lib/180120521134440680/_files/53_Literature_LionKing_7th.pdf
Mansa Musa &
his hajj
Pg. 415-16
Mansa Musa as
a leader of Mali
Pg 415-16
http://blackhistorypages.net/pages/mansamusa.php
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/biographies/musa/
The Travels of
Iban Battuta
416-417
The City of
Timbuktu
Songhai:
Sunni Ali Pg. 417
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/biographies/battuta/
http://www.islamfortoday.com/ibnbattuta01.htm
http://africa.mrdonn.org/mansamusa.html
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/biographies/musa/
http://www.timbuktufoundation.org/history.html
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/119
http://blackhistorypages.net/pages/sunnialiber.php
http://www.africanlegends.info/
http://www.africawithin.com/hpi/hp14.htm
Askia Muhammad Pg. 417
Hausa:
Reign of Queen Amina pg. 418
http://www.bookrags.com/biography/askia-muhammadture/
http://www.cwo.com/~lucumi/songhai.html
http://blackhistorypages.net/pages/amina.php
http://www.whenweruled.com/articles.php?lng=en&pg=11
http://www.cwo.com/~lucumi/amina.html
Hausa City States/ Zazzau and the slave
http://www.blackpast.org/?q=gah/hausa-city-states
trade pg. 417-418
Yoruba:
Divine Kings and secret
http://www.mesacc.edu/dept/d10/asb/africa/yoruba/yoruba.html
societies pg. 418
http://www.artsconnected.org/resource/93728/king-s-crown-adenla
Ifo/Oyo Kingdoms pg. 418-19
Benin:
The Oba and
their artists pg.
419
Arrival of the
Portuguese
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Oyo_Empire
http://www.historytoday.com/blog/first-impressions/kathrynhadley/kingdom-ife
http://www.britishmuseum.org/PDF/british_museum_benin_art.pdf
http://www.forafricanart.com/Benin_african_art.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/10chapter4.shtml
Mali:
Sundiata
Mansa Musa as leader/his empire,
Mansa Musa’s hajj,
Timbuktu,
Ibn Battuta travels
Songhai:
Sunni Ali’s rise to power/his military,
Askia Muhammad’s empire,
Hausa:
Reign of Queen Amina,
Zazzau and the slave trade
Yoruba:
Divine Kings/secret society,
Ifo/Oyo Kingdoms
Benin:
art/artists
Portuguese arrival