West Africa by Katie

West Africa
Katie

Ghana was a very prosperous city in West Africa. Ghana was founded by the Soninke tribe, and the Soninke knew how to make tools out of iron (this was considered a feat, since we are talking about ancient times). Gold was very important to Ghana, since Ghana’s power rested on trade. Gold was Ghana’s main export, which they traded for salt. Slaves were sold, and slaves tended to be other Africans. The brighter side, though, is that most slaves could buy or earn their freedom. In 1235, Ghana was conquered by invaders from Mali, and Islam was introduced to the Soninke.
Religion played a very important role for the people of Ghana. Before Islam was introduced to Ghana, their religion had a Creator and different gods and goddesses. They believed that all things had spirits, and they believed in their ancestors’s spirits and prayed to them. Everyday activities such as farming were considered religious practices.
The people of Ghana were talented musicians, and call-and-response was a popular form of music. Celebratory dances could go on for days. Stories were very significant to the West Africans, and the stories they told often contained morals. Proverbs were important as well.
Mansa Musa, the ruler of Mali, traveled around and gave gold to people. In doing so, he basically got himself (and Ghana) the title of one of the greatest empires of Africa. The Emperor protected salt and gold trade, and started taxing people who wanted to trade.
As you can see, Ghana can easily be called one of the most prosperous cities in Ancient West Africa.

The people of Ghana had a starch-dominated diet. Spices such as chiles, Cubeb peppers, grains of paradise, and Ashanti peppers were used frequently in dishes to spice up the meals. The West Africans ate various stews, and since bread was rare, starches that could be found were used in the stews. The main grains that were used were Millet and sorghum. Rice, wheat, and beans, weren’t as common as Millet and sorghum, but they were still more common than bread. A great crop was a cereal called fonia, and fonia was an exceptional crop because it didn’t die in times of drought. Also, red palm and peanut oil were good sources of fat. Basically, the West Africans ate lots of seasoned starches.

In Ancient West Africa, there was no wheeled transportation. Instead, when pack animals were available, they were used for transporting things. Often times, camels were used for delivering food and clothing. Most of the time, West Africans simply walked where they needed to go. There are two theories for why the West Africans didn’t have wheeled transportation; either just out of simply not investing time into research for creating wheeled transportation, or it was just considered economically useless.

The people of West Africa had many different pastimes. Many of these pastimes were considered fine arts. People often wrote poems, sang various songs of praise, danced, told stories, created pottery and art, and wove. The people of West Africa were very artistic.

The people of Ghana may have had very simple homes, but were very affective in the hot, arid climate of the desert. They lived in houses called “Togo huts.” Togo huts were cone shaped, had poles, and could often be described as mud cylinders. The roof was gabbled, and was in the shape of a pyramid. Despite the simpleness of the Togo hut, it proved to be a great house for people who lived in a scorching environment.

The Ancient West Africans had a very effective government. Each village governed itself, and clan government was based on family ties. Sometimes the heads of the government of the village were the village elders, while others it could’ve been the chief. In either situation, the heads of the village made decisions for their village, but the village’s inhabitants could also voice their opinion before a new law was issued.
In the government, the Osu Caste System was used. The Osu System came from the original people’s religious beliefs. This system discriminated against “the ‘Osus’ people as ‘owned by deities’ and outcasts.” Other systems in other parts of the country divided people by jobs and ethnic ties. For example, the Mande System calls jonow slave castes as subordinate. Another example includes the Wolof Caste System in Senegal, which divided people into three groups; the Geer (freeborn and noblemen), the Jaam (slaves and slave descendants), and the Neeno (outcasts).
As you can probably tell, the West Africans may have had a complex government, but it must have worked very well because of its outcome...

Earning the title as one of the Greatest African Empires.