Mc Graw Hill: Vocabulary Review Africa

extended family

a family made up of several generations

spiritual

a gospel song

sugarcane

a grassy plant that is a natural source of sugar

clan

a group of people descended from the same ancestor

community

a large group with common values living in an area

plateau

an area of high and mostly flat land

adequate

enough to satisfy a need

major

great in rank or importance

similar

having characteristics in common

contact

interaction with other people

unique

one of a kind

dhow

sailboat using wind-catching, triangular sails

oral history

stories passed down from generation to generation

area

the land included within a set of boundaries

Swahili

the unique culture of Africa's East Coast and the language spoken there

convert

to accept a new belief

maintain

to keep in the same state

challenge

to present with difficulties

transport

to transfer or carry from one place to another

matrilineal

tracing family descent through mothers rather than fathers

griot

traditional storytellers

savanna

tropical grasslands dotted with small trees and shrubs