World History - 1500

"Come to Niani"

"Come to Niani" is a reference to one of the last pages in the epic tale of Sundiata that perfectly describes a tribute empire. A tribute empire is an empire that makes few demands of the people, so long as they pay taxes and give money to the capital city. In Sundiata, it says "Come to Niani," if you want gold, silver, and many other resources that aren't local to Niani. This is because of the large expanse of land that the Empire of Mali covered, of which Niani was the capital of.

Constitution of Medina

622 CE. Agreement formalizing Muhammad's role/relationship with the tribes of Medina. One of the earliest constitutions, and the earliest form of Islamic government. It established a rule of law. There are verses from the Constitution Medina in the Quran that to some seem like validation to fight in self defense, but others have translated this as an excuse to kill anyone who doesn't practice Islam. This lays the groundwork for a lot of misinterpretation, and is the root cause of problems between Shia and Sunni Muslims.

Comsopolitanism

A Cosmopolitan Society is a society where people with different backgrounds, beliefs, and ways of life live together and intermix their lifestyles. The people of a cosmopolitan society form a mutual respect with one another and develop an appreciation for each others different ways of life. In a cosmopolitan society, cultural differences are seen as a positive thing that can bring people together, instead of a negative thing that can tear people apart. Different contributions are brought to the society from many different places, some near and some far. The opposite of a cosmopolitan society is a parochial society, which is where local concerns are of primary interest, and there is a lack of curiosity and welcoming of foreign ideas and people.

Soumaoro Kante

A great sorcerer king, and Sundiata's primary antagonist. The sorcerer king of Sosso and Sundiata's adversary. Sundiata must defeat Soumaoro Kanté in order to fulfill his destiny and unite Mali. Soumaoro Kanté keeps many fetish objects, including the heads of kings he has killed, and he wears shoes made from human skin. The narrator indicates that he used the power of evil jinn to develop his own power, and the power made him feel invincible. He has little regard for tradition and propriety, and he is extremely cruel to his subjects. Sundiata creates the Mali Empire by defeating him.

Ngaga

A person who has access to spell casting powers.

"The Edge or the The Center"

A reading about the Swahili Coast. The author Connah says that the evidence of TIW and mud/wood buildings show that Africans from the interior of Africa migrated to the east coast and brought their lifestyle with them. They built urban centers on the Swahili coast, and and became a center of trade.

Universal Religion

A universal religion is correct everywhere for everyone at all times no matter where you are, as opposed to particularistic religions that change based on what town or region you are in. Universal Religions are monotheistic, are started by one person who is generally male, and has sacred texts. They are very mobile and often offer a larger community. One example of a universal religion is Islam. The first of Islam's five pillars is the declaration of faith. One must say, "there is no god but Allah and Muhammed is his messenger." Muhammad is the single founder of Islam and it has the Qur'an as its' sacred text.

Timbuktu

After Mansa Musa returned from his hajj to Mecca, he brought Muslim Scholars with him back to Timbuktu. This turned it into a major university center. If a family was wealthy, they would send their sons to Timbuktu to study and get educated. This showed that they were a high class family. Ex. Abdul Rahman was sent there from Futa Jallon.

The night journey

After falling asleep in Mecca, Muhammad was transported on a metaphysical journey to Jerusalem. He established Jerusalem as the sacred city of Islam, a place of devotion and pilgrimage. This change is the reason for modern issues between Israel and Palestinians in Jerusalem. On his night journey, Muhammad met with past prophets. They offered him wine, water, or milk and he chooses milk to show that he wants to choose the balanced, middle path in life. He takes the celestial ladder to the 7 heavens and speaks to God. God orders that Muslims must do the 5 daily prayers. This journey showed that Muhammad was ready to leave behind tribal life and fully commit to being a prophet.

The Three Tests

An African folk tale. A man travels to an island and finds that the fruit seeds on the island reproduce instantly when they hit the ground. He takes it back to his mainland and tries to show it off, but finds it does not work when taken off the island. He is imprisoned. All of his brothers try to prove him right but fail. His youngest brother goes to multiple islands in order to prove him right. On each island he trades with the inhabitants of that island for incense. He is told that the seeds will only work their magic in special soil, so he takes the soil and see back to the island. With the incense he was gifted he performs hard tasks in order to win the princess and his brothers freedom. Shows an example of cosmopolitanism.

Patriarchy in ancient Africa

Ancient Africa was a patriarchal society. It was a society that was ruled by men, in which women had no power. Women were seen as a commodity, and even infant daughters were given away to settle debts. Polygamy was accepted, but only men could have multiple wives, not the other way around. Additionally, when men wanted to marry a woman, they had to pay a bride price, and often a dowry came with the bride. It still exists today.

Chattel Slavery

Chattel slavery is slavery where a person is enslaved forever and his children and his children's children are enslaved for life. This is the type of slavery that was prevalent in America. Only if someone was freed from slavery were they actually free. Otherwise, they were the slave owner's property for life. Even though Chattel slavery was not found in Africa, the slave trade brought an influx of guns into the African continent, and soon many tribes were capturing Africans of other tribes and selling them to European slave traders for money and weapons.

Mecca

City in western Arabia; birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, and ritual center of the Islamic religion. Mecca was a huge trading city before Muhammed was born. Mecca was controlled by a large merchant group called the Quraysh, who eventually forced Muhammed and his followers to flee from Mecca out of fear for their lives. People now travel to Mecca to complete the Hajj at the site of the Kaaba, which is the most sacred site in the religion of Islam.

Gedi, Shanga, Kilwa

City states on the Swahili Coast.

Slavery in Africa

Distinctive from slavery in the Americas. Slavery in the medieval world was not based on color and was not "permanent"

Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita

Donna Beatriz Kimpa Vita was a woman who was a part of the Empire of Kongo. She had 2 failed marriages, and when she was fatally ill, she had a vision of Saint Anthony coming into her head and possessing her. She was immediately healed, and over the course of her life, she received two visions from the Virgin Mary. The first one told her that Jesus was angry with the Kongolese for not taking back Sao Salvador, to repent, say "Hail Mary" 3 times, and to ultimately be happy. The second revelation that she received told her that Bethlehem was actually Sao Salvador and that Jesus, Joseph, and Mary were in fact Kongolese. She preached that everyone should worship Saint Anthony and that she was the most important of the Saints. Even though she was not married, she became pregnant three times. The first two times she was able to abort the pregnancies, but the third time there was not hiding her pregnancy. She was eventually burned as a heretic by the Capuchin Monks.

Mansa Musa

Emperor of the kingdom of Mali in West Africa. He traveled to Mecca to complete the pilgrimage in 1324. This surprised many people because he was not considered to be the most religious person. However, on his trip, he made a stop in Alexandria. During his stay in Alexandria, he gave away so much gold that he caused inflation that took almost a decade to recover from. This could have started the myth that African cities are made of gold, which might have led to the colonization of Africa. Mansa Musa brought back many Muslim Scholars and turned Timbuktu into a college city where people from all across the known world came to study language, philosophy, and mathematics

Kingdom of Ghana

First of the great medieval trading empires of western Africa (7th - 13th century). Located in what is now southeastern Mauritania and part of Mali, it acted as intermediary between Arab and Berber salt traders to the north and gold and ivory producers to the south. It was a tribute kingdom in west Africa with particularistic religious practices,

Qur'an

Holy book of Islam, entails the revelations that were revealed to Muhammad by Allah.

Ibn Battuta

Ibn Battuta is the Marco Polo of the African continent. Ibn Battuta was a Muslim scholar who traveled around the known world and observed many different cities and civilizations. Over the course of his life, from 1304-1368, traveled through much of the Muslim world, and after his travels, wrote down his observations in a book. In the excerpt that we read in class, he looked at how religious the region was, and what he thought was good, and what was bad in that region.

"People of the book"

Islamic term referring to Jews, Christians, and Sabiens. The Quran uses the term in reference to Jews, Christians and Sabians in a variety of contexts, from religious polemics to passages emphasizing community of faith between those who possess monotheistic scriptures. The term was later extended to other religious communities that fell under Muslim rule. More often, reflecting the refusal of Jews and Christians in Muhammad's environment to accept his message, the Quran stresses their inability to comprehend the message they possess but do not put into practice and to appreciate that Muhammad's teaching fulfills that message.

Khadija

Khadija was Muhammed's first wife, and his first convert to Islam. One significance of this is that Khadija was actually older than Muhammed and she asked him to marry her, which was very uncommon in that society. Khadija was a very powerful women even before her marriage to Muhammed. They were married for 21 years. Khadija was a widow merchant, who inherited a large merchant business from her late husband.

Massiran of Mema

King of Mema, saw Sundiata as courageous and bold. Mentored Sundiata, and was key in his success in defeating Soussoma and creating the Empire of Mali.

Manyikeni Mapungubwe

Manyikeni is a Mozambican archaeological site. Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest.

Dahomey

Modern nation state of Benine. In early 1700s, was the kingdom on Dahomey. After 1650, there was a shift where Africans started enslaving other Africans. The King in the 1720s created the the port city of Ouidan and it became a slave port/market. This caused an influx of guns into the area, and sparked a cycle of warfare.

Farewell sermon

Muhammad's first and last hajj to Mecca. He gave an emotional farewell sermon to a vast crowd of his followers. In his speech, he summarized what he and his followers had achieved in his lifetime. He stressed that all humans are one, and that we are here to get to know each other, not to fight.

Gustavus Vaasa/ Olaudah

Olaudah Equiano, known in his lifetime as Gustavus Vassa, was a writer and abolitionist from the Igbo region of what is today southeastern Nigeria according to his memoir, or from South Carolina according to other sources. Same person as Equiano. Wrote African tale we read.

Ka'ba/Hajj

One of the Five Pillars of Islam requires every Muslim who is able to do so to perform the Hajj at least once in their lifetime. Walk seven times around the Kaaba in a counter-clockwise direction. The significance of it is it's the holiest site in the Islam religion.

Ndoki

Person who casts spells.

Abdul Rahman

Prince of Futa Jallon. On his way back to Futa Jallon, he and his army were ambushed and he was kidnapped and sold into slavery. He worked as a slave for Thomas Foster in Mississippi for 40 years. He was of great use to Foster and his knowledge of cotton allowed Foster to make a large profit. He had a wife and kids on the plantation and when he was granted his freedom, he could only afford for him and his wife to be free at first. Abdul gained the attention of the American people in the 1828 presidential election, and his story became a scandal in the election. The Free Blacks of Boston aided him in freeing a few of his kids, but not all. He eventually returned to Africa, only to die four months later.

Particularistic Religions

Religions opposite of universal religions. Multiple deities, and the deities have power only in that region, for that particular tribe/group. Universal religions generally come out of particularistic religions

Sassouma

Sassouma is a character in the epic tale Sundiata. She is the first wife of Sundiata's father Maghan Kon Fatta, and the mother of Dankaran Touman. Sassouma does not like Sundiata or his mother, Sogolon. From the day that Sogolon married Maghan Kon Fatta, Sassouma hated her and was jealous of the attention that she received. After Maghan Kon Fatta's death, Sassouma is able to act as a more powerful figure in the kingdom. She goes against Maghan Kon Fatta's wishes of putting Sundiata in power and instead puts Dankaran Touman in power. Since he is so young, Sassouma is able to make all of the decisions for him. Sassouma also exerts her evil power on Sogolon and Sundiata. She banishes them to live in the garden behind the castle, and tries to have the town witches kill Sundiata. Overall, Sassouma is an example of an evil political leader because she uses her power for evil. Although she is not a good person, she is still an example of a woman defying gender roles at the time because she is able to rule in her husband's place and never remarry.

Slave Trade and demographics

Slave trade became a thing in Africa when social hierarchy became evident. Slavery in Africa, although bad, was nothing compared to slavery in the Americas. Slaves in Africa were still seen as people, and were often not slaves for life. When the Atlantic Slave Trade became a thing, Africans sold other Africans as a way to receive guns from Europeans. This caused many problems in Africa, such as an increase of slavery inside Africa, an increase in mortality, a decrease in fertility, and an increase in polygamy.

Equiano

Story of an African mans life, starting in his childhood when he was kidnapped and sold into slavery and then traces through his life as a slave inside Africa to when he was sold into the Atlantic Slave Trade. His village was very negatively impacted by slave trade. The kids were all trained in warfare to be able to fight off kidnappers, and when the kids would play outside together one child would stake out in a tree and keep look out for kidnappers. In Africa, he was a slave but was not treated very badly and still had human rights. Even when he ran away from his masters, when he chose to return he was not badly punished. When he was sold into the Atlantic Slave Trade, he experienced brutal treatment in both the middle passage and as a slave in the Americas where he experienced chattel slavery.

Sundiata

Sundiata was the son of Sogolon, as a child he was crippled and could not walk. As a result of this him and his mother received constant ridicule. One day after many attempts he could miraculously walk. During this time period he became a natural born leader among his peers, not long after the growing resent of his step-mother Sassouma resulted in him and his family being exiled. During his exile won the admiration of the King of Mema for his courage. He gained a senior position in Mema, soon after messengers were sent to him asking him to take back his homeland. As prophesied he was able to defeat the Sosso King and become the first emperor of Mali.

Sogolon

Sundiata's mother, and the second wife of Maghan Kon Fatta. Sogolon, who was prophesied to birth a great ruler, is exceptionally wise and ugly. She has a hump on her back, and is known as the buffalo woman. While she initially cried and resisted her marriage to Maghan Kon Fatta, she soon accepted her role as a wife and mother. She does whatever she can to protect Sundiata, including voluntarily taking him and her other children into exile. She consistently reminds Sundiata of his destiny, and she is a wise and devoted mother. Hated by Sogolon.

Nana Triban

Sundiata's sister. Her escape showed that Soumaoro was defeated. She helped give Sundiata intel on the situation.

TIW

TIW is the kitchen utensils and pottery that were found in Eastern Swahili states originally. The TIW is older than Islamic evidence, disproving the British misconception that the Arab influence is what "civilized" Eastern Africa. The pottery used to make TIW is older than Islamic influence, and traces can be found earlier than the TIW found on the Eastern African coast, in more central and even West Africa, which is evidence that this is technology that traveled through the Bantu Migration.

Bantu migrations

The Bantu migration began in 500 BCE. The Bantu people slowly migrated to Central Africa, over time this migration led down the coast of East Africa. The migration most likely took place as a result of farmland overuse.

Swahili Coast

The East Coast of Africa. Composed of many city states. The proof of early civilization in these city states showed that Africans came from the interior of Africa and formed the Swahili Coast, which disproved the belief many historians held that Arabs formed the Swahili Coast. The Swahili coast was a major center for trade, especially the trade of gold. The city states are good examples of cosmopolitan societies. Religious syncretism is evident here because many people mixed Islam with particularistic religions of the region.

Mosque at Jenne

The Great Mosque is located in the city of Djenné, Mali on the flood plain of the Bani River. The first mosque on the site was built in the 13th century. The Great Mosque of Djenné is the largest mud brick building in the world and is considered by many architects to be the greatest achievement of the Sudano-Sahelian architectural style, albeit with definite Islamic influences.

Igboland

The Igbo people are an ethnic group native to the present-day south-central and southeastern Nigeria. Geographically, the Igbo homeland is divided into two unequal sections by the Niger River - an eastern and a western section. The Igbo people are one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa. Equiano in the African Tale was from Igboland.

Tale of the old woman

The Tale of the Old Woman was written 1,000 years ago by the Bonde people, who now live in Tanzania. It is a cautionary tale that showed women of the time what happened if you did not listen to your husband. The Bonde had a sexual division of labor and were a patriarchal society. This tale demonstrates that sexual division of labor and patriarchal society seen in many places in Africa at the time.

Kindoki

The ability to cast spells.

Syncretism

The blending of beliefs and practices of a universal religion with particularistic religions of that local area, generally with the expanse of universal religions. An example of syncretism is the the blending of religions that are seen in Sundiata.

Five Pillars of Islam

The five pillars of Islam are the five most important steps that every Muslim must take in order to properly practice Islam. The first pillar of Islam is a declaration to monotheism. Muslims must believe that Allah is the true God, and they must only worship him. The second pillar of Islam is that Muslims must pray the proper way, which is five times a day facing towards Mecca. The third pillar of Islam is that you must participate and fast during Ramadan. The fourth pillar of Islam is that you must give to charity in order to help those in need. The fifth pillar of Islam is that if you can, you must make the pilgrimage to Mecca and circle the Kaaba. If you practice and fulfil all five pillars of Islam, it shows that you are truly devoted to the religion.

Beer in Mesopotamia

The growth of barley is what prompted Mesopotamia to become the birthplace of the agricultural revolution. For many years, experts believed that the people who lived during this era domesticated barley and used it to make bread. It turns out that when barley was domesticated in Mesopotamia in the year 9000 BC, it was actually used to make beer and not bread. Proof of this lies in the fact that jugs from the Mesopotamian era that contained beer residue found and dated back to 3,000 years before anyone made bread at the time. Beer was accidentally made at first, but the intoxicating effects that it brought on caused a need for more barely. This had a domino effect and caused the agricultural revolution to spiral. Some historians believe in a theory called the "Barley for Beer Theory" that links the invention of beer to the invention and development of math, writing, technology, tools, and irrigation.

Jihad

The holy war. A verse in the Qur'an that modern day terrorists use to justify killings and violence.

The Hijra

The migration or journey of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Yathrib, later renamed by him to Medina, in the year 622.

Middle Passage

The sea journey undertaken by slave ships from West Africa across the Atlantic Ocean to the West Indies and Americas. Slaves endured brutal treatment on ships while going through the middle passage. They were often stuffed into crowded rooms below the main deck of the ship with many other slaves. They had no sunlight, no bathrooms, and no access to clean water or food. Diseases spread easily, and many people died before ever making it to the Americas.

Atlantic Slave Trade

The shipment of slaves from Africa across the Atlantic to the west indies and Americas. Went through the middle passage where they experienced horrible living conditions, and then were thrown into chattel slavery in the Americas. The Atlantic Slave trade was the only way for Africans to obtain firearms, which is why there was more trade of Africans into slavery by other Africans. This also led to more slavery within Africa. The trade of slaves greatly influenced the world's economy.

Neolithic Era

The time of the agricultural revolution. Refers to the deliberate cultivation of specific plants and the taming and breeding of specific animals. Humans were no longer just using what they found in nature, but were actively changing nature. They domesticated plants and animals which created a mutual dependence between them. Many plants and animals could not survive without human action/protection, and many farmers depended on their domesticated plants/animals because their old hunter gatherer techniques could no longer sustain human life.

Thomas Foster

Thomas Foster was Abdul Rahman's slave master. He was a smart business man and capitalized off of Abdul's knowledge of cotton. Abdul worried about Foster growing old because he was worried of Foster's children taking over the plantation and Abdul's kids being under his power and never getting freed.

Antonian Movement

Was a syncretic Christian new religious movement formed in the Kingdom of Kongo between 1704 and 1706 as a development within the Roman Catholic Church in Kongo. Its founder was a young charismatic woman named Beatriz Kimpa Vita who said she was possessed by Saint Anthony of Padua. Beatriz became known for healing and other miracles. It was eventually suppressed by King Pedro IV of Kongo, and Dona Beatriz was burned at the stake as a heretic.

Empire of Mali

Was an empire in West Africa from 1230 to 1670. The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita and became renowned for the wealth of its rulers, especially Mansa Musa. It was the largest empire in West Africa and profoundly influenced the culture of West Africa through the spread of its language, laws and customs.

River Valley Civilizations

a type of civilization that developed near or around a major river and considered the earliest known large human civilizations. Around 3500 B.C.E Ex. Mesopotamia

Kumasi

the capital of the Asante people; regional capital in modern Ghana

Golden Stool

the legendary symbol of the Asante people, created by Osei Tutu and Anokye. The golden stool was the national symbol of the Asante people, equivalent to the bald eagle in America. The Asante people were unique in that rather than being defined by their language group or their ethnicity. Instead, they identified as Asante, and they were unified as a nation.