Ghana

1
Ghana

• When
• Where
• Leaders
• Religion
• Trade
• Decline

2
When

• Around 300 a group of farmers banded together for
  protection called Soninke
• They expanded- towns and villages formed
• Used iron for weapons/ tools

3
Where

• Ancient Ghana was in north West Africa
• Between the Niger and Senegal Rivers

4
Leaders

• 1068 Ghana reached its peak under king Tunka
  Manin
• He decorated himself and his court in gold and
  luxuries
• Kings conquered nearby trade centers- made Ghana
  richer

A golden stool from Ghana
5
Religion

• Ancestor worship
• Animism (the story of Bida the snake)
• Ghana came in contact with Islam through trade
  and Muslim conquerors

6
Myth of Bida the Snake

• The wealth of Ancient Ghana is explained through
  the story of Bida, the black snake. This snake
  demanded an annual sacrifice in return for
  keeping Ghana rich.

7
Myth of Bida the Snake

• Every year a girl was sacrificed, until one year,
  the girl was rescued by her fiancé. Cheated of
  his sacrifice, Bida took his revenge on the
  region. A terrible drought took hold of Ghana and
  gold mining fell into decline.

8
Trade

• Ghana sat between the Sahara to the north (salt)
  and forests to the south (gold) crossroads
  location for trade
• used silent barter- trade without talking
• Controlled trade routes by 800
• Made traders pay taxes

Major Ancient African Trade Routes
9
Silent Barter

• Kept gold mine locations secret
• How did it work?
• Salt traders left salt slabs by riverbed, beat a
  drum and step away
• Gold traders arrive, leave a fair amount of gold,
  beat a drum and step away
• If the salt miners were happy with the amount of
  gold they took it, beat drum, and left
• The gold traders then took the salt

10
Taxes

• Rulers wanted to make money from traders passing
  through
• Traders pay taxes coming in and out of Ghana
• Rulers also made conquered tribes pay taxes
• Only kings could have gold nuggets- everyone else
  got gold dust!

African gold dust box
11
Ghanas Decline

• Muslim tribe- the Almoravids- invaded, cut off
  trade routes in Ghana
• Muslims brought animals and overgrazed the land
  little farm land left
• In 1200, people living in a country ruled by
  Ghana rebelled,
• took over, and
• weakened Ghana

12
Questions

• Why was salt so valuable in West Africa?
• a. Salt was important for religious ceremonies.
• b. Salt was used as a fertilizer for crops.
• c. Salt was an important trade item.
• d. Salt was used as a medicine against disease.

13
Questions

• The griots of Africa used oral tradition to
• Pass down their histories by
• translating and teaching the Sunnah.
• writing and printing manuscripts.
• composing and carving hieroglyphics.
• reciting proverbs and telling stories.

14
Questions

• How did West Africans find iron?

15
Questions

• How did the silent barter system work?

16
Questions

• Why did they use silent barter?

17
Questions

• Who was Tunka Manin?

18
Questions

• What 3 things led to the decline of Ghana?