I have conducted research on African society and cultural development. Africa is the second largest continent by size and number. The country holds up to nine territories and 54 countries. I found that prior of what is known as the Iron Age that majority of the people of this time which was known as the San and they were nomadic and survived by hunting and gathering. The Iron Age is the last of the chain in the aging archeological system.
Things that were going on during this time were spreaded around this country about 500 B.C. pretty quickly. In this Country the nomads were in good hands because the citizens of this small population protected food and other items from invasion and migration. The khoi people were citizens who gathered the animals and did some hunting. Today in Africa, the ancestors of the Khoi and San people still live off of hunting and gathering. In Africa the tradition of hunting and gathering, the men hunt and the women collect roots and plants.
Farming began when people started thinking smarter so instead of hunting and gathering they started keeping the plants and animals for farm produce.
In Africa from conducting my research I found that Most of the African society is derived from the writing of other foreign minorities. African cities started out as strong villages and grew into much bigger communities to serve many purposes. The town was centered on the government and a market with goods from trade. They also became creative and had artist create pottery, tools, woodwork, and other crafts. Plants and animals allowed the people in this country to slow down and form communities and villages which later led to cities to form the creation of towns, cities and much more. Then this is when trade and politics are brought into the picture. So for example, if one group creates too many necessities such as Maize and trade for something that is wanted or needed. Other things were formed because of farming such as pottery to make containers to store food items and more.
Farmers also brought their crops into town for trade. In Africa the Older people of the family holds priority over the families. Also mothers hold big roles as well. The community is much more than one family. This country works together to provide for each other. In Africa they go off of the saying “It takes a village to raise a child”.
In this country, when each child is born they have a celebration with a feast. The Children are given their name based on the family history. In Africa the grandparents are the head of the families. The Father of the family provides and make sure that the family has any and everything that they need and also he has a special task by coordinating the wedding for the daughters. The Uncle and Aunts of the family help make sure that the children have everything and help break-up the confusion of family members.
African Follow certain rules. In Africa they believe that a good person earn more than just money, they believe that whatever they talk about is what the child should tell the next day. They also believe what my parents believe, don’t try to sweep someone else’s dirt if yours is not clean. Also in Africa to get your best wisdom, is to learn at your grandfather’s feet or at the end of the stick. In Africa, the family is like a forest.
If you are outside you don’t have no knowledge and if you are inside you know the position of each tree. From doing my research you can tell what means the most to Africans as well as the rich history and tradition. This originated from Kenya, Ethiopia, and Nigeria.
In African societies, the ruler speaks with much power. The king is held as a high a priority in their country. Because the king is at the top of the chain, he benefits both sides of the branch besides praying and living there. Uncles in this country are known as junior fathers. Africans share the same religious belief.
They share three different types of religions. They are Traditional Beliefs, Christianity, and Islam. They glorified their love for their ancestors, spirits, gods, animals, land, and more. Besides praying and living there normal life, they sacrificed things in there definition “giving up something that is very precious for any number of reasons including continuing good fortune and avoidance of disaster”.
Each religious group in the African society has its own distinctive, language, culture, and more. There are four ethnic groups in Africa. You have the Arab, Ashanti, Bantu, and Swahili ethnic group. From doing my research Muslim and Christianity make up Arabs dominant religion which is Islam.
The Dominant religion is Islam. From doing research I found that Islam is not a race, it is more of a culture. Arab is divided into urban, rural, and nomad culture and all Arabs is not Muslim. The Ashanti ethnic group is located in Ghana which is located in West Africa. Ashanti’s live in hut’s built around a courtyard.
One special thing about the Ashanti group is that, instead of the husband being the man of the house, the oldest child is the man of the house. It also a combination of religious and supernatural powers. The Bantu lived in small villages managed by a chief, a council, and elders. A good fact about the Bantus is that the late Nelson Mandela was a part of the Bantu group. The Bantus’ believed only in one God. They were the first group who cultivated with animals and planting crops. They were also the founders of iron.
They also believed that a lizard told a man that he was mortal and that man can die. In this country lizards are known as being evil. The Bantus also believe that the spirits of the dead are believed to linger around and influence the world of the living. They are located west of Central Africa. The last group is the Swahili group. This particular group is located on the coast of East Africa.
Most Swahili are Muslim with some normal ways. Most men in this area wear some kind of Jewelry to protect him. In this ethnic group they pray at least 5 times a day, they believe that Allah is the supreme God, giving to charity, and making a pilgrimage to the holy city. Children in this area are required to attend a class called madrassa.
Africa is considered to be one the seven continents with a variety of god’s creations such as deserts, rivers, and mountains. African has six different languages they are Afro- Asiatic, Nile- Saharan, Niger Congo, Khios- San, and Austronesia.
African food is very unique. There food is a variety of a little bit of all cultures such as Asian, European, and more of the traditions and culture. Our ancestors that were slaves brought things such as peas and more from the plantations. Asian helped our culture out by bringing in Soups, and more things to our food chain. Also another country had a great impact on our culture. This country is named Ethiopia.
It introduced us to Coffee. This country is also claimed to be the inventor of coffee. In this country their meals consist of fruits, grains, vegetables, milk and meat products, and also more. Another important factor played a big role in African culture is music. The music represents the strong African tradition and it can be seen throughout the culture of the society. In Africa, telling stories while dancing is all a part of the African music culture.
Music in this country is more than what it seems to be in this country. Music is a key asset in African dance that there is no one single word between the two. In this country when you talk about music you should include dance.
In the Western parts of Africa it means so much more than just having a good time. Music serves a better purpose. In the United States dancing consist of two people. In Africa they dance as individual groups or a community. The music in this country depends on how it is used and not because of the beauty. African music is a vital asset of life in Africa such as naming a child, initiating rights, war times, and more.
In the 1500s was the Beginning of slave labor. During this time period Africans were brought into two major North and South America. When they were brought into these two countries, a variety of dance styles were joined together. As the Africans migrated to the two continents they brought their music and dancing with them to keep their culture and connection alive. The African slaves in the south had much freedom of carrying out dance than the people in the north.
Slave owners in the north didn’t allow them to practice their cultural dance and traditions. As time went on they adapted some kind of way and started their culture and traditions despite of what the slave owner said. But with some of their dances things had to change, instead of raising their feet, they shuffled there feet instead and moved their hips and body. From Doing my Research I have found a lot interesting facts about the society and culture of Africa. The country of Africa has a big impact on the other continents as well as the United States. African Music and some of its culture have derived into the United States.