Daily Life & Customs in West Africa

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Life for Africans living in the West African Empires was unimaginable! Their daily life revolved around religion, customs, and music. Early West Africans had a polytheistic belief. They believed in spirits that they thought lived in trees, rivers, mountains, living creature and dwell in the sky and beyond the human world. They also believed in spirits that revealed themselves through a drought or some other natural disaster. West Africans also honored their gods through ancestor worship. West Africans believed and some still do today that their ancestor could talk to the god on their behalf and that their spirit lived on after death. The people believed that the spirits of the dead, especially those who have died recently, are still near them. Food and drink offerings were given to keep those spirits happy. Many villages had diviners who pleased the gods through rituals and dancing. Also, masks were created to look like a person or animal that had died. When a dancer put on the mask, it is believed that he is able to touch the spirit that lived within the mask. West Africa today, practice monotheism. In West Africa, women prepared food, cared for the children, made pottery, worked in the fields, and brought water to the village. Men looked after the large animals such as, camels and cattle. The men also cleared the land for farming and built houses and fences. Children gathered firewood, helped their fathers in finding the flocks and cleaned their homes. West Africans lived and farmed in small villages on riverbanks, on the savanna, or in the rain forests. They grew millet, rice and sorghum. They raised chickens and goats and also fished. Music was an important part of the West African culture. The people would sing and dance with drums and instruments. Music and dance were forms of worship and expression of kinship. Many griots told stories to the children about the gods and how they expect the people to live. When a folk story was performed it was usually done with music. As you can see, early West Africans had a fascinating daily life. Religion, customs and music were a vital part of being a West African. Click here to do crossword Click here to do word search Additional learning resource: http://www.africaszawadi.com/1africa/Lifestyle/customs_traditions/snapshots/dogon.htm BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR THE CURRENT PAGE Textbooks: World History - Medieval and Early Modern Times. Evanston: McDougal Littell, 2006. (150 – 199) Across the Centuries. Boston: Houghton Miifflin Company, 1997. (108 – 153) Dasilva, Benjamin, and Milton Finkelstine. The Afro-American in United States History. New York: Globe Book Company, 1969. (4 -135) Internet Websties: "Mrs. Donns' Lesson Plans and Activities." Daily Life in the Kingdom of Ghana. 27 Feb. 2006 <http://africa.mrdonn.org/ghana.html#Life>. "The Africa Guide." Mali -- People & Culture. 27 Feb. 2006 <http://www.africaguide.com/country/mali/culture.htm>.