West African Empires - mr. green's classroom website



West African Empires

Chapter 6, Section 4

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MAIN IDEAS

1. ____________ helped maintain the _____ ________of the cultures of West Africa.

2. Visitors to West Africa from other lands wrote ____________ and ____________ of what they saw there.

3. Traditionally, West Africans have valued the ____________.

STORYTELLERS MAINTAIN ORAL TRADITIONS

• Although cities like Timbuktu and Djenné were known for their universities and libraries, ____________ was not common in West Africa.

• Arabic was the only written language, and those who could read and write it were mainly ____________ and ____________ officials.

• Instead of writing their history, West Africans passed along information about their civilization through ______ ________ in their native languages.

• The task of remembering and telling West Africa’s history was entrusted to storytellers called ____________ (GREE-ohz).

• Griots tried to make their stories ____________.

• They also told ____________, or short sayings of wisdom or truth.

• The griots had to ____________ hundreds of ____________ and dates.

• Some griots confused names and events in their heads, so some stories might became ____________.

• Still, much ____________ could be gained by listening to a griot.

• The histories of ____________ were often told as epic ____________, long poems about kingdoms and heroes.

Recall What are proverbs and what are the intended to do?

Identify Name two West African epic poems and the subject of each.

Make Judgments Why do you think griots were so valued in West African society?

VISITORS WRITE HISTORIES

• Though the West Africans left no written histories, ____________ from other parts of the world did write about the region.

• Much of what we know about early West Africa comes from the writings of travelers and scholars from ____________ lands such as ____________ and ____________.

• Some of these writers include al-Masudi, al-Bakri, Ibn Battutah, and ______ ____________.

Explain How do we know much of the history of early West Africa if the people of West Africa left now written histories?

Identify What did al-Masudi include in his writings on West Africa?

WEST AFRICANS VALUE ARTS

• Besides storytelling, West African cultures considered other art forms, including ____________, mask-making, cloth-making, ____________, and ____________ just as important.

• West African artists made sculptures of people from ____________, brass, clay, ____________, stone, and other materials.

• Some of these images have inspired modern artists like Matisse and ____________.

• West Africans are also known for distinctive mask-making and ____________.

• Particularly prized is the brightly colored ____________ (ken-TAY), a hand-woven cloth that was worn by kings and queens on special occasions.

• In many West African societies, ____________ and ____________ were as important as the visual arts.

• Singing and dancing were great entertainment, but they also helped people celebrate their ____________ and were central to many ____________ celebrations.

Identify What is the best known visual art form of West Africa?

Recall How were masks used in West African culture?

Analyze Why were singing and dancing so important in West Africa?

Close: Discuss the elements of history and art that have had a lasting effect on West Africa. Identify elements that still exist today.

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Lesson Objective:

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