M8L3 Day 2: Kingdoms and Slave Trade

Module 8 Lesson 3: Eastern and Central African History

Start

Kingdom of Ndongo and Matamba

1624 CE

Kingdom of Axum

100 CE

Atlantic Slave Trade

1500 CE

The Bantu People

3000 BCE

Objectives

In this lesson you will learn about the Bantu People of Africa, the Kingdoms of Axum and Ndongo and Matamba, as well as the Atlantic Slave Trade. Click on the images in chronological order from the timeline to learn about each one!

Click the photo to see more images of Bantu cultures!

The Bantu People are the ancestors of most people in Eastern and Central Africa today!

• Around 4,000 years ago, a group of people from western Africa known as the Bantu moved south and east across Africa.

• The Bantu migration is one of the most imporant movements in African history as they branched into the many cultural groups that make up sub-Saharan Africa.

• These groups shaped the culture of this region, as they spoke related languages, held similar spiritual beliefs, and had a social structure with chiefs or elders leading tribes of extended family groups.

Click the photo to see more images of the Kingdom of Axum!

• The Kingdom of Axum (also spelled Aksum) was the most powerful and wealthy civilization in East Africa and played a major role in trade, culture, and religion from the 100s CE to 500s CE.
• The Kingdom of Axum traded valuable items such as ivory from elephant tusks, gold, and salt with places as far away as Europe!
• Axum's kings were known for building large carved stones called stelae.
• The stelae served a religous purpose, as Christianity was the official religion of Axum and they helped spread it through Africa.
• We will see in our next lesson that this region will be one of the only areas NOT colonized by Europeans.

The Kingdom of Axum is the predecessor of modern day Ethiopia.

Hint:

Remember, valuable resources such as diamonds, gold, minerals, coffee, and more can be found in Africa. Foreigners, such as Europeans, begin arriving in Africa to trade for these items. However, this is where the trouble begins.

For centuries before the European slave trade began, Arab traders captured slaves from eastern Africa on a smaller scale. The Portuguese arrived in Central Africa in the late 1400s, looking to expand trade, and other European powers soon followed. By the 1500s, Europeans had moved on to capturing free people in Africa and forcing them to live as slaves in the Americas. The Atlantic slave trade caused great and lasting harm to Central and eastern Africa. Tribal communities helped capture people from neighboring cultures and sell them to the Europeans.

The Atlantic Slave Trade

Many African leaders chose to cooperate with the European slave trade to prevent their own people from being captured. This led to violence, war, and sometimes deep ethnic hatred between neighboring groups of people. Stable governments collapsed, and life became unsafe for everyone — both those who became slaves and those forced to live in the chaos left behind.

Can you think of any other impacts the Atlantic Slave Trade had on Africa?

The Atlantic Slave Trade directly leads to European Colonization.

When the slave trade ended, much of Africa was in chaos. Europeans used this to their advantage, and colonized Africa. The word colonized means to take over land from another group of people and build permanent settlements.We are going to discuss colonization and its impacts in tomorrow's lesson! However, today we are going to learn about one last kingdom in Eastern Africa. The ruler of this kingdom did everything in her power to stop the slave trade from reaching her empire, and halt European colonization efforts. Go back to the main timeline to learn our last portion of Central and East African History!

This is the Kingdom of Ndongo and Matamba located in present day Angola.

She is known for her strong leadership and resistance against Portuguese colonization. When the Portuguese tried to take control of her kingdom, Queen Nzinga fought back bravely, using smart military strategies (such as using knowledge of the terrain to her advantage) and alliances with other African kingdoms to strengthen her power.Nzinga was a fierce opponent of the Portuguese slave trade, which was an important part of Portugal's colonization efforts. She worked to protect her people from being enslaved and keep their kingdom independent.

Queen Nzinga Mbande ruled the Kingdom of Ndongo and Matamba from 1624-1663 after the death of her brother.

Click on the Wonderopolis article to read more about Queen Nzinga. (Paragaphs 6-9)

Exit Ticket (Hint: you will see this question again on a test!)

The Bantu people's diet consisted of foods such as yams, plantains, beans, maize (similar to corn), okra, onions, melons, fish, and meats such as beef and pork. Develop a recipe using at least 3 of the above mentioned ingredients. How would you prepare your dish? What would you call it? (If you need inspiration: Bantu cultures ate a lot of stews!)

Optional Enrichment Activity

Beads and other forms of jewelry are common in Bantu cultures, often symbolizing achievements. In many Bantu cultures, clothing is brightly colored and may include patterns that represent the wearer's cultural identity.