Storytelling and the Arts of West Africa

Section 3 Standards-Based Section 3 Storytelling and the Arts of West Africa Standards at a Glance Students have read about the rich scholarly tradition of West Africa. Here, the focus is on the oral traditions and music, dance, and art in the culture of West African societies. Section Focus Question How were the culture and traditions of West Africa preserved and spread? Before you begin the lesson, write the Section Focus Question on the board. (Lesson focus: Oral traditions and the arts thrived in West Africa. They passed on culture and traditions from one generation to the next.) Prepare to Read Build Background Knowledge Ask students to brainstorm for some ways that we can learn about past civilizations that did not have writing skills. (through oral tradition, art, music, and material culture) Have students share any examples of oral traditions that they know. (Answers will vary, but should reflect student s understanding of what oral tradition is.) Set a Purpose Read each statement in the Reading Readiness Guide aloud. Ask students to mark the statements true or false. Reading Readiness Guide, p. 41 Have students discuss the statements in pairs or groups of four, then mark their worksheets again. Use the Idea Wave technique (TE p. T38) to call on students to share their group s perspectives. The students will return to these worksheets later. H-SS 7.4.5 Describe the importance of written and oral traditions in the transmission of African history and culture. E-LA Reading 6.2.4 Clarify an understanding of texts by creating outlines, logical notes, summaries, or reports. E-LA Writing 7.1.3 Use strategies of notetaking, outlining, and summarizing to impose structure on composition drafts. West Africans passed on their history and culture through stories and oral history. 166 Chapter 6 West African Civilization Universal Access Reading Preview Reading Skill Summarize Sections Once you know how to outline and summarize small blocks of text, you have the tools to summarize larger blocks of text. Use headings and subheadings to identify important topics. Then, find the main points about each topic and a few details that explain each main point. Remember to summarize in your own words. L1 Less Proficient Readers L1 Special Needs High-Use Words transmit (trans MIHT), p. 168 vital (V T uhl), p. 169 Key Terms and People griot (GREE oh), p. 166 proverb (PRAHV erb), p. 168 polyrhythmic (pahl ih RIHTH mihk), p. 169 Background Knowledge In Chapter 5, you learned about Sundiata, the emperor of Mali. All that we know about him comes from tales told by African storytellers. In this section, you will read about West Africa s strong oral tradition. You will also learn about the arts of West Africa. The Telling of Tales Until the arrival of Arab traders, West Africa had no written language. Instead, West Africans developed a strong oral tradition. They used oral history, poetry, folk tales, and sayings both to teach and to entertain. The Role of Griots In West Africa, masters of the oral tradition served West African kings and nobles. These professional storytellers and oral historians were called griots. They memorized and recited stories of famous events and people. The Arab traveler Ibn Battuta described griots at a festival in Mali. He wrote that they stood before the ruler in a costume made of feathers. When they recited their poetry, it was like a kind of preaching. Reading and Listening Have students read the text of Storytelling and the Arts of West Africa as they listen to the SE on Audio CD. Pause the CD after each subsection and ask students if there are any questions about what they have read. Tell them to think about how they would summarize each section. Students can be provided with a copy of the CD to work independently at home or in the school resource center. SE on Audio CD, Chapter 6, Section 3 166 Chapter 6

The griots urged their leaders to rule justly. But their main job was the transmission, or passing on, of their people s history. Without us the names of kings would vanish, explains a modern-day griot from Mali. Folk Tales Storytelling was not limited to griots. Families also shared folk tales at home. Some involved heroes or hunters. Others used animals to teach young people right from wrong. Anansi the Spider was an especially popular figure in West African folk tales. This tale describes how Anansi gave people wisdom: [Anansi] packed all [the world s wisdom] in a gourd and began to climb a tall palm. Halfway to the top he got into difficulties: he had tied on the gourd in front of him, and it hampered his climbing. At this point, his son Ntikuma, who was looking up from below, called... Father, if you had all the wisdom in the world up there with you, you would have tied that gourd on your back....anansi...untied the gourd in a fit of temper and threw it down. It broke and the wisdom was scattered far and wide. After a while, people... came and gathered in their own gourds whatever each could find; it is this that explains why a few people have much wisdom, some have a little, but many have none. African folk tale See West African Folk Tale in the Reference Section at the back of this book. The Storytelling Art Here, a West African elder tells a story to young members of his tribe. Storytelling remains an important tradition in West Africa. Critical Thinking: Identify Benefits What benefits might young West Africans receive from the storytelling tradition? Teach The Telling of Tales H-SS 7.4.5 High-Use Words Before beginning this lesson, preteach the high-use words transmit and vital, using the strategy on TE p. 153. Key Terms Following the instructions on page 153, have students continue to preview key terms. Read The Telling of Tales using the Paragraph Shrinking strategy (TE p. T37). To help students better understand the concept of oral tradition, which is important to the understanding of this section, use the Concept Lesson, Oral Tradition. Provide students with copies of the Concept Organizer. Concept Lesson, p. 46; Concept Organizer, p. 5 Ask: How did West Africans who did not have written language pass on their history orally? (West Africans passed on their history and culture through professional oral historians, stories, and proverbs.) Read the background note at the bottom of this page to students. Ask: What does this proverb suggest about oral historians: Until lions have their own historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter? (History always glorifies the victors, not those who lose.) 167 History Background The Family Business: Oral History Just as some families specialized in crafts, others specialized in oral history. A griot is a member of a hereditary professional caste in many West African societies. Griots are historians and storytellers. For many years, they train to build historical knowledge as well as storytelling, musical, and memory skills. So important were the responsibilities of griots, that in the past, they could be killed for inaccurate information. Even so, they were allowed to glorify their own rulers and countries. As a West African proverb says, Until lions have their own historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter. (Igbo, Nigeria). Answer Identify Benefits Possible answer: Effective storytelling may help make history more exciting or easy to remember. Chapter 6 Section 3 167

Independent Practice Have students begin to fill in the Interactive Reading and Notetaking Study Guide. Interactive Reading and Notetaking Study Guide, Chapter 6, Section 3 (Adapted version also available.) West African Music and Dance Music and dance are key elements of West African culture. The pictures here show musicians and dancers with traditional instruments and costumes. Critical Thinking: Draw Conclusions Why were music and dance so important in West African life? As students fill in the Notetaking Study Guide, circulate to make sure individuals understand the oral traditions of West Africa. Provide assistance as needed. Music, Dance, and Art H-SS 7.4.5 Read Music, Dance, and Art with students. Remind students to summarize the ideas as they read. Discuss the music, dance, and art of West Africa. (Life was full of music and dance. Both were polyrhythmic at times. Dance and art expressed what was important to the people.) Ask: How did dancers and artists work together to express people s religious beliefs? (Dancers acted out stories of gods or ancestors. Artists created masks of gods and spirits for dancers to wear in religious ceremonies.) To help students gain a greater appreciation of music, dance, and art in West Africa, show the History Interactive transparency, Experience West African Culture. Color Transparencies, Experience West African Culture Experience West African Culture Visit: PHSchool.com Web Code: mxp-3063 The kora is a harplike instrument made from a gourd covered with cowhide. transmit (trans MIHT) v. to send or pass along West African Music and Dance Music Experience and dance are West key elements African of West Culture African culture. The pictures here show Visit: musicians PHSchool.com and dancers with traditional Web Code: mxp-3063 instruments and costumes. Critical Thinking: Draw Conclusions Why were music and dance so important in West African life? West African arts expressed cultural values. Drums come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Proverbs Another part of the West African oral tradition was proverbs, or wise sayings. They provided a quick way to transmit wisdom. As one such saying goes, A proverb is the horse which can carry one swiftly to the discovery of ideas. Proverbs dealt with all aspects of life. One saying, It takes a village to raise a child, focuses on child-rearing. Another proverb focuses on the wisdom of elders: Every time an old man dies, it is as if a library has burnt down. Until recent times, such sayings were not written down. Yet, like the griot s poems, they have been remembered and passed down through countless generations. What was the value of folk tales and proverbs? Music, Dance, and Art West Africa s oral tradition was only one of many artistic achievements. West Africans also created unique music, dance, and art. Like the oral tradition, the arts helped to pass on each group s history and culture. 168 Chapter 6 West African Civilization Answers Draw Conclusions They were part of the system by which history and culture were passed on. They are a quick way to transmit wisdom even among those who cannot read or write. 168 Chapter 6 Universal Access L1 English Language Learners Proverbs Students may need help with the metaphors in the proverbs discussed in the text. First, using a picture dictionary, drawings, or simple definitions, be sure students understand the items (such as a horse) to which items in the proverb are is being compared. Then, discuss the comparisons or references to help students explain the messages in the quoted proverbs. Ask students to share proverbs they have heard in their first language. First, they can share the proverb s literal meaning, and then its metaphorical meaning(s).

This dancer wears a wooden mask carved with a monkey on top. Dancers perform at ceremonies celebrating births, marriages, and even deaths. (continued) Show students the color transparency, African Textiles. Ask: What does the textile in the transparency show about the culture of West Africa? (It has lasted over a thousand years.) Color Transparencies, African Textiles Call on a student to give an example of rhythm. Ask students if they can think of songs that honor people who have died. Then, ask: Why do you think people sing about people who have died? (Possible answers: to remember them, to honor them, to inspire people, to help people feel emotions about the person who died) Independent Practice Have students continue to fill in the Interactive Reading and Notetaking Study Guide. (Adapted version available.) Music West Africans lives were filled with music. Mothers lulled babies to sleep with soft songs. Young people learned songs that taught them adult responsibilities. Musicians gave performances to honor the West Africans who had died. West Africans created many musical instruments, but the most widely used instruments were drums. African drummers created exciting polyrhythmic drum music. Polyrhythmic means playing two or more different rhythms at the same time. As students fill in the Notetaking Study Guide, circulate and make sure individuals understand what characterizes the music, dance, and art of West Africa. Provide assistance as needed. Dance Drum music went together with another important art form: dance. Dancers worked out complex movements to match the drummers polyrhythms. A dancer s feet might follow one rhythm, while hands or hips moved to another. Here is how a modern dancer describes African dance: African dance is basic, vital!... It varies from the slowest and stateliest of court dances to those which move so rapidly the eye cannot hope to register all that is happening. Pearl Primus, African Dance vital (V T uhl) adj. important and necessary; full of energy Section 3 Storytelling and the Arts of West Africa 169 History Background Proverbs and Values You can tell much about a culture, its lifestyle, and its values by its proverbs. A number of West African proverbs underscore the importance of family: The family is like the forest, if you are outside, it is dense, if you are inside, you see that each tree has its own position (Akan). If we stand tall it is because we stand on the backs of those who came before us (Yoruba). When you stand with the blessings of your mother and God, it matters not who stands against you (Yoruba). Others express the value of friendship and generosity: Because friendship is pleasant, we partake of our friend s entertainment; not because we have not enough to eat in our own house (Yoruba). What you give you get, ten times over (Yoruba). Greed loses what it has gained (West African Anansi tale). Chapter 6 Section 3 169

The Legacy of Empires H-SS 7.4.5 Read The Legacy of Empires with students. Remind students to summarize the ideas as they read. Discuss how the legacy of West African empires is evident in West African life today. (Languages of Mali and Songhai are still spoken, griots still recite oral history, West African musicians still play complex rhythms. Families and castes are still important. Markets and farming are key to the economy. Islam coexists with traditional religions. Many people still read and write Arabic.) Ask: What can you conclude from the fact that West African cultures survived the ordeal of slavery in the Americas? (They were very strong.) Independent Practice Have students complete the Interactive Reading and Notetaking Study Guide. (Adapted version available.) As students complete the Notetaking Study Guide, circulate and make sure individuals understand the present-day legacy of the West African empires. Provide assistance as needed. Tell students to fill in the last column of the Reading Readiness Guide. Probe for what they learned that confirms or invalidates each statement. Reading Readiness Guide, p. 41 Have students go back to their Word Knowledge Rating Form. Rerate their word knowledge and complete the last column with a definition or example. Answers Link Past and Present Possible answer: The pieces celebrate an ancient culture and demonstrate striking designs. Reading Skill People sang in West Africa for many different reasons, such as to teach and to honor the dead. Dance was used to celebrate, to tell stories of gods and ancestors, and to mark important stages of people s lives. Art was used to show wealth and power, to record history, and to express beliefs. West African Sculpture West African artists worked in wood, stone, bone, clay, metal, and many other materials. Their striking designs influenced many modern artists. Critical Thinking: Link Past and Present Why might this art appeal to modern artists? E-LA 6.2.4 Summarize Sections Summarize the material under the main head Music, Dance, and Art. Include at least one detail each about music, dance, and art. 170 Chapter 6 West African Civilization Universal Access L3 Advanced Readers L3 Gifted and Talented Dance was an important part of West African life. Dancers performed during festivals. They celebrated a great hunt or a successful harvest. Dance was part of religious ceremonies. Masked dancers acted out stories of gods or ancestors. Dance also marked important stages in people s lives. Young people learned certain dances when they became adults. Dancers celebrated births and marriages. They also performed at funerals. Art West African artists created art for many purposes. Emperors had artisans design works that would show off their wealth and power. Artists sculpted graceful portraits of kings and queens. In the kingdom of Benin, sculptors made metal plaques and figures to record important events and people. In Mali, artists crafted clay soldiers in fine detail. Art was also used in everyday life to express people s beliefs. Skilled carvers shaped wooden images of ancestors to honor the dead. They created masks of gods and spirits for dancers to wear in religious ceremonies. How were songs used to pass on culture? African Musical Instruments Have students select an African musical instrument from the reading African Musical Instruments, by Dr. Fred Warren with Lee Warren, from Readings in Social Studies: Medieval Times to the Enlightenment (pp. 82 89.) Tell them to summarize the information about the instrument in a brief written report. Invite one volunteer to share his or her findings about each instrument. and history. They pass on cultural values 170 Chapter 6

The Legacy of Empires The powerful empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai no longer exist. Yet, the legacy of those empires is evident in Africa. Millions of Africans speak the languages of Mali and Songhai. Griots still sing about the achievements of great kings. West African musicians still play complex rhythms. West African society retains many features from the days of the empires. Families and castes are still important. Markets and farming are key parts of the economy. Islam continues to be a major influence, along with traditional religions. West African culture has spread to Europe, the Americas, and around the world. Beginning in the 1500s, many West Africans were taken to the Americas as slaves. The traditions they brought with them took root wherever they went. What elements from the days of empire influence West Africa today? Looking Back and Ahead In this section, you have read about the oral tradition and arts of West Africa. In the next unit, you will read about the cultures in another part of the world: the Americas. Section 3 Check Your Progress Comprehension and Critical Thinking 1. (a) Recall What function do griots perform? (b) Draw Conclusions How did the oral tradition transmit West African culture? Explain. 2. (a) Recall List three traditional arts of West Africa. (b) Link Past and Present How did West African culture influence the Americas? H-SS: 7.4.5; E-LA: Reading 6.2.4; Writing 7.1.3 Reading Skill 3. Summarize Sections You have already summarized the material under the main head Music, Dance, and Art. Now summarize the text under the other two main heads in Section 3. Complete the sentences so that the second part further explains the first part. 4. Griots played an important role in West Africa:. 5. West African drum music was polyrhythmic:. West African empires influenced the modern world. For: Self-test with instant help Visit: PHSchool.com Web Code: mxa-3063 Writing 6. Write a paragraph that compares and contrasts the role of music in West African societies and in modern American society. Start with the topic sentence below. Introduce each supporting statement with an appropriate transition word or phrase. Topic Sentence: West African music was a central part of society, just as modern American music plays an important role in our lives. Section 3 Storytelling and the Arts of West Africa 171 Writing Rubrics Share rubrics with students before they write their paragraphs. Score 1 Paragraph is incomplete and does not use appropriate transitions. Score 2 Paragraph is complete but does not include appropriate transitions. Score 3 Paragraph is complete and uses appropriate transitions. Score 4 Paragraph is complete and makes exemplary use of transitions. Assess and Reteach Assess Progress Have students complete Check Your Progress. Administer the Section Quiz. Section Quiz, p. 51 To further assess student understanding, use the Progress Monitoring Transparency. Progress Monitoring Transparencies, Chapter 6, Section 3 Reteach L1 If students need more instruction, have them read this section in the Interactive Reading and Notetaking Study Guide and complete the accompanying question. (Adapted version available.) Extend Have students complete the History Interactive feature Experience West African Culture online. Provide students with the Web Code below. Web Code: mxp-3063 Section 3 Check Your Progress 1. (a) tell oral history (b) It passed on the people s history; it kept stories and proverbs alive, which expressed the cultural values. 2. (a) Examples include: storytelling, music, dance, visual arts (b) They brought their traditions when they came to the Americas as slaves. 3. The Telling of Tales West Africans developed a strong oral tradition. Griots used oral history and poetry, and storytellers used folk tales both to teach and to entertain. The Legacy of Empires The languages of Mali and Songhai, griots, oral histories, and complex rhythms remain in the culture today. 4. As a result, West Africans developed a strong oral tradition. 5. Two or more different rhythms are played at the same time. 6. Students should write supporting sentences that compare and contrast the role of music in West African societies and in modern American society. Answer language; the roles of griots, family, and castes; markets L3 Chapter 6 Section 3 171

Objective Knowing how to detect an author s perspective can help a reader analyze historical sources more accurately. This lesson will teach students to analyze historical sources from an informed position. Analyze Author s Perspective 1. Inform students that identifying the time and place of a source is not always easy. Sometimes it requires reading the text or doing research beyond the material at hand. 2. Students can look for clues to social and cultural background or education by the writer s word choices. Students can look for clues to the author s place in society and values by looking for evidence of opinions, political or religious affiliations, and by how he or she describes his or her relationships with other people. Section 1 When you read historical sources, you need to know something about the person who wrote them. How an author views a time and place depends upon his or H-SS her 7.4.4 perspective, Trace the or growth outlook. Knowing The Growth of Islam in West Africa Analyze Author s Perspective History-Social Science Research, Evidence, and Point of View 5 Reading Preview Students detect the different historical points of view on historical events and determine the context in which historical statements were made (the Reading Skill questions asked, sources used, author s an of author s the Arabic perspective language in will help Create you Outlines Outlines perspectives). list High-Use Words government, trade, and analyze historical sources. the important ideas in a text. convert (kuhn VERT), p. 156 Islamic scholarship in West In this section, you can review Africa. enforce (ehn FORS), p. 157 those important ideas by E-LA Reading 6.2.4 Leo Clarify Africanus was listing born in all Granada the red in headings 1485. When as he was Key 7, the Terms Roman and People an understanding Catholic of texts rulers by of Spain forced Muslims to leave Granada. His topics and the dark-blue Sunni family Ali moved Ber (SOO nee AH lee to Morocco, and he was educated there. As a teenager, he traveled creating outlines, logical headings as subtopics. This ber), p. throughout 154 North Africa and Ghana. Later, he was captured by Christian pirates and notes, summaries, presented or reports. to Pope Leo will X as form a very the educated beginnings slave. of The pope cavalry commissioned (KAV uhl ree), p. 155 E-LA Writing 7.1.3 him to Use write about Africa. an outline. Here is what Write Leo a brief Africanus note wrote infantry about Islamic (IHN fuhn tree), Timbuktu during the strategies of notetaking, to reign help of you Askia remember Muhammad: the p. 155 outlining, and summarizing main idea for each heading. tyrant (T ruhnt), p. 155 to impose structure on InTimbuktu there are numerous judges, doctors and siege clerics, (seej), all receiving p. 156 composition drafts. good salaries from the king. He pays great respect to men of learning. There is Askia Muhammad (AH sk ah a big demand for books in manuscript, imported from Barbary. More profit is moo HAH muhd), p. 156 made from the book trade than from any line of business. Learn the Skill Follow these steps to analyze an author s perspective. 1. Identify the time and the place of the source. 2. Determine the author s perspective. What Practice the Skill Use the passage above to Background Knowledge In Chapter 5, you learned answer the following questions. that Arab traders brought Islam to West Africa. In this section, you will read about the rise of the largest West African empire: 1. Identify the time and the place of the source. Songhai (SAWNG h ). (a) What You will place also did learn Leo Africanus how Islam write and the Arabic language spread throughout West Africa. 3. Practice the skill by answering the about? (b) Who was king at that time? was the author s social and cultural questions on p. 172 with the class. (1. background and education? 2. Determine the author s perspective. (a) Timbuktu (b) Askia Muhammad 2. (a) The Rise of (a) Songhai What was Leo Africanus s childhood like? 3. Determine how the author s perspective He was forced to move a lot. (b) North Through conquest, Songhai (b) Where did he travel as a teenager? might affect his or her point of view. Africa and Ghana 3. (a) The culture of In the The became 1300s, Mali controlled trading cities along the Niger answers the largest to the empire questions in above will help you 3. Determine how the author s perspective Timbuktu (b) He was asked to write about West Africa. River. One of these cities was Gao, the capital of the Muslim understand the author s point of view. might affect his or her point of view. it by Pope Leo X. 4. Leo Africanus found kingdom of Songhai. (a) When What is Mali the weakened focus of this in passage? the 1400s, Songhai Timbuktu to be a place of great learning.) 4. Identify the author s position. Use what grew you in power. (b) Under What might a leader explain named Leo Sunni Africanus s Ali Ber, it have learned to make a general statement became the center of interest a new in empire. that area? about the author s position. A Great King 4. Identify In 1464, the Sunni author s Ali position. Ber became Write a king of E-LA 6.2.4 Create sentence summarizing Leo Africanus s Assign the Analysis Skill Worksheet. As Outlines Songhai. Ali Ber means Ali the Great. Sunni was a Muslim perspective on Timbuktu. students complete the worksheet, circulate List the first topic and and a great military leader. His army s swift horsemen were a to make sure individuals are applying the subtopic for an outline on this mighty power on land. His fleet of war canoes patrolled the skill steps effectively. Provide assistance as section. Write the main ideas Niger River. With these forces, he extended Songhai s empire needed. for each. Add more topics to Apply the Skill your outline as you read. along the Niger River s See pagegreat 175 of Bend. the Review and Assessment. Analysis Skill Worksheet, p. 45 154 172 Chapter 6 West African Civilization 172 Chapter 6