2003 MCPS Social Studies 99

Gamel gripped his fathers hand tightly, his

mouth wide open in fear and amazement. Walking
towards him was the strangest man he had ever seen!
His clothes were different, he spoke a strange lan-
guage; he was definitely from some far away place!
Gamels father, seeing his sons confusion, ex-
plained that the man was a Berber, a trader from
North Africa, but Gamel was still afraid. Whoever,
or whatever, he was, he was definitely not like
Gamel, a Soninke African!
Years later, Gamel would tell this story to his
grandchildren who laughed at how silly he had been.
No longer strange and unfamiliar, the Muslim Berbers
had become a normal part of the Kingdom of Ghana.
They still were very different from most Africans, but
they had brought new ideas to Ghana, like Islam,
much scientific knowledge, and a written language.
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The Kingdom of Ghana

LOCATION
Present Day Mauritania and Mali
MAJ OR RELIGIONS
Traditional, Ancestral, and Islam
900 CE to 1100 CE
500 CE 1000 CE 1500 CE 100 CE
OVERVIEW QUESTIONS
How do cultural ideas,
beliefs and traditions of a
society influence their
political, economic, and
social systems?
In what ways is the older
traditional culture still
seen in modern society
today?
T H E K I N G D O M O F G H A N A
2
Background
PEOPLE HAVE LIVED IN WEST AFRICA FOR HUN-
DREDS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS. Originally living
in small family groups, larger collections of fami-
lies called tribes gradually developed. Some
tribes were the Melinke (mah LIHN keh), Soninke
(Sohn NIHN keh), and Akan (AH kahn). Each
tribe shared common ancestors, language and re-
ligion. The tribe, like fam-
ily clans in Europe and
Asia, came to be a power-
ful force in African societ-
ies since loyalty to tribe
meant loyalty to both fam-
ily and religion.
THE RELIGION OF THESE
TRIBES IS CALLED TRADITIONAL
or ancestral because they
developed out of ancient
beliefs and practices without a clear beginning or
founder, like Islam and Christianity. Similar to
Islam and Christianity however, many ancient Af-
ricans believed in one supreme creator god, who
gave spirit, or life, to mankind and to the natural
world. Ancient Africans believed in animism, that
the natural world was animated or alive through
spirits that resided in the things of nature like trees
and birds. They also believed in polytheism, that
these many spirits were gods that needed to be
honored and worshipped. In addition to the spir-
its of the natural world, there were also the spir-
its of ancestors to honor as well. Failing to honor
the gods, and especially ones ancestors, could
result in misfortune coming to the tribe.
THESE ANCIENT TRIBES WERE NOMADIC HUNTERS
AND GATHERERS for many centuries. With the in-
troduction of agriculture around 1000 BC how-
ever, they settled down into villages. One of these
tribes, the Soninke people, settled just north of
the Niger and Senegal rivers in western Africa.
To the north of the Soninke was the dry and nearly
barren Sahara desert. Despite the difficulties of
the Sahara, some trade developed between the
Soninke and the Berbers, a people who lived on
the opposite side of the huge desert. The Sahara
had prevented trade from flourishing for centu-
ries, but then something new came along towards
the end of the first century CE that would change
everything. What was it that revolutionized this
part of the world? The camel. They could travel
farther, carry more goods, and walk more easily
across the hot sands of the
desert than any other
trade animal. Soon large
camel caravans began to
carry tons of goods back
and forth across the Sa-
hara. The seeds had been
planted for the Kingdom
of Ghana, and two other
great African civiliza-
tions that would follow in
the coming millenniums.
THE KINGDOM OF GHANA GREW OUT OF the once
small Soninke tribe. After conquering neighbors
and gaining control of the Saharan trade, they
were no longer a single tribe, but included many
tribes and cities. Trade flourished as never be-
fore as stories of the abundance of gold in Ghana
encouraged Berber traders to risk the three month
journey across the Sahara. The Berbers, how-
ever, brought more than just trade goods to the
Kingdom of Ghana. They also brought some-
thing of more lasting impact, Islam, a new reli-
gion. The Berbers had become Muslims through
both trade contacts and military conquest by Ar-
abs from the Middle East less than 200 years ear-
lier. They spread their new faith along their trade
routes across the Sahara and into the Kingdom of
Ghana. Islam was never accepted as the official
religion of Ghana, but it was welcomed as a new
culture that had much to offer West Africa. The
Muslim world introduced writing, reading, sci-
entific study, knowledge of astronomy and math-
ematics to Ghana. Within the kingdom of Ghana
there coexisted two very different cultures, tradi-
tional African and Islamic influenced cultures.
A BIRD WEIGHT
Used by traders to weigh their goods for sale.
T H E K I N G D O M O F G H A N A
Political System
The Ghana
The word Ghana originally meant war chief
and was the name of the leader of the Soninke
people. Muslim and Arab traders thought the word
was the name of the entire kingdom, and so the
region became known as the Kingdom of Ghana. In
some ways, however, the Muslims were correct. The
ruler, or the Ghana, was the center of all political
and religious power in the kingdom. According to
religious beliefs, the Ghana was descended from the
gods and had special authority to rule.
Although many traditional beliefs remained the
same, the king also adapted some customs from the
Muslim advisors in his royal court. In addition to
reading and writing, the advisors also had knowledge
about law and government. The king of Ghana
followed the Muslim example of having a Council of
Ministers, a group of advisors, assist him with
running the kingdom. He also adopted the Muslim
system for keeping financial records.
Economic System
The Gold-Salt Trade
Control of trade was the lifeline of ancient
Ghana. Trade was what built the kingdom, and trade
was what gave the king his power. South of Ghana
were rich deposits of gold, an item much in demand
in places like Egypt, the Mediterranean and India.
North of Ghana, across the Sahara, were the goods
the people of Ghana wanted like metal tools, weap-
ons, cloth, glass, and most importantly, salt. Salt
was used to flavor and preserve food. Food that had
been preserved could be eaten when crops failed, on
long journeys, or during the dry season when there
was little rain. In this way a gold-salt trade devel-
oped in which a pound of gold was equal to a pound
of salt.
A key element to the successful development of
trade between Ghana and the rest of the world was
Islam. Islam brought a unifying religion that ap-
pealed to many of the traders. Ethnic background
did not matter, all Muslims were brothers and so
could be trusted in trade. In addition, Islam taught
that stealing and lying was wrong and would not
lead to prosperity. An understanding of writing,
mathematics, and record keeping among the Mus-
lims also helped to create a more successful, efficient
trading network. As more and more Africans converted
to Islam, trade was strengthened by commonly shared
values. While the kings of Ghana did not convert to
Islam, they allowed people to practice this religion.
3
FULANI GOLD EARRING
Ghana had so much gold, that even the common people were
able to have gold jewelry.
HORSEMAN STATUARY
Ghanas military used horses to travel the important
trade routes, keeping them safe from bandits.
T H E K I N G D O M O F G H A N A
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Social System
Separate Towns
The coexistence of traditional African and
Muslim cultures is also seen in how cities were
designed. Most Muslims who lived in Ghana were
either merchants or advisors to the king. Despite
being an important part of Ghana for hundreds of
years, Muslims lived separately from the West
Africans. In the capital city of Koumbi, where most
Muslims lived, there were two towns, six miles
apart. One town was where the king of Ghana lived
with his family, royal soldiers, and the local people.
It contained his palace, administrative offices, the
tombs of past kings, and the homes of the town
people. The second town was for the Muslims. It
had 12 mosques for worship and prayer, Muslim
homes and the main market of Koumbi.
Contributions/Impact on the World
Laying a Foundation
The Kingdom of Ghana was the first of three
major West African civilizations. The economic
power and trade networks it established helped to
make possible future larger, even more powerful
kingdoms.
Trade networks. A successful trading relation-
ship between West Africa and the Berbers introduced
the rest of the world to the wonders and riches of
West Africa.
Gold. The abundant gold of Ghana fueled trade
all over the known world. It provided other empires
with money as currency to trade for goods in even
more distant lands like India and China.
Ghana Today
Today in Africa there is a nation called Ghana,
but it is not in the same location as the ancient
kingdom of Ghana. The land of ancient Ghana is
part of the present day countries of Mauritania,
Senegal, and Mali. The Soninke people live prima-
rily in Senegal and Mali. In these countries part of
the population still follows traditional religious
beliefs, despite the majority of the country being
Muslim. Trade is still an important part of the
economies, but does not cross the Sahara in caravans
of camels. Modern tractors and trucks now take
their goods to the coast where huge freighter ships
take them to Europe and Asia. Gold is no longer the
main export from these countries, although some is
still mined in Mauritania and Mali. Most of the
goods traded are agricultural products like cotton
and peanuts. Unfortunately, the economies of these
countries give no hint of the wealth that once sur-
rounded them and today are listed among the poorest
of the worlds countries.
TURAEG STATUE
The Tuareg lived in the Sahara, in the northern lands of
Ghana. They often traded with Berbers from North Africa.