Alyssa Scholten

HIST 134
Professor Lark
8 August 2016
A Day in the Life of Amachi: A Selfless Existence
Hi, my name is Amachi, and I am a 15 year old girl living in a small Bantu village in
Southern Africa. My village is located in a lush valley between two hills, but who knows how
long well stay here. Our villages are usually temporarywe use up resources in one spot, pick
up and move to another location, and stay there until the resources there have been used up. My
village is made up mostly of my extended familycousins, second cousins, aunts, uncles,
grandparents, etc, but every so often there are new members brought to us through marriages
with those of another village.
My fathers name is Dakarai, and he is one of the elders of our village. He has been
married to my mother Cyrah for 16 years. She is a basket weaver and a spinner, and just recently,
she has taught me her trades. Each morning, I wake up at dawn, eat a simple breakfast of berries,
cheese, and bread, and then I go out to collect tree boughs, straw, grasses, animal hair, and really
anything else I can find that could be used for weaving. I then spend most of my day weaving
baskets, mats, blankets, and various other things needed around the village. My greatgrandmother was also a weaver, and sometimes I can feel her here with me, just being present
with my while I do my work. Her presence is very comforting to me. She watches over me and
protects me throughout the day.
After my day of weaving, I sometimes gather with just my immediate family for dinner,
but often my extended family will gather together for fellowship and a massive feast. My family

is everything to me. Our culture really prides itself on kinship and loyalty to family, and each of
us are expected to act according to that kinship each and every day. I weave every day for the
great good of my village. There is no room for selfish individuals in our communities. We are all
living each day, serving and respecting those around us. And if I am successful is this goal, then I
have done not only my village, but also my many ancestors, proud.

"Ancient Civilizations in Africa, 3500 B.C.-500 B.C." DISCovering World History. N.p., 2003.
Web. 8 Aug. 2016. <https://bb.schoolcraft.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-1536138-dt-content-rid18256468_1/courses/SU16.HIST134.132313.ONLINE/AfricanCivilizations.pdf>.