The Cultural Legacy of West Africa Chapter 15

The Cultural Legacy of West Africa Chapter 15

Words you need to know • Genealogy – an account of the line of ancestry within a family • Folktale – a story that is usually passed down orally ad becomes part of a community’s tradition • Call and response – a song style in which a singer or musician leads with a call and a group responds • Terra-cotta – a baked clay often used to make pottery and sculptures • Appliqué – a technique in which shaped pieces of fabric are attached to a background fabric to form a design or picture

• Their culture is diverse • Poems and stories to music and visual arts • Oral traditions – stories, sayings and history of city so not forgotten kept by a griot – They helped preserve West Africa’s history and cultural legacy

West African oral and written traditions • Beliefs, values and knowledge of West Africans were passed from one generation to the next • Griots – record keepers of the people – verbal artist of Mande people – Tell stories, sing songs of praise and recite poems while playing a drum or stringed instrument – skilled entertainers – kept historical accounts and genealogies – Every village had their own griot – Tell the history of everyone in the village – Could speak for hours or even days – Passed from one griot to another – They were trusted advisors to the king

Folktales and proverbs • Folktales – Used to pass along history and to teach young people morals and values – Many brought to America with slaves – Trickster tale – story of a clever animal or human that outsmarts others (hare) • Brer Rabbit • Proverbs – Popular sayings – Images from everyday life to express ideas or give advice giving wisdom and values – “every time a man dies, a library is burnt down” • Written tradition – After Islam came to West Africa writing became important – Turned ancient oral tradition into novels and other works

West African music • Important part of life • Communicates ideas, values and feelings • Celebrates historic events and important occasions • Call and response – Leader sings a short phrase = call – Group answer by singing short phrase = response – Used to ease burden of hard work for slaves – Influenced gospel, jazz, blues, rock and roll, and rap • Musical instruments – Balafon – wooden bars across a frame – Ngoni – small stringed – wood – with fishing line – Kora – harp like with 21 strings – gourd and cow skin • All these instruments are still used today

Drumming • Drummers perform during parties, religious meetings, and ceremonies • Made of hollowed out logs and covered with animal skins • Drummers play in ensembles or groups with different sizes and types of drums. • Drumming, singing and dancing take place in a circular formation – sometimes a call and response style • Slaves brought the drumming traditions to America

Dance • Dance is as important as singing and drumming • Dance during rituals and ceremonies • Dance to educate children • Seek help from spirits • To connect with dead ancestors • Movements reflect conditions live in – Forest people look like they are moving through forest undergrowth – Sometimes wear masks to represent spirits of traditional West African religion

West African visual arts • Fabrics and basket for everyday • Masks and sculptures for rituals and ceremonies • Sculpture – – Used to honor leaders – Nok sculptures were made of terra-cotta – narrow heads, unusual hair styles and dramatic expressions – Yoruba made sculptures of terra-cotta and later bronze and copper – By 16 th century making elaborate plaques showing king’s power and authority • Masks – – Wooden masks worn during ceremonies and in sacred rites – Used to bring spirits of gods and ancestors into the present – Are detailed and expressive – Influenced Spanish painter Pablo Picasso

Textiles and everyday objects • Stamped fabrics, story fabrics, kente cloth • Use stamps to fill in squares with patterns – Represent proverbs, historical figures, objects, plants or animals – Story fabrics depict events (kings hunting lions) – Made appliqués attached to background pieces to make designs or pictures – Famous for kente cloth – narrow strips of silk or simple fabrics – with symbolic meanings that reflect history, values or beliefs • Everyday objects – Ceramic storage containers, utensils, furniture and baskets – Used coil method for basket – made tight so can hold water – Still made today

Summary • Cultural achievements of West Africans still influence today • Griots helped to preserve history and culture of West Africa • Folktales and proverbs part of oral tradition • Muslim scholars added written tradition • Call and response • Traditional drumming, instruments and dance • Visual arts –sculpture, masks, textiles, and everyday objects • Music and art vital in West African life