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AFRICA.SOCIETY
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African Societies before European Intrusion
- racial and racist stereotypes about African societies long served as justification for the conquest of Africa and for white domination. What validity was there to the stereotypes?
-especially, we need to examine African political structures for 2 reasons:
we need to put Shaka and the rise of the Zulu in an African context;
we need to examine the stereotype that African chieftaincy was despotic, blood-thirsty tyranny before the whites arrived and therefore that the whites helped to free Africans from this terrible rule.
- we shall also look at aspects of social life and structure and especially deal with issues surrounding the status of women.
Political Systemchieftaincy
- the chief was central to African political systems. In theory, the chief was an autocrat with total power over his people:
the chief owned all land;
he controlled the court system and his court was the highest and final court of appeal;
as chief judge he could eat people up (i.e., confiscate their property, especially cattle) and even had the power of life and death;
he was the national religious leader;
he was the wealthiest man and had the most wives in his society.
- in practice, most chiefs were much more like constitutional monarchs with many restraints and checks on their power. There were a few exceptionsespecially Shaka and Zulu paramount chiefs; these were atypical (its a bit like saying that all European political leaders were like Hitler or Napoleon). However, most Europeans failed to recognise this and regarded chiefs as despotic autocrats whose will was law.
Black African people are divided into three main groups based on cultural and linguistic characteristics and/or similarities:
BANTU
Originated from North-Eastern Nigeria/North-Western Cameoroun several thousand years ago, they initially spread over West Africa.
Between 500BCE and 300BCE, they started moving eastard and south-eastward into east, central and southern africa in thre/four major
waves pushing the KHOISAN, who intially occupied most of eastern, central and southern africa,to where they are now. They
brought with them iron working and hoe cultivation.
There are two major Bantu groups in souther Africa: the NGUNI and the SOTHO-TSWANA, established here for at least 13
centuries before the arrival of the Europeans in 1600. The major Bantu groups in east Africa are the KIKUYU, GANDA,
NYORO and NYAMWEZI.
NILOTES
CUSHITES
KHOISAN
stmarys.ca*** |
AfricanSocieties.org |
Prehistoric | a European Imperialism | | Callenges In The Age | History (Book) | Religion In Africa Societies
Civilisations In Africa | AfricanSocieties.org | PresHistoric | Exploring Africa (afrlnk.htm) | West Africa @ Stanford | United States Institute of Peace/West Africa Links*** |
Nigeria-European Slave Trade | CountryReoprts.Org | History of Africa | Title | Title | | |
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