African

Cultures
Arab, Ashanti, Bantu, & Swahili
 Standards

SS7G4 The student will describe the diverse

cultures of the people who live in Africa.
a. Explain the differences between an ethnic group
and a religious group.
b. Explain the diversity of religions within the Arab,
Ashanti, Bantu, and Swahili ethnic groups.
•
Ethnic Group
This is a group of people who share a common
culture.
• These characteristics have been part of their
community for generations.

• Ethnic groups can have many things in

common:
• Shared history, common ancestry, language,
religion, traditions, beliefs, holidays, food,
etc.
• All of these things make up a common culture
that is shared by the members of the ethnic
Religious Group
• This is a group of people who share a belief
system. They believe in the same god (or
gods) and have common sacred text with a
specific set of rules about how to live.
• Religious groups have many things in
common:
• God(s), prophets, prayers, history, sacred
text, religious laws, holy days, etc.
• People from different ethnic groups may share
the same religion; however, they may be from
 Traditional African
but traditional Religions
• Most Africans today are either Muslim or Christian,
religions and customs still play a role
in African culture.
Characteristics of traditional African religions include:
• Storytelling:
• Creation stories
• Kings are seen as gods
• Ancestor worship
• Rituals including art, music, fire, dance, food, drink
• Charms and amulets
• Animism:
• Belief in spirits in nature
• Prayers and offerings to spirits
Arabs
 Location
• Most of Africa’s Arab population is found
in the countries of Northern Africa.

• While the majority of Arabs are in North

Africa, the gold and salt trade spread the
Arab culture beyond the Sahara into the
Sahel region and beyond.
 Ancestry
• Arab people began to spread into North Africa in the
late 600s, when the first Muslim armies arrived in
Egypt.
• Arab armies, traders, and scholars soon spread across
northern Africa all the way to Morocco.
• Wherever the Arabs went, they took Islam and the
Arabic language with them.
• Arabic was necessary to be able to read the Quran,
Islam’s holy book.
• The Arabic language, the religion of Islam, and many
other aspects of Muslim culture became part of
Africa.
 Religion
• Most Arabs, but not all, practice Islam.

• The term “Arab” also includes Arabic-

speaking Christians in Syria, Lebanon,
Israel, and Jordan.
 Language
• The term “Arab” refers to an ethnic
group made up of people who speak the
Arabic language.
• Some Jews, Kurds, Berbers, Copts, and
Druze speak Arabic, but are not usually
considered Arab.
Arab Girls’ School in
Egypt
 Let’s Review
• The majority of Arab people are found in
Southwest Asia and northern Africa.

• The language of the Arab people is

Arabic.

• Most Arabs, but not all, practice Islam.

Ashanti
•
Location
Prior to European colonization, the Ashanti
people developed a large and influential
empire in West Africa.
• Today, they live predominately in Ghana and
Ivory Coast.
• The majority of Ashantis reside in Ashanti,
Asanteman (currently a sub-nation within
Ghana).
• Asanteman has a population of 3,812,950.
• The total Ashanti population is over 7 million.
 Ancestry
• In 1701, a meeting of all the clan chiefs in the region was held.
• In this meeting, a Golden Stool was produced from the
heavens by a priest and landed on the lap of Osei Tutu, the
first king.
• The Golden Stool was declared to be the symbol of the
new Ashanti kingdom.

• The Golden Stool is sacred to the Ashanti, as it is believed

that the kingdom will last as long as it remains in the hands
of the Ashanti king.

• The Golden Stool is an Ashanti legend and has only been

seen by the tribe's royalty -- only the king and trusted
advisers know the hiding place of the stool.
 Bells are attached to
the side to warn the
king of impending
danger.

Golden Stool of the

Ashanti (Replica)
•
Religion
Ashanti believe in a supreme god who takes on various
names depending upon the region of worship.

• The Ashanti believe lower gods, like spirits, are on earth to

assist humans.
• Spirits receive their power from the supreme god and are
most often connected to the natural world.
• Ashanti priests serve the spirits and act as mediators
between the supreme god and humans.
• This is called animism – the belief that natural physical
entities, including animals, plants, and features of the earth,
have a spiritual essence.

• Other religions (Islam & Christianity) are also practiced by

many Ashanti.
 Language
• The major dialect of the Ashanti
language is called ‘Asante’, or ‘Twi’.

• It is spoken in and around Kumasi, the

capital of the former Ashanti empire, and
within the current sub-national Asante
Kingdom in Ghana.
•
Let’s Review
They live predominately in Ghana and Ivory
Coast.
• Most speak Twi (or Asante).
• The Ashanti religion is a mixture of spiritual
and supernatural powers.
• They believe that plants, animals, and trees
have souls.
• The Golden Stool legend is very important to
Ashanti culture.
Bantu
 Location
• Bantu generally refers to nearly 600 ethnic
groups in Africa who speak Bantu
languages.
• The Bantu people are distributed
throughout central and southern parts of
the continent.
• Bantu make up about two-thirds of Africa’s
population and cover the southern half of
the continent.
• The word “bantu” means “the people”.
 Ancestry
• The Bantu originally came from southeastern Nigeria and
Cameroon, and then spread east and south near Zambia.
• Around 1000 CE, the Bantu reached present-day Zimbabwe
and South Africa.

• As they spread across the continent, they met many new

people, learned new skills, and shared their customs and
beliefs.
• They intermarried with the people, accepting new traditions
and blending them with Bantu culture.

• Bantu-speaking people settled as far south as the southern tip

of Africa.
• The Bantu migration was one of the largest movements of
people in Africa’s history.
•
Religion
Many Bantu people settled in areas where
there was a strong Arab presence and are now
Muslim.
• Other Bantu people were influenced by
missionary efforts in Africa and are now
Christian.
• Still others follow traditional African religions,
like animism.
• Animists believe that spirits are found in
natural objects and surroundings.
 Language
• There are over 650 different Bantu
languages and dialects.

• Today, close to 70 million people across

the southern half of Africa speak Bantu-
based languages and share some part of
Bantu culture.
High School Classroom
•
Let’s Review
The Bantu people are found throughout Sub-
Saharan Africa.
• Bantu is usually known more as a language than
an ethnic group.
• Bantu is a mixture of nearly 600 different
ethnic groups combined.
• There are over 650 different Bantu languages
and dialects.
• Bantu practice Islam, Christianity, & traditional
African religions (animism).
Swahili
 Location
• The Swahili people inhabit the southern
coast of East Africa, in Kenya, Tanzania, &
Mozambique.

• Members mostly reside in the eastern

African Great Lakes region, along the
Swahili coast.

• The total population is 1,328,000.

 Ancestry
• The Swahili community developed along
the coast of East Africa when Arab
traders began to settle there and
intermarry with the local Bantu-speaking
population.

• The groups’ name comes from the Arabic

word “Swahili,” which means “one who
lives on the coast”.
Swahili Women & Girls
 Religion
• Islam established its presence in the region during the
9th century, when Arab traders made contact with the
Bantu people.
• Islam has been one of the factors that helped create
a common identity for such a diverse group of
people.

• Many among the Swahili also follow local religious

beliefs that have been part of the culture of eastern
Africa since before Muslim traders arrived.
Men &
Boys
 Language
• The Swahili speak the Swahili language
as their native tongue.

• While the Swahili language is considered

a Bantu language, there are many Arabic
words and phrases included as a result of
interactions with early Arab traders.
Swahili
Islamic
School
 Let’s Review
• The Swahili people are found in eastern
Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, & Mozambique).

• The language they speak is Swahili.

• This is a mixture of Arabic & traditional
African languages.

• Most Swahili people practice Islam.