African Proverbs

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African Proverbs MythsAs a class, Read pages
19-21
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Definitions

• Oral Tradition The telling of stories and
  histories by word of mouth.
• Myth A symbolic account of the origin of
  things.
• Mythology A collection of myths
• Proverb A short saying that embodies a general
  truth
• Griots A professional African historian who is
  trained in oral tradition. They memorize the
  important events and the names and actions of
  rulers going back for hundreds of years.

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Definitions

• Bias A prejudice that makes it hard to judge
  fairly.
• Indigenous Born in a region
• Perspective A view of the world that has
  developed from a peoples collective experience.
• Prejudice A preconceived opinion for or against
  a person or group.
• Stereotype A preconceived and oversimplified
  impression of the characteristics of a person or
  situation.

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Review Reflect page 20

• 1. Why did so many historians ignore the value of
  the oral tradition?
• European historians did not see the value of oral
  storytelling because it was not part of their own
  historical traditions. They had little experience
  with and were ignorant of oral storytelling, so
  they viewed it as a primitive and inaccurate
  practice.

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Flocabulary Lyrics

• Mother Africa, I know that your people pass
  knowledge through stories and sayings and rhymes.
  I know your people are very wise. What do the
  people of Libya say?
• The people of Libya say
• The camel does not see the bend in its neck.

• What do the Fula people say?
• The Fula people say
• Patience can cook a stone.
• What do the Ashanti say?
• The Ashanti say
• If you understand the beginning Well, the end
  will not trouble you.

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Flocabulary Lyrics

• What do the people of Tanzania say?
• The people of Tanzania
• Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable.
• What do the Ethiopians say?
• The Ethiopians say
• When one is in love, a cliff
• Becomes a meadow.

• And what do the Ewe people say?
• The Ewe people say
• Until the lion has his or her own storyteller,
  the hunter will always have the best part of the
  story.

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The people of Libya sayThe camel does not see
the bend in its neck.

• Meanings It is easy to see the faults in other
  people, but harder to see your own.

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The People of Libya

• For hundreds of years, the camel was the car of
  the desert, and in many places it still is. Able
  to travel long stretches without water, it was
  the perfect animal for transporting people, food
  and goods across the seemingly endless sands of
  the Sahara.
• In Libya, the camels have long necks that are
  curved sharply. Locals, who think the camels
  neck is unattractive, believe that a camel cannot
  see its own ugliness.

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The Fula people sayPatience can cook a stone

• Meaning Patience can solve any problem, no
  matter how impossible it may seem.

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The Fula

• The Fula people live in many countries in West
  and Central Africa. Many Fula groups are
  nomadic, herding cattle and sheep across the
  African plains.
• The Fula people eat all kinds of food, but they
  do not eat stones. This proverb takes something
  that seems impossible (cooking a stone) and says
  it can be achieved with patience.

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The Ashanti sayIf you understand the beginning
Well, the end will not trouble you.

• Meaning Knowledge will free you from worry.

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The Ashanti

• The Ashanti people are a major ethnic group who
  live in central Ghana. They have a long, rich
  history that includes the Ashanti Kingdom, which
  ruled the land around present-day Ghana in the
  17th century.
• The Ashanti are a very proud people who believe
  that they have been chosen by God to do good in
  the world. They place a strong value on doing
  things well and not rushing or being lazy, and
  they value knowledge. Stories from ancestors are
  passed down every evening after dinner.

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The people of TanzaniaSticks in a bundle are
unbreakable.

• Meaning Even if people have little power on
  their own, sticking together makes them very
  strong.

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The People of Tanzania

• Tanzania is a country on the east coast of
  Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean. The people
  there are a mix of original Bantu speakers and
  Arab traders who built settlements in the first
  century. They speak Swahili, but come from many
  different ethnic groups. But despite their
  varying cultures, the people know that sticking
  together makes them stronger.

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The Ethiopians sayWhen one is in love, a
cliffBecomes a meadow.

• Meaning Love makes the whole world seem
  wonderful (but also makes you a little crazy).

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The Ethiopians

• Ethiopia is one of the oldest countries in the
  world. Fossilized bones from some of the
  earliest human ancestors have been found there,
  and powerful civilizations called Ethiopia home
  since around 1000 BCE. The famous Greek
  historian Herodotus once remarked that he thought
  the Ethiopians were the tallest and most
  beautiful people in the world. They were fierce
  fighters they created powerful empires and
  successfully repelled all European invasions
  until the 20th century. But Ethiopians were also
  peace-loving people with a strong appreciation
  for stories and art.
• Many African proverbs mention love as a powerful
  force that can make rational people do irrational
  things. Love was celebrated in Africa, but
  people who were in love were sometimes made fun
  of.

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The Ewe people sayUntil the lion has his or her
own storyteller, the hunter will always have the
best part of the story.

• Meaning You can never really understand
  something unless you get both sides of the story.
  And history is written by the conquerors.

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The Ewe people

• The Ewe are one of the major ethnic groups in
  Benin, Ghana, and Togo. They mostly form farming
  communities, but also hunt and fish. Hunters are
  revered in the communities that rely on hunted
  prey for food, so a hunter who returns with a
  lion or steer will have an audience who wants to
  hear about the kill. People listen to the story,
  but they also realize that the hunter might be
  exaggerating to make himself look better.
  Theyre only getting one side of the story the
  lion, after all, is dead.

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Youtube Clips

• Proverb When the sun comes up, you better be
  running
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vE7u3fJ_vvd4
• Myth Crocodile Mythology Africa
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?v9QRGrmybaA8NR1
• Myth African Creation Myth Anansi Spider
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vZn4kPjGAb7M

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Task

• With a partner, create your own African Myth.
• It could be about animals, landscape, origins of
  life, etc.
• You will read this to the class!
• Time 15 mins

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Originals Cheikh Diop page 21Think it Through

• Why were Diops ideas so controversial? Why do
  you think European scholars rejected Diops claim
  that ancient Egypt was a Black African nation?
• Diop was controversial because he challenged the
  dominant European thinking of the day.
• Many Western scholars were unwilling to accept
  his idea that the ancient Egyptians were Black
  Africans because so much of modern Western
  civilization had its roots in ancient Egypt.
• Diops ideas were in stark contrast to European
  notions that Africans were inferior.