Lineage groups: In many African societies, extended families are very important. Lineage groups are comprised of people who share a common ancestry. Lineage groups play an important role in the governing of decentralized societies. Members were expected to support and care for one another.
What are lineage groups in African society?
Lineages are segments of clans, which continue to be very important in African society today. Clans go back up to twenty generations, lineages only 5 – 10. There can be matrilineal or patrilineal clans and lineages. Descent groups in bilateral kinship are called ‘kindreds’.
What was expected of the members of a lineage group in African society?
All members could claim to be descended from a real or legendary common ancestor. Societies in which the descent is traced through the mother, was extremely common in Africa. Men were expected to move into their wife’s house, and gave their inheritance to the son’s of their sister. You just studied 18 terms!
Why were lineage groups considered the building blocks of African society?
Lineage groups served as the building block as of the African society. … They could verify their ancestry through the use of lineage groups and a sense of belongingness, hereafter. These were also the basis of formation of linear groups which the cohesion of the different extended family elements.
How did an individual’s lineage affect his or her life in African societies?
How did an individuals lineage affect his or her life in African societies? Lineage affects someone life as it depicts where and what you come from. Lineage can affect your career.
What is the importance of lineage in West African society?
How was lineage important in West African societies? Lineage ties determined not only family loyalties but also inheritances and who people could marry. How did slavery differ in Africa? People were not born into slavery and they could escape bondage.
What is patrilineal descent and marriage?
Everyone in a patrilineal system takes their lineage from their father. Women take their lineage from their father, but a woman’s children will belong to their husband’s lineage.
Are African societies patrilineal?
Patrilineal descent is common among pastoral societies. … Many other pastoral groups, including the Nuer of SUDAN and the ZULU and Swazi of southern Africa, are patrilineal. Matrilineal descent, which traces lineage through mothers, exists in many African societies based on farming, especially in central Africa.
What is a lineage group?
A lineage, is a unilineal descent group whose members trace their descent from a common ancestor through an accepted sequence of known linking antecedents.
Which lineage follows the fathers side?
There are three types of unilateral descent: patrilineal, which follows the father’s line only; matrilineal, which follows the mother’s side only; and ambilineal, which follows either the father’s only or the mother’s side only, depending on the situation.
Why was music and storytelling important in African societies?
Storytelling in Africa has been manifested in many ways and was used to serve many purposes. It was used to interpret the universe, resolve natural and physical phenomena, teach morals, maintain cultural values, pass on methods of survival, and to praise God.
What civilizations outside of Africa did African kingdoms and states contact?
African kingdoms and states contacted primarily the Arab and Asian civilizations via their trade. Both of these civilizations influenced the African kingdoms.
Did most African societies believe in many gods?
Most African societies believed in many creator gods. Muhammad Ture kept the peace and security of the empire of Songhai with a navy and soldiers on horseback. According to the government of Ghana, power was transferred to the king’s son.
How important was family in medieval African society?
Belonging to a particular family, lineage, or clan gave people a sense of community with shared responsibilities to that community. An individual’s place in some medieval African societies was also determined by a system of age grades.
What role do Ancestors play in African religion?
OLUPONA: The role of ancestors in the African cosmology has always been significant. Ancestors can offer advice and bestow good fortune and honor to their living dependents, but they can also make demands, such as insisting that their shrines be properly maintained and propitiated.
What role did the Berbers play in African trade?
What role did Berbers play in African trade? they carried trade across the desert, helping to make countries and kingdoms prosper.