Tiv People There were several civilizations that started thousands of years ago and still stay strict to their ancient traditions. The Tiv people originated in the Benue River basin. Mostly in Nigeria and small parts in the Cameroon area. Back in ancient times it was certainly less but now numbers of people that celebrate and live the Tiv culture are more 6 million.(Britannica Tiv) Many dates and ideas of what ancient times used to be like are obsolete for the main reason that they didn't keep any records. Any stories we have are oral, have been manipulated and changed over time, and don't have any types of date or time period. This has a negative impact on history because we are not able to learn as much from them as we could so we only have limited insight to what their lives could have been like. There is a story that has been told by the people of Tivland that they came from the South and the rainforest, over the Cameroonian mountains to settle where they are today. From this story, they say, is the reason the Tiv wear their famous black and white striped clothing. It is symbolic of the Zebra, an animal the Tiv used to rely on for food and clothing, but when the people migrated to the Benue area there were no zebra in sight. They wear the stripes to remember their past and honor the zebra for giving them so much.(History Tiv People) The earliest record we have was during their first contact with the British in 1852. From then on there were several visits and slight disagreements with the Tiv but it all came to a resolve because of a man named Hugh Trenchard. He spent the winter of 1907-1908 with the Tiv people bringing them gifts and exchanging culture.(Wikipedia) That was the start of a bond with the tiv that would last them for a long time. Soon roads were set up as well to create easy trading. As a result of having no contact with any other civilization before, the Tiv people were not very progressed. They didn't have any technological advances, they stuck to what worked which was farming. The Tiv were also not able to raise cattle because of the tsetse fly that lived in the region. The tsetse fly causing sleeping sickness which makes the cattle very ill and can be deadly.(IAMAT) This was a big downside of anyone that lived in the larger surrounding area, not only the Tivs. The Tiv religion is also a role player in their lives, they believe in a creator god, or force called Akombo. He controls everything that happens in the world, and in old times, they would make human sacrifices to him by night. The government of the Tiv culture has changed and evolved as well as their culture. The villages used to be separate from each other each run by a small group of elders in the village but when the British arrived and interfered with their government system, they created a chief that would oversee the population and work with the rest of Nigeria's politics.(Britannica Tiv)
Igbo People Very similar to the tiv, the Igbo are a currently a group of 25+ million that live in south eastern Nigeria. (Britannica Igbo) Around 200 miles south of the Tiv, they lived very similar lifestyles to each other, they were farmers, they lived in small villages and communities, relied on rivers, and lived in a humid environment. This helped them with farming so they became very successful yam and bean farmers, 2 food with great nutritional value making them healthy. Igbo civilization is ancient and believed to have started around 3000 BC.(Igbo People) Evidence of clay artwork supports this idea and bronze work found also prove that there were people there over 2000 years ago.(Wikipedia) Also very similar to the Tiv, once contact was made with Portuguese in 1434, they started advancing very quickly with the help. Then came slavery an around 1 million Igbo people were taking and sold to England and America. After there was a time where the Igbo people were being controlled by the Nigerian government and they were not happy. In the 1900’s they made several attempts to break off from Nigeria to from their own country but had little to no success. Many people died during the riots and the government never backed down.(Britannica Igbo) To this day the Igbo have very little influence in Nigeria and mostly stay to themselves. Their monotheistic belief centers around a power called Chukwu who they believe is the the center and controller of all other smaller gods. A tradition that the Igbo people celebrate is called the New Yam festival held annually and the end of rainy season(early august.) The festival is all about the beginning of yam picking season since yams are their most important crop and also happened to be the first harvested.(Igbo People)
Maasai People In the 18th Century group of people traveled down from the banks of lake Turkana to a place now famously known as the Serengeti National Park. They are the Maasai, one of the most well known African tribes, they receive many tourists each year who come visit their villages. With a spread-out population of almost 2 million people in Kenya and Tanzania, the Maa speakers stick to the old ways of life. The Maasai have lived in the areas around the Serengeti for hundreds of years. They raise cattle and hunt lions making them semi nomadic because they have to move around to allow the cattle fresh grazing areas.(Britannica Maasai) This did not allow them to make many advances in their culture or technology. They spent all of their time trying to get food or build their homes that they had little to no time to do anything else. This was a huge disadvantage for them when they fought the British. The British wanted more land for hunting and as we can see from many other civilizations, the british don't like to share. It was no contest, the Maasai were basically defenseless against the advanced British rifles.(Maasai Tribe) It may have been a different story if the Emutai had not happened 20 years before hand. A great misfortune occured where the Maasai lost almost 60% of their population and half of their cattle. A drought followed by a big wave of smallpox and the flu almost wiped out the Maasai. It sent them way back in progression as a society. They had food shortages and not enough people to get the food making the problem even worse.(Britannica) The Maasai are well known for their culture. They wear reds and purples and often a dress like fabric known as a shuka. They wrap it around their bodies and where it all of the time. Woman often sow patterns and striped into theirs for decoration and beauty. The Maasai are also known for their beadwork, they trade with the other towns and cities with in relative distance of them to get shells and clay or even ivory.(Maasai Association) The culture also believes in a monotheistic religion about a god called Ngai. Maasai people say that the earth and the sky were once together for a long time but then when they separated god entered his full true form and controlled all of earth. Fast forward to today, most Maasai are loosely Christian or Muslim but don't practice very much.(Lisapo Ya Kama) This allows them to connect with the modern world even though they still live, and stick to their primitive methods of living. The Tanzanian Government and the Kenyan government have both made attempts to try to help the Maasai become more modernistic but all offers have been rejected. What the Maasai do works for them so they stick to it and do little else.
africantraveldesk.com/tours/victoria-fall-3-days/. Accessed 1 Feb. 2019. Blixen, Karen. "The Maasai." Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, The Wild Co, maasaiwilderness.org/maasai/ Accessed 5 Feb. 2019. The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. "Igbo People." Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/topic/Igbo. Accessed 22 Jan. 2018. "Tiv People." Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Feb. 2007, www.britannica.com/topic/Tiv. Accessed 30 Jan. 2019. Guest Contributor. "Maasai Culture and History." Zegrahm Expeditions, 29 Jan. 2018, www.zegrahm.com/blog/maasai-culture-history-understanding-soul-east-africa. Accessed 5 Feb. 2019. "History and Culture of the Maasai People." International Expeditions, International Expeditions, www.ietravel.com/blog/history-culture-maasai-people. Accessed 5 Feb. 2019. International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers. AIMAT, 14 May, 2018, www.iamat.org/country/nigeria/risk/ sleeping-sickness-african-trypanosomiasis. Accessed 5 Feb. 2019. "The Maasai Tribe." Siyabona Africa, www.siyabona.com/maasai-tribe-east-africa.html. Maimai, Ole. "The Maasai People." Maasai People, Kenya, Maasai Association, www.maasai-association.org/maasai.html. Accessed 29 Jan. 2019. Omas922. "History of the Tiv People." Thislifeblog606, Blogger, 25 May 2017, thislife606.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-history-of-tiv-people.html. Accessed 30 Jan. 2018. "The Religion of the Maasai." Lisapo ya Kama, Lisapo Kama, 19 Jan. 2018, en.lisapoyakama.org/the-religion-of-the-maasai/. Accessed 5 Feb. 2019. Reporter Agency. Cameroon. The Nation, 30 Jan. 2018, thenationonlineng.net/cameroon-separatist-leader-nigeria/. Accessed 2 Feb. 2018. Udeze, Chuka. "Igbo People Language, Tribe, Culture, Religion, Woman, Food Masks." Buzz Nigeria, Buzznigeria, 29 Jan. 2019, buzznigeria.com/igbo-people/. Viki. "Why I regret visiting a Maasai Village in Tanzania." Chronic Wanderlust. Chronic Wanderlust, www.chronic-wanderlust.com/why-i-regret-visiting-a-masai-village-in-tanzania/. Accessed 30 Jan. 2019.
Efe They live in the Ituri forest that is in the Democratic republic of Congo.They lived in small groups of 10-100 they are nomadic and move around to find food and move when resources are finished. The woman are gatherers and search through the forests for roots, yams mushrooms and seeds. The men hunt in small groups for antelope but sometimes split up and hunt for mammals like monkeys and antelope with poison tipped arrows. The goods found in the forest are sometimes traded to farmers surrounding the area while other stuff they keep Respected males are usually the leaders of the group but do not give orders to the other families unlike a chief, his opinion is valued and taken into account each family makes its own decision and may join and leave the group as they please. (Ituri Forest Britannica) The pygmies have been around for a very long time they were depicted in pottery that belonged to the egyptians that go back to 2350 BC. (World History Patterns of Interaction)
Mbuti Mbuti are a group of hunter gatherer pygmies (a group of tribes that the people are really small they're average height is 4’11) that live in the Ituri forest near the Efe. This caused them to fight over resources in the forest. The rainforest provides everything food, water and trading supplies. The Mbuti live in the middle of the forest so they don't trade much but on the occasion they trade with farmers. For their shelter they put sticks in a beehive shape and put leaves on it. They live in these camps for about a month and then find another spot. The pygmies have been around for a very long time they were depicted in pottery that belonged to the Egyptians that go back to 2350 BC. (Britannica.com) “Mbuti believe that God created the universe (that is, the forest) and all its creatures and forces. God then retired into the sky, ending his participation in earthly affairs. The first human, a culture hero named Tore, became god of the forest; he gave the Mbuti both fire and death and is seen as the source of game, honey, and protection. Essentially a benevolent god, Tore is thought to be particularly offended by evil.” (Encyclopedia.com)
San They were the first people in south Africa and Botswana they have since spread into other areas in the southern tip of Africa they were semi-nomadic meaning they move around the areas depending on the season. They have recently gone from hunter gatherers to farmers due to government modernization programs. There is a mix in theor religion as some are christian while others are the san’s own religion. There culture is very laid back so people of all ages spend most of their time just joking around and entertaining themselves. Unlike other groups women have a greater responsibility and are leaders in some families. (Wikipedia san people) (World History). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2012. Patterns of Interaction. "Mediterranean Sea." Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_Sea. Accessed 31 Jan. 2019. Britannica.com. www.britannica.com/place/Ituri-Forest. Accessed 1 Feb. 2019 encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/pygmy-religions. Accessed 1 Feb. 2019 Wikipedia.com. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_people. Accessed 4 Feb. 2019.