Notes

Rural and Urban Workers
The ethnic groups in West Africa differ in more than just the languages they speak. Like North Africans, West Africans make a living in various ways.

Many West Africans live in rural areas. A typical village consists of a group of homes surrounded by farmland. The villagers grow food for themselves as well as cash crops to sell.

In the Sahara and the dry Sahel just south of it, many people herd cattle, goats, sheep, or camels. Along the coast, most West Africans make a living by fishing. Some West Africans live in large cities where they may work in hospitals, hotels, or office buildings.
Most West Africans speak more than one language. French, English, Portuguese, and the local Hausa languages are commonly used to communicate.

Like North Africans, West Africans see themselves as members of a number of groups. Just as you belong to a family, one or more ethnic groups, and a country, so do West Africans.

Kinship and Customs
One of the strongest bonds that West Africans have is the bond of kinship, or family relationship. The first level of kinship is the nuclear family, which consists of parents and their children.



The next level is the extended family, a group consisting of the nuclear family plus other relatives. It may include grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Often, members of a West African extended family all live together. They also work together and make decisions together.

Family members care for the elderly, the sick, and the less well-off. They also watch over the children of other families in the village and willingly help neighbors.

Next, watch a video about a teenager who lives in Ghana.


Tracing Lineage
Different traditions govern the ways West African groups trace their ancestry.

Most groups are patrilineal (pat ruh LIN ee ul)—meaning that they trace their descent through the male side of the family. Some groups, however, are matrilineal (mat ruh LIN ee ul), meaning that they trace their descent through female ancestors.

In matrilineal societies, a person’s father is not considered part of the person’s lineage. Within the lineage, children consider their mother’s brother their closest adult male relative. Their father is a member of another lineage.

On the next screen you’ll see how lineage is traced in a matrilineal society.

ges in Family Life
Although traditional family ties are still strong in West Africa, family life is changing. More and more people are moving from rural villages to urban areas. This trend, known as urbanization, is occurring not only in Africa but throughout the world.

Many young men are looking for work to support themselves and their families. They travel long distances to West Africa’s cities to find jobs.

The women often stay in the rural homes. They raise the children and farm the land. The men come home from time to time to visit their families and to share what they have earned.


Traditional West African stories are spoken aloud rather than written down. A storyteller called a griot (GREE oh) passes a group’s oral traditions on from one generation to another.

Stories of tricksters, animal fables, proverbs, riddles, and songs are all part of West Africa’s oral tradition. The details in the stories tell about the histories of ethnic groups and kinships. At the same time, they teach children cultural values.

The following African proverb reflects the value that West Africans place on handing down traditions from generation to generation: “The young can’t teach traditions to the old


Cultural Influence
The traditions of West African have greatly influenced many other cultures, especially American culture.

Many of the enslaved Africans who were brought to the United States came from West Africa. They brought with them the only things they could: their ideas, stories, dances, music, and customs.

The trickster tales of Br’er Rabbit, as well as American blues and jazz music, have their roots in West Africa.