20°N The Bantu Migrations Bantu Migrations, 1000 B.C.–A.D. 1100

ESSENTIAL QUESTION Where 0 400 800 miles Earliest migrations to A.D. 1 0 400 800 kilometers did the Bantu peoples first live, and Later migrations where did they move to?

The Bantu people lived in the o Cong R iv er same area as the Nok. The Bantu Equator 0° Lake N spread across in what was A F R I C A Victoria one of the greatest movements W E Lake in history. They slowly moved Tanganyika S Lake south and east along a frontier, Nyasa

Z opening up new lands to a ATLANTIC m

b e

farming and herding. The Bantu z

OCEAN i er iv R brought farming and iron to N a m 20°S Africa south of an imaginary i b

D o Ri op ve p r line from Nigeria in the west to e im s Tropic of Capricorn L e Kalahari

r

Kenya in the east. t Desert Orange INDIAN River Bantu Speakers Some African GEOGRAPHY SKILLBUILDER OCEAN peoples spoke similar languages INTERPRETING MAPS based on a parent language that Movement Compare this map with the one on page 185. Why didn’t the historians called Bantu. The word 0° 20°E 40°E Bantu speakers migrate north? Bantu itself means “the people.” The Bantu-speaking peoples were MapQuest.Com, Inc.

not one group. They were many groups who had similar cultures. wh06pe-030603-004-m-a.ai They were farmers, herders, and eventually ironworkers. Bantu Migrations 1000 B.C.–A.D. 1100 Vital Information Area: 24p6 wide X 31p9 deep

Migration Begins About 3,000 years ago the Bantu speakers 3rd proof date: 7/7/04 began moving out of their lands near the Benue and Niger rivers in . They migrated south and east. A migration is a move from one region to another. The migration of the Bantu was a slow process that took thousands of years. Some groups eventually settled in the rain forest along the . Some Bantu lived in small villages and farmed along the riverbanks. Later, Bantu-speaking groups moved south beyond the forest to the grasslands of . There they began raising animals such as cattle and growing grain crops. Bantu farmers adapted the way they farmed to their new environments. Bantu speakers kept their ability to make iron. Ironmaking set them apart from others living in areas to which the Bantu migrated. Their iron tools helped them in their main task of farming.

206 • Chapter 6 Effects of Migration The Bantu speakers moved to areas where other people already lived. The Bantu adopted cattle herding from peoples near present-day Lake Victoria. They displaced hunting-gathering peoples. Bantu speakers Mask This mask was exchanged ideas and customs with people in the areas created by a Kuba craftsperson. The Kuba they entered, and intermarried with them. They shared were a Bantu-speaking their knowledge of ironmaking and agriculture. As the people. ▼ Bantu speakers migrated, their languages spread.

To which areas of Africa did the Bantu speakers migrate?

Lesson Summary • Early societies living on the savannah south of the Sahara practiced herding and farming. • The Nok made iron tools for use and for trade. • Migration of Bantu speakers spread the Bantu language and culture.

Why It Matters Now . . . Despite the great variety of languages and cultures in Bantu-speaking Africa, there are also connections based on a common heritage.

Lesson 3 Review Homework Helper ClassZone.com Terms & Names Main Ideas 1. Explain the importance of 3. Why did people living on the plains of central animism Nok migration Africa practice herding? (6.1.2) griot Bantu 4. Why were archaeologists surprised to discover that the Nok produced iron? (6.1.2) Using Your Notes 5. Why was the migration of Bantu speakers so Explaining Geographic Patterns Use your completed slow? (CST 1) web diagram to answer the following question: 2. In what two ways did most of the peoples of West Critical Thinking Africa support themselves and their families? (6.1.2) 6. Understanding Causes Why did the Bantus overwhelm the people into whose territory they migrated? (HI 1) Bantu 7. Comparing Compare the importance of ironmaking in the Nok and Bantu cultures. (6.1.2)

Internet Activity Use the Internet to research the Bantu migrations. Then create a chart showing Activity the causes and effects of the migrations. (6.1.2) INTERNET KEYWORD: Bantu migrations Kush and Other African Kingdoms • 207