Ending Stereotypes for America

6/30/13 1:01 PM

Ending Stereotypes for America

"He is the richest sovereign of earth." Ibn Hawkel, a 10th century geographer who obtained information on the Ghanaian kingdom while in North Africa1 "Ghana isa great empire and of a power which is formidable." Al Barki (El Berki), a Spanish Moor in 10672 The origins of the Kingdom date back between 400BC to 600BC. The kingdom prospered into the 11th century, then began to decline, and was finally destroyed in the 13th. Ghana had at least 43 straight Kings from the same line--a strong sign of its unique stability.3 Top Government Ghana's king settled disputes among different clans, was the supreme judge of a legal system that consisted of high and low courts, conducted daily affairs, was the military chief, the chief of justice, performed traditional religious rituals, heard reports on the royal treasury, and appointed government officials.4 Al Barki (El Berki), an 11th century Moorish nobleman who lived in Spain, gave the following description of Ghana's high court ceremonies: He wrote that the king: "Gives an audience to his people, in order to listen to their complaints and set them righthe sits in a pavilion around which stand 10 horsed with gold embodied trappings. Behind the king stand 10 pages holding shields and gold mounted swords; on his right are the sons of princes of his empire, splendidly clad and with gold plaited in their hair.The door of the pavilion is guarded by dogs of an excellent breed who almost never leave the king's presence and who wear collars of gold and silver."5 For those who could not attend the king toured his capital daily. He talked to his subjects individually, listening to their complaints. Although Ghanaian kings refused to convert to Islam, they had a friendly relationship with the Muslim merchants--even allowing some to work for the administration and offer Islamic legal advice.
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Top Economy and Wealth At the local level Ghanaians produced and traded items such as cotton cloth, metal ornaments, and leather goods; The highly sought and famous Moroccan leather goods are actually crafted in Ghana.6 Their main source of wealth was obtained through the international gold and salt trade. Ghana obtained salt from Taghaze--a nearly desolate town in the Sahara--and their gold from a West African people called the Wangara's(The Wangara kept their gold mines in complete secret, for they knew any powerful nation or tough nomadic clan would conquer them if the location of the gold was revealed). Salt was cut into pieces and used as currency; its value surpassed even that of gold.7 Ghana was fortunate to have had a near monopoly on the gold trade. Due to the abundance of gold the government had to regulate its output. In the 10th century the geographer Ibn Hawkal wrote, "If gold nuggets are discovered in the country's mines, the king reserves them for himself and leaves the gold dust for his subjects. If he did not do this, gold would become very plentiful and would fall in valuethe king is said to possess a nugget as big as a large stone."8 International and local trade were also taxed and regulated. Shops of local potters, craftsmen, weavers, sandal makers and the like were constant visuals of the bustling marketplaces. Ironsmiths made weapons for the king's army and gold and coppersmiths made jewelry for the king; the smiths also sold their goods on the free market.9 Ibn Hawkal wrote that the king, "possesses great wealth and reserves of gold that have been extracted since early times to the advantage of former kings and his own .he is the richest sovereign of earth."10 The King was so wealthy he kept 1000 horses, all with their own mattress, copper urinal, and three servants.11 The king's compound, as recorded by Al-Barki (El Berki), was, "a palace and a number of dome-shaped dwellings, the whole surrounded by an enclosure like the defensive wall of a city."12 One of the king's mansions was 66 ft long, 42 ft wide with seven rooms, two stories, and a staircase; its walls and chambers were filled with sculptures and
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painting, which demonstrated a good taste of royal art.13 It was written that every evening he spoke to a thousand subjects from his red and gleaming gold balcony and provided enough food for 10,000 people.14 Al Barki (El Berki) described Ghana's city of Aoudaghast as "A very large city with several markets, many date palms and henna trees as big as olives, filled with fine houses and solid buildings."15 The king and merchants did not monopolize the wealth. The average citizen used iron knives, arrowheads, nails, and some of the finest scissors of the medieval world, as well as many farming tools."16 Top Millitary In 1067 Al Barki (El Berkri) wrote: "The king of Ghana can put 200,000 warriors in the field, more than forty thousand of them being armed with bow and arrow."17 The power of Ghana stems from the black iron smelting Soninke clan. The Soninke may have been the first people of the region to use iron, which gave them a distinct military advantage over their neighbors who fought with ebony and dark hard wood. (The first West African people to develop the use of iron was likely the Nok of Nigeria over 2500 years ago)18 Around 700AD the Soninke defeated the small kingdom of Ghana, which they used as a foundation for the empire they were soon to create, and embarked on a series of expansion. Ghana's strategy was to defeat a clan or village and allow the local ruler to remain in power if he pledged allegiance to Ghana. Other times, if the king saw fit, he would assume direct control over the conquered people. The king appointed a governor or mayor to the important towns and cities he conquered. All conquered people were expected to provide soldiers for the nation's army. Fall of Ghana In the 13th century Ghana experienced environmental irregularities that increased their vulnerability to outside attacks. Three hundred years after El Berki's glowing description of a powerful and affluent state, Ibn Khaldum, the best-known Arab historian of the 14th century and respected diplomat for North African kings, wrote the following account of its sad downfall. The Almoravids of North Africa:
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"spread their dominion over the Negroes, devastated their territory and plundered their property. Having submitted them to poll tax they imposed on them a tribute, and compelled a great number of them to become Moslems. The authority of the kings of Ghana being destroyed, their neighbors, the Sosso, took their country and reduced its inhabitants to slavery."19 In 1238 King Sundiata of Old Mali overthrew the oppressive Sosso and in 1240 captured its capital. Under Mali rule the people of Ghana were once again perhaps the most prosperous people in the world. Top

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