AN02d2

Unit02: New Directions in Government and Society

Ch.08

Timeline: 1500 BCE - 700 CE

FQ: How does the history of the Bantu people parallel other great migrations, like the
Indo-Europeans?
Main Idea: Human history is a constantly recurring set of movement, collision,
settlement, and more movement. Throughout history, people have chosen to uproot
themselves and move to explore their world. Sometimes they migrate in search of new
opportunities. Other times, migration is a desperate attempt to find a place to survive or
to live in peace. Relocation of large numbers of Bantu-speaking people brings cultural
diffusion and change to southern Africa.
CCSS
I. People on the Move
A. Causes of Migration
1. Reasons to Migrate
a. Environmental
b. Economic
c. Political
2. Push - Pull Factors
a. 'Push' Factors: Forces encouraging people to leave a place.
b. 'Pull' Factors: Forces attracting people to a place.
B. Effect of Migration
1. Population densities change.
2. Cultural diffusion accelerates
3. Conflict arises as people come in contact.
C. Migration routes can be tracked via language distribution. (Recall an earlier
discussion on Indo-Europeans)
II. Case Study: The Bantu Migration
A. Bantu-speaking peoples of the Savanna (W. Africa) begin migration ~2000
years ago. They may have been descendants of the earlier Nok people.
1. Movement south and east.
2. Slash and Burn agriculture and the need for wood and iron ore
encourages further movement.
3. Cultures diffuse and evolve as new environments are encountered.
4. Nomadic and pastoal peoples often can't compete with Bantus who
make iron.
B. Most of the African continent south of the Sahara desert is dominated by
descendants of the Bantu people.
III. Summary: Why it Matters Now
Migration continues to shape the modern world.
Materials/Sources:Refer to the course calendar for additional assignments and pertinent due dates.

AN02d2

Unit02: New Directions in Government and Society

World History: Patterns of Interaction

Ch.08