Religion: C+ (emily slentz)
I gave Mali dynasty a C+ in religion. Most people in Mali could not read or write, they received information orally. Everyone in Mali was allowed to choose their own religion and never forced to convert one way or another. They were also allowed to choose their own job. Most villagers followed the traditional African religions. The people believed in more than one Gods, witch doctors, and in magic charms. Choosing your own religion was encouraged by the leaders. This made people there very happy. Mansa Musa was a very famous king in Mali. Even though he let his people have the freedom of religion he was devoted to Islam. He had a Muslim university built for the Muslim scholars and he brought them over to study there. Muslim started to become a big religion in Mali. They changed a few Muslim rules around like the women didn't have to wear the long black clothes the women wore unveiled and colorful clothes.
The traditional religion consisted of different Gods, spirits and magical powers. Africans had believed spirits were EVERYWHERE. These spirits help you act the way you do and guide you into good or evil. Spirits will present your role in life, if you are going to be or bad. The rituals are presented in their music and dance. They believed that medicine was magic. Also they believe that man made objects had natural powers in them. Not all who die can become ancestors, you must reach all the conditions required. I gave Mali's religion a C+ because there was not one major religion in the empire. It was also good in a way because it made the people in Mali happy and kept order throughout the empire.
Society B (emily slentz)
Mali had a great society that's why I have decided to give them a B. They had slaves and when there is slaves involved it means that the empire doesn't have the best of what they could have because they are not giving the slaves a chance to show what they have. Even though they were slaves they were very important and prized for their loyalty and hard work. They had jobs as royal administrators and were soldiers in the military. Mali also had a code of behavior which was like their set of rules.
Mali allowed social movement among all the different social groups. They also had prohibitions on the maltreatment of prisoners and slaves, installing documents between clans which clearly stated who could say what about who. They also divided the land among the people assuring everyone had a place among the empire and fixed exchange rates among the common products. I gave Mali's society a B, i gave them that grade because they had slaves which if they didn't could have an even better society then they already have.
Government: B (zach)
I decided to give the Mali Empire a B in government because thay had strong leaders in the beginning and middle of the empire, but nearing the end, they had weak leaders and that is why they fell apart. They had a strong organized government, as well as a strong military to enforce their lands. They had the second biggest empire in africa, 1.1 million kilometers, second only to the songhai after them.
The founding leader of the mali empire was Sundiata. He overthrew a weak king of a kingdom, and created the Mali empire. He was known as the Lion King. He conquered many small kingdoms and vassel states, exstending his power from the atlantic ocean to the middle of Africa.
The second great leader of the Mali empire was Abu Bakr. He ordered the voyage from his empire of 200 ships to cross the ocean until they ran out of food. Only one ship returned. He then lead a voyage of 2000 ships across the ocean in year 1311, over 150 years before Christopher Columbus made his voyage. Not one ship returned.
The third great leader of the Mali people was Mansa Musa. He is considered by many to be the strongest leader of the mali people. He was a muslim leader, and promoted it strogly in his country. On the haj he made to mecca, over 60,000 people accompanied him, along with 80 camels carrying 300 pounds of gold each. He generously gave his gold away on his travels to and from mecca. He created the position of mayor in every town to deal with domestic problems leaving him and his top officials free to deal with bigger problems. Under him, the trade between the northern muslim powers and the mali empire flourished. The cities of Gao and Timbuktu became large powerful centers of trade and learning for muslim scholars.
After Mansa Musa, the empires leaders steadily grew worse, leading to the ultimate takover of their empire by the Songhai. The weak leaders prompted vassel states to grow bold and break away from the empire one by one ntil they slowly crumbled. They couldn't hold on to these lands any longer with there weakened army from the weak leaders.
Overall, I would give the mali empire a B in government because of their strong leaders, ability and positioning to trade well with the muslim powerhouses of the north, and their great learning in the height of their power.
Economy: A- (Nick)
The Mali Empire was the ideal trading empire of its time. Their land was full of gold, but they had a problem with trading across the Sahara. The positioning of the Mali empire was perfect for trade, with the Red sea, and Sahara desert. They are best known for the gold-salt trade with the north. The Mali people where in need of salt for their animals to keep them living, as they traded gold to the northern countries. Their trade improved a lot with the introduction of camels. They replaced horses from what was used to trade before they were introduced. They provided humps to carry the goods they were trading (most likely god) and there hoofs were better for travel across sand than horses. They enabled more regular contact across the entire width of the Sahara. The camels where introduced during the gold-salt trade with the north around 1050 A.D.
I personally gave the Mali economy an A- for their ideal trading position and abundance of gold. They innovated in camels which was a breakthrough for all of Saharan trade which is still used today. They had the Red Sea and Sahara as two major trading routes. They were not the perfect economy because of their lack of multiple resources and they had problems with communication with who they were trading with.
People living in the Mali Empire also did many wood carvings. Most of the carvings were stylized rather than naturalized. On the carvings, gender is important along with exaggerating the sizes of body parts. Wood carvers also created masks to use for disguises. Many of the masks were antelopes for the Dogon people. They believed that the spirits of the dead were in these masks.
Jewelry was another major art in the Mali Empire. Jewelry was important to both male and females. Gold was preffered among most people in the Empire. Dogon women wear eight small rings to respresent their eight ancestors. Other jewelry in the Mali Empire also had a meaning. For example, many people wore charms to ward off evil spirits.
Music and storytelling were two more popular arts in the Mali Empire. Mali musicians played many melodies with instruments including strings, the flute, drums, and koras' (a harp-lute instrument). Storytellers were considered griots in the Mali Empire. They were the entertainers in the villages. The griots told stories of great leaders including "The Lion King," which was about the founder of the empire.
The Mali Empire also had great architecture. It was very distinctive with different shapes and sizes. Mosques were the most distinct of all buildings. They were built with sun dried mud with beams and tree branches sticking out of them. The mosques needed minor repairs each year after summer rains. Mali architecture also introduced the flat roof. This was a new design that intersested many people of the empire.
I gave the Mali Empire an "B+" on its Art and Architecture because it showed a lot of effort of making improvemenets in that category. Also, each art was very creative. The art also had meanings, and told stories of the empires past which is very important. Advancements in architecture were also very noticable in the empire as well. Even though there were in advancements in architecture, they could have found a way so that they don't have to repair the buldings each year.
Technology-Grade B+ (Jade)
The Mali Emipire used horse mounted calvary as a major technology during wars. This was a major help during the war, since the people fighting could become a lot more mobile. Even though the troops had to be trained to fight on a horse, it way more efficent than fighting on foot. The horse mounted calvary technique usually ended up with a bigger impact and higher ending position. This helped the Mali Empire successful in the wars that they were involved in.
The Mali Empire also used Arabic inscribed brass vessels. This showed big advancement for the Mali Empire. Brass was a much better material for vessels, because they were healthy to drink out of. This advancement made the people of Mali healthier, which made the empire a better place to live.
Another technology the Mali used was mud to build homes, mosques, and other buildings. This made it possible for architects to make more unique designs since mud was easily sculpted, unlike other materials like bricks and tree branches. The better bulit mosques attracted many Muslims to the Mali Empire, resulting in a growing empire.
One more technology that the Mali Empire invested in was using material made out of iron. Iron was especially used in the war to make weapons. This helped because iron is very strong, and hard. This makes it a very reliable weapon that you can count on when in battle. Iron can also be found in a lot of places in the Earth's crust so they could continue to make strong tools, and become more effienct at making them.
Lastly, the people of the Mali Empire used the horizontal loom for weaving cloths. The horizontal loom was more effienct than the upright loom since the threads could be wound out as the weaving process proceeded. This made it faster to make clothes for soilders when in battle. It also made the clothing business go up.
I gave the technology of the Mali Empire a B+ for a few reasons. First, it had technology that was upraded from what they had previously which benefited them. The technology helped them do better in wars, make the Mali Empire a better place to live by making the people heathier, and attrack many Muslims to the empire. This made the empire grow and become more successful. On the other hand, a few other empires were also inventing in the same technologies. This made the technologies not a unique and needed just to keep up with the other empires.
The traditional religion consisted of different Gods, spirits and magical powers. Africans had believed spirits were EVERYWHERE. These spirits help you act the way you do and guide you into good or evil. Spirits will present your role in life, if you are going to be or bad. The rituals are presented in their music and dance. They believed that medicine was magic. Also they believe that man made objects had natural powers in them. Not all who die can become ancestors, you must reach all the conditions required. I gave Mali's religion a C+ because there was not one major religion in the empire. It was also good in a way because it made the people in Mali happy and kept order throughout the empire.
Society B (emily slentz)
Mali had a great society that's why I have decided to give them a B. They had slaves and when there is slaves involved it means that the empire doesn't have the best of what they could have because they are not giving the slaves a chance to show what they have. Even though they were slaves they were very important and prized for their loyalty and hard work. They had jobs as royal administrators and were soldiers in the military. Mali also had a code of behavior which was like their set of rules.
Mali allowed social movement among all the different social groups. They also had prohibitions on the maltreatment of prisoners and slaves, installing documents between clans which clearly stated who could say what about who. They also divided the land among the people assuring everyone had a place among the empire and fixed exchange rates among the common products. I gave Mali's society a B, i gave them that grade because they had slaves which if they didn't could have an even better society then they already have.
Government: B (zach)
I decided to give the Mali Empire a B in government because thay had strong leaders in the beginning and middle of the empire, but nearing the end, they had weak leaders and that is why they fell apart. They had a strong organized government, as well as a strong military to enforce their lands. They had the second biggest empire in africa, 1.1 million kilometers, second only to the songhai after them.
The founding leader of the mali empire was Sundiata. He overthrew a weak king of a kingdom, and created the Mali empire. He was known as the Lion King. He conquered many small kingdoms and vassel states, exstending his power from the atlantic ocean to the middle of Africa.
The second great leader of the Mali empire was Abu Bakr. He ordered the voyage from his empire of 200 ships to cross the ocean until they ran out of food. Only one ship returned. He then lead a voyage of 2000 ships across the ocean in year 1311, over 150 years before Christopher Columbus made his voyage. Not one ship returned.
The third great leader of the Mali people was Mansa Musa. He is considered by many to be the strongest leader of the mali people. He was a muslim leader, and promoted it strogly in his country. On the haj he made to mecca, over 60,000 people accompanied him, along with 80 camels carrying 300 pounds of gold each. He generously gave his gold away on his travels to and from mecca. He created the position of mayor in every town to deal with domestic problems leaving him and his top officials free to deal with bigger problems. Under him, the trade between the northern muslim powers and the mali empire flourished. The cities of Gao and Timbuktu became large powerful centers of trade and learning for muslim scholars.
After Mansa Musa, the empires leaders steadily grew worse, leading to the ultimate takover of their empire by the Songhai. The weak leaders prompted vassel states to grow bold and break away from the empire one by one ntil they slowly crumbled. They couldn't hold on to these lands any longer with there weakened army from the weak leaders.
Overall, I would give the mali empire a B in government because of their strong leaders, ability and positioning to trade well with the muslim powerhouses of the north, and their great learning in the height of their power.
Economy: A- (Nick)
The Mali Empire was the ideal trading empire of its time. Their land was full of gold, but they had a problem with trading across the Sahara. The positioning of the Mali empire was perfect for trade, with the Red sea, and Sahara desert. They are best known for the gold-salt trade with the north. The Mali people where in need of salt for their animals to keep them living, as they traded gold to the northern countries. Their trade improved a lot with the introduction of camels. They replaced horses from what was used to trade before they were introduced. They provided humps to carry the goods they were trading (most likely god) and there hoofs were better for travel across sand than horses. They enabled more regular contact across the entire width of the Sahara. The camels where introduced during the gold-salt trade with the north around 1050 A.D.
I personally gave the Mali economy an A- for their ideal trading position and abundance of gold. They innovated in camels which was a breakthrough for all of Saharan trade which is still used today. They had the Red Sea and Sahara as two major trading routes. They were not the perfect economy because of their lack of multiple resources and they had problems with communication with who they were trading with.
Arts and Architecture- Grade B+ (Jade)
The people of the Mali Empire did many things with art and architecture. To begin, they made textiles by beating designs cut on calabash stamps, which were then put onto cloth. The textiles were typically colorful and patterned. To get the colors, the textile creaters would use the soil. As an end result, the textiles would either be tie-dye cloth, indigo cloth, or wedding blankets. The making of textiles was normally done by women. The process of making textiles was very smart in using resources.People living in the Mali Empire also did many wood carvings. Most of the carvings were stylized rather than naturalized. On the carvings, gender is important along with exaggerating the sizes of body parts. Wood carvers also created masks to use for disguises. Many of the masks were antelopes for the Dogon people. They believed that the spirits of the dead were in these masks.
Jewelry was another major art in the Mali Empire. Jewelry was important to both male and females. Gold was preffered among most people in the Empire. Dogon women wear eight small rings to respresent their eight ancestors. Other jewelry in the Mali Empire also had a meaning. For example, many people wore charms to ward off evil spirits.
Music and storytelling were two more popular arts in the Mali Empire. Mali musicians played many melodies with instruments including strings, the flute, drums, and koras' (a harp-lute instrument). Storytellers were considered griots in the Mali Empire. They were the entertainers in the villages. The griots told stories of great leaders including "The Lion King," which was about the founder of the empire.
The Mali Empire also had great architecture. It was very distinctive with different shapes and sizes. Mosques were the most distinct of all buildings. They were built with sun dried mud with beams and tree branches sticking out of them. The mosques needed minor repairs each year after summer rains. Mali architecture also introduced the flat roof. This was a new design that intersested many people of the empire.
I gave the Mali Empire an "B+" on its Art and Architecture because it showed a lot of effort of making improvemenets in that category. Also, each art was very creative. The art also had meanings, and told stories of the empires past which is very important. Advancements in architecture were also very noticable in the empire as well. Even though there were in advancements in architecture, they could have found a way so that they don't have to repair the buldings each year.
Technology-Grade B+ (Jade)
The Mali Emipire used horse mounted calvary as a major technology during wars. This was a major help during the war, since the people fighting could become a lot more mobile. Even though the troops had to be trained to fight on a horse, it way more efficent than fighting on foot. The horse mounted calvary technique usually ended up with a bigger impact and higher ending position. This helped the Mali Empire successful in the wars that they were involved in.
The Mali Empire also used Arabic inscribed brass vessels. This showed big advancement for the Mali Empire. Brass was a much better material for vessels, because they were healthy to drink out of. This advancement made the people of Mali healthier, which made the empire a better place to live.
Another technology the Mali used was mud to build homes, mosques, and other buildings. This made it possible for architects to make more unique designs since mud was easily sculpted, unlike other materials like bricks and tree branches. The better bulit mosques attracted many Muslims to the Mali Empire, resulting in a growing empire.
One more technology that the Mali Empire invested in was using material made out of iron. Iron was especially used in the war to make weapons. This helped because iron is very strong, and hard. This makes it a very reliable weapon that you can count on when in battle. Iron can also be found in a lot of places in the Earth's crust so they could continue to make strong tools, and become more effienct at making them.
Lastly, the people of the Mali Empire used the horizontal loom for weaving cloths. The horizontal loom was more effienct than the upright loom since the threads could be wound out as the weaving process proceeded. This made it faster to make clothes for soilders when in battle. It also made the clothing business go up.
I gave the technology of the Mali Empire a B+ for a few reasons. First, it had technology that was upraded from what they had previously which benefited them. The technology helped them do better in wars, make the Mali Empire a better place to live by making the people heathier, and attrack many Muslims to the empire. This made the empire grow and become more successful. On the other hand, a few other empires were also inventing in the same technologies. This made the technologies not a unique and needed just to keep up with the other empires.
I thought that Society wasn't very well supported, considering the only evidence provided for explaining the "B" grade was the fact that they had slaves. Other than that, though, everything seemed well thought out and supported.
ReplyDeleteOverall everything sounds really good and the Mali empire seems like it was strong, lasted long, and for the most part had good leaders. I noticed there was no overall grade though and i was looking forward to their overall grade to see how you guys thought they did and what you would have given them.
ReplyDeleteI think that the grade for the religion should be at least a B instead of a C+ this is because the Mali Empire was very diverse because they accepted a variety of religions which is Why I believe the empire lasted long. Also that I didn't think that wether they could write wasn't a big part of there religion I think that it fits better under art and architecture. But overall I think that this is a very good blog.
ReplyDeleteNeed video and fonts fixed. Your sections needed to address education and needed clearer connections to your rationale.
ReplyDeleteVery nice blog overall. I did not like the glaring white font and the loss of a video. I believe that you graded the Mali empire to kindly with its economy. If they had problems crossing a gigantic desert this would drastically halt its ability to trade with other nations. Also if all they were trading was only gold for salt, as the post stated, then the variety of their trading base was not very
ReplyDeleteextensive. This would call for a dependence on the goods in question. Basically, if they ran out of gold they could not trade (according to the post). This could be a big issue economically if gold was to run out. Also the Red Sea was no where near where the Mali empire was at all. Please have your partner explain his reasons for putting that on his post. Overall however you did a fine job with your presentation of your information.
P.S. Mr. Crandell, I searched for my post for a half an hour to an hour and could not find my comment. So I just redid my work... If I get marked down for this I apologize for the inconvenience.