Indigenous knowledge refers to the ideas, skills, and ideas developed by societies and their histories of interaction with their natural surroundings. They included: oral traditions and storytelling, herbal medicine and healing practices, agricultural practices, ecological wisdom, art and artisanry, music, dance, and rituals. The Africans applied this indigenous knowledge through metalworking to manufacture farming tools, carving canoes etc.
Indigenous technology refers to the traditional, local, and knowledge-based technologies that have been developed over generations by indigenous communities. Indigenous technology helped the people in the areas of transportation, trade, communication and irrigation. This led to the development of complex societies, economic prosperity, and cultural exchange.
Meaning of Indigenous Knowledge
Before we go on to explain what indigenous knowledge is, we would like you to think about the following questions. How did our ancestors discover their foods and medicinal plants? How were the fisherfolks and farmers able to determine the best time to go fishing or to grow crops? How were they able to make their farming tools for farming or fishing tools for fishing? What informed them to do the above is what we are referring to as indigenous knowledge.
Indigenous knowledge refers to the thoughts, skills, beliefs, and values created by members of a particular society from their history and interaction with their environment. It covers a rich body of observations, oral and written knowledge, innovations, practices, and beliefs that have been with the people since their existence. Examples are the use of the sun’s position to determine time, the use of storytelling to teach moral values, the creation of ancestral thickets to protect vegetation, mountains and animals and the reliance on witchdoctors, spiritualists, soothsayers or traditional healers for the diagnoses and cure of diseases.
Indigenous Technology
Indigenous technology refers to the techniques, tools, crafts, and systems developed by the local communities to solve their problems. This technology is special to specific cultures and has been used for various purposes such as food production, hunting, fishing, construction, and medicine. For example, in transportation, our great-grandparents started on foot, then to the use of animals, canoes etc. This technology was developed by trial and error, observation, and close relationships with the environment.
Ancient Africans created their own indigenous technologies using their own indigenous knowledge. Some of these indigenous technologies included: metalworking, irrigation systems, transportation, weaving and carving however, in this section, we are going to consider the first three.
METALWORKING
One major indigenous technology of the ancient African was metalworking. It started in Egypt before spreading to other communities including modern-day Mali, Niger, Mauritania, and Ghana. The first raw material used was copper, and later gold, however when iron was discovered it became the number one raw material for the ancient Africans. The process of metalworking started with the mining of the ore, smelting, or melting and fabrication.
The Impact of Metalworking on the ancient Africa
1. Creation of Empires and Kingdoms
Metal weapons and tools produced from metalworking led to the creation and expansion of kingdoms and empires. Kingdoms such as the Kush and the Nok Culture in West Africa had military advantages over the other groups using metal weapons and tools allowing them to expand their territories and influence.
Promotion of Mining
Mining was promoted by metalworking in ancient Africa. Before the invention of the metal tools, our ancestors relied on the alluvial method of mining, However, when the metal tools were made, they used them to dig the ground for gold. Some even broke the gold ore into rocks with their metal tools. This in the end promoted gold production in ancient Africa.
Promotion of trade
Metalworking played a key role in promoting trade in ancient Africa. They provided the artisans with the right tools to produce artefacts, farming tools, weapons, and jewellery which the people needed at the time. Therefore, people moved to these areas and exchanged goods like salt, and textiles for them. Again, the minting of gold coins also promoted trade among the ancient Africans.
2. Promotion of Agriculture
Metalworking promoted the growth of agriculture in ancient Africa. The manufacturing of farming tools such as, sickles, hoes, axes, and ploughs led to the cultivation of larger areas of land. it also led to the rearing and keeping of some animals in the home by providing wires and sheets for fencing. This led to an increase in food production which supported population growth.
3. Cultural Exchange
Metalworking promoted cultural exchange in ancient Africa. Through the exchange of goods, the people exchanged their culture. For instance, a textile from West Africa will be exchanged for a necklace from North Africa, while a dress from the East will be exchanged for food from the North or Asia.
ACTIVITY
How did the following minerals promote development in Ancient Africa?
Copper
Iron
Gold