Africa’s first farmers
Thousands of years ago people from the centre of the continent migrated south and settled here
PEOPLE began farming in the African regions we now know as Nigeria, Cameroon and Sudan between 2 000 and 4 000 years ago. Unlike hunter- gatherers who moved around following wild animals to hunt, these farmers and their communities settled in fertile regions where they cultivated crops.
Between 1 700 and 2 000 years ago, the first groups of these farmers migrated south in search of a suitable summer rainfall climate, which is good for growing crops.
They brought with them their languages, skills and ideas, as well as livestock – goats, cattle, sheep and chickens.
MEETING THE KHOISAN
The African farmers’ lifestyle was less nomadic than that of the Khoikhoi herders and San hunter-gatherers who already lived in Southern Africa at the time.
But there were enough similarities between the different communities that they were willing to help one another in times of hardship. They bartered, which means they exchanged products or services without using money. There’s also evidence that the Khoisan accepted the farmers into their communities and they intermarried.
The farmers from the north brought with them iron tools and weapons, and taught the Khoisan farming methods. For their part, the
Khoisan shared their knowledge of medicinal plants with the newcomers and also taught them about their spiritual beliefs.
The farmers spoke Bantu languages.
As they travelled further and settled in different parts of southern Africa, separate groups assimilated and formed new cultures.
Some farmers settled in Namibia and today we know them as the Herero and Ovambo people. People who spoke Nguni (a group of Bantu languages) moved to the east and coastal areas and are now the Xhosa, Zulu and Swazi people. Farmers who settled in the interior today are the Sotho and Tswana people.
DIFFERENT ROLES
The roles of men, women and children in the farming communities were clearly set out so everyone’s needs were met.
The older men were considered the community’s decision-makers. They were also responsible for law and order. Adult men did woodwork and extracted iron ore to make tools and weapons. The young men were considered warriors and protected the villages from enemies and wild animals. Young men also guarded the herds and hunted for food.
Adult women were responsible for weaving, making clothes and cooking, while younger women had to fetch water, clean and prepare food (including milling grain). Women also cultivated crops and weeded the fields. Children were involved in the village’s economic activities from an early age and often had the responsibilities of adults. They didn’t go to school but learnt the skills they needed from the adults in the community. In their teens, boys went through an initiation into manhood. The process and its rituals were kept secret, but it was a requirement for young men to be accepted into society.
THE IMPORTANCE OF CATTLE
Cattle were integral to the lives of these early farmers as a source of meat, milk and leather. This is why owning many heads of cattle was considered a sign of status and wealth. Cattle were slaughtered only at special occasions such as weddings and funerals.
Cattle also played an important role in two other traditions. One was the mafisa system, where cattle were loaned to others for breeding purposes. The owner was entitled to milk from the particular cow and could ask for his cattle back at any time. The borrower had to be respectful to the owner at all times. Some comyou. munity members loaned out many animals, earning themselves great respect.
The second tradition was lobola, which is still practised by some communities today. It entailed that a prospective groom must pay a negotiated number of cattle (today mostly in the form of cash) to the bride’s family for the marriage to be considered valid. The richer the bride’s family, the larger the lobola.
SETTLEMENTS
Farmers had to stay in one place long enough to plant crops such as sorghum, legumes and pumpkin, wait for it to grow and then harvest it. So they built solid, permanent homes near their crops. The remains of some of these villages can still be seen today and show that these homes were round structures (huts) with mudbrick walls and grass-thatched roofs. Some homes were domeshaped structures made of woven grass mats.
The farmers and their extended families lived in these huts. The family homesteads consisted of groups of huts enclosed by a wall. There were also food storage structures, a kraal for cattle and communal areas. Villages consisted of several such homesteads, and the chief lived on the biggest property and owned the most cattle. A chiefdom consisted of more than one village. The chief was usually the richest man in the community. He was assisted by a council of elders, and warriors who protected the people, territory and crops. Community members usually had to pay taxes (in the form of cattle or food) in exchange for the chief’s protection.