| A | B |
|---|
| plateau | an area of high flat land |
| griot | a storyteller |
| dhow | a sailboat used by Arab traders which had a triangular sail |
| Sundiata Keita | the "Lion Prince" and founder of Mali |
| Mansa Musa | last strong king of Mali; helped make Islam stronger in Mali |
| Sunni Ali | founder of the Songhai empire |
| Timbuktu | A trading city that became one of the major cultural centers of the Islamic world in Medieval Africa |
| Berbers | the first known "people" to have settled in North Africa |
| camels | were called "ships of the desert" and helped revolutionize trade |
| Axum | a trading center located on the Red Sea |
| Makkah (Mecca) | Holy city for Muslims; Mansa Musa went on a pilgrimage here. |
| Olaudah Equiano | Member of the Igboo; stated that Africans believe in one supreme god. |
| Ibn Battuta | Arab lawyer from Morocco who set out to see the Muslim world; made many observations about Muslims in Africa |
| Askia Muhammad | Leader of Songhai; under his leadership Songhai bulit the largest empire in medieval West Africa |
| clan | A group of people descended from the same ancestor. |
| sultan | A leader of a group. |
| Islam | The dominant religion in the kingdoms of West and East Africa. |
| Mansa Musa | The last great king of Mali |
| Nzinga | Queen who spent almost 40 years battling the Portuguese slave traders |
| Bantu | People whose migrations helped shape many cultures in Africa south of the Sahara. |
| extended family | Families made up of several generations. |
| matrilineal | Family's roots are traced through the mother's family. |
| oral history | Stories passed down from generation to generation. |
| kente | Name of a colorful woven cloth; cloth with colorful patterns |
