Unit 4
Hominid Fossils
- Hominid fossils show their age
An article from BBC News about discoveries at Sterkfontein, South Africa, with a photo. - South Africa
A summary of information about major hominid fossils finds in South Africa. - CNN: S. Africans report key find of ape-man skeleton
An article about the discovery of the hominid fossils found at Sterkfontein. - Prime Origins: An Ancient Fossil Treasure Chest
An article about the archaeological work at Sterkfontein. - Olduvai Gorge in South Africa
An article on one of the most extensive archeology digs in Africa. - The Leakey Foundation Audio Archives
Audio clips of some archaeologists who have worked at the Olduvai Gorge site. - Scientists may have found 'missing link' in Ethiopia
An article on discoveries in the Afar region of Ethiopia. - Fossil find links human ancestor to earlier species
Archaeological Discoveries in Africa
- Getting Into the Fossil Record
Explore this site to find out how fossils were formed and stayed as fossils until their discovery millions of years later. Includes animated illustrations. - Timeline of Discovery
Outlines some of the major fossil discoveries made throughout Africa. - Evolution - Library: Laetoli Footprints
Footprints in stone in Laetoli, Africa are described to show they must have come from a human ancestor. - Human Evolution
Some information on Lucy and the Laetoli footprints, as well as information on other species in our development as humans. - Lower Valley of the Awash
A short history of the Awash Valley in Ethiopia, the resting place of Lucy. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. - Human Evolution: Lucy in the Earth
More background information on Lucy. - Johanson finds 3.2 million year-old Lucy
More information on Lucy and the people who discovered her. - Man is a tool-making animal
Click on Ethiopia to read about the earliest known tools found at Afar, Ethiopia. - Bones hint at first use of fire
An article from BBC News about research that may point to the first use of fire by humans. - Swartkrans
A brief article about discoveries at Swartkrans. - Science in Africa: In the heat of our prehistoric past when was the first braai (barbecue)?
An article about how discoveries at Swartkrans point to the use of fire by hominids more than a million years ago.
Masks
- Africa: Masks
Pictures of African masks, and descriptions of their uses. - Images of African Masks
A wide variety of African masks. Click on the GIF links to see drawings of different masks. - The Art of the African Mask
The use of masks and their role in African society. Click on the headings at the bottom of the screen to see photographs and descriptions of different types of masks. - Haida Secret Society Masks
Images of masks used in Haida Secret Societies in North America. - Ritual Messengers
Masks, artwork, and sculptures from Africa from the Royal Museum of Central Africa.
Modern Art and Artists of Africa - The Culture of Today
- William Humphreys Gallery
Observe some of the artwork located in one of the finest art galleries in Africa. - National Museum of African Art: Explore the Collection
Use ‘Advanced Search’ to view work by artists from each region. - Elements of the African Aesthetic
An introduction to the purpose behind some African art. Click on the links to view the entire exhibit. - Africana Collections: Creative Expression, Culture, and Society
Some examples of cloth and weaving as art — a way of looking at cloth as an expression of a culture. - Timeline of Art History: Africa 1900 A.D. — Present
Examples of African artworks, sculptures, and drawings. To look at different periods from 20,000 BCE to the present, select a time on the timeline and a region of Africa to examine. - African Sculpture
A selection of African sculptures. Click the GIF links to see photographs of sculptures. - Gallery Art Work By Wondjade
Samples of work by African artist Wondjade. - Archive of African Artists
A gallery of contemporary African artists. - Contemporary African Artists
Samples of work by modern African artists are displayed in the java script images shown on this page.
Languages and Literature: Oral and Written Culture
- Safeguarding Endangered Languages: Africa
This United Nations site lists the countries of Africa, telling of the languages spoken in each and the often small numbers of people who now speak these languages.
Proverbs
- What do you Know about African Proverbs?: A Collection of African Proverbs
These African proverbs are explained so you can understand them as the people in their homeland would interpret them. Click on Proverbs on the left side of the screen, and select a region of Africa. To see the interpretation of a proverb, move your mouse over the word Interpretation. - African Folk Tales
Read several examples of African folk tales, either on your own or as a read-aloud with several members of your class in a play-like format.
Hieroglyphs
- British Museum - Hieroglyphs
An article about hieroglyphs, with a photograph. - The Rosetta Stone
A short article describing the Rosetta Stone, used to help translate hieroglyphic writing into modern languages. - Hieroglyphs: The Ancient Egyptian Picture Language
A detailed page on Egyptian hieroglyphs. Includes a link to a hieroglyph name translator.
Short Biographies of African Writers
- Véronique Tadjo
- Chinua Achebe, Nigerian novelist and poet
- Chinua Achebe
- Wole Soyinka
- Wole Soyinka
- Ben Okri
- Christopher Okigbo
- Ken Saro-Wiwa
- Amos Tutuola
- Amos Tutuola
- Ayi Kwei Armah
- Kofi Awoonor
- Grace Ogot
- Dennis Brutus
- Dennis Brutus
- Bessie Head
- Bessie Head
- Ousmane Sembene
- Ousmane Sembene
- Ferdinand Oyono
- Ferdinand Oyono
- Mongo Beti
- Okot p’Bitek
- Okot p'Bitek
Sports and Games
- Right to Play
Information about Right to Play and how it works in developing nations around the world to help young people develop healthy, active lifestyles. - International Association of Athletics Federations: Focus on Athletes
Biographies of athletes. Click on the names of athletes from African nations to read their biographies. - All African Games (Pan African Games)
Some details about the 1999 Pan-African Games. The Games take place every four years in Africa. - Black Athlete - Articles by Michael Nakasissa
A series of articles on some of Africa’s traditional sports and games. - An Introduction to Shax: A Somali Game
While complicated at times, the rules of Shax are included here to show a board game of skills and thought. - Oware Society: Abapa Rules
This game, which is played using a traditional oware board, can be quite enjoyable. - Mancala Snails
Using snails as game pieces instead of shells, this online interactive game of mancala will test how well you have understood the game. Try a challenge against the computer or your friends. - Active Games
Select Africa from the list on the left to find out about some activity games that are played in Ghana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
African Music
- Service of Ethnomusicology—Projects (Traditional Music from Africa)
Visit this site and click on the photographs to listen to some of the traditional music from some African nations. - Music from Somalia
Click on Music on the top of the page to listen to Somali music. - Learn about music and culture from Somalia
Learn about music, culture, and instrument-making from Somali and other places around the world by following the links. - BBC Radio: On-Location Audio Features
Using the links in the box on the right, select a country to visit with Andy Kershaw, a radio announcer who has visited countries around the globe to find music and cultures from many nations. - C. K. Ladzekpo — African Music and Dance
This site contains a wide range of video clips of African dance moves. Follow the links to see the clips.
African Foods
Information on foods, with recipes, from the following African countries:
- Algeria
- Togo
- Mali
- Burkina Faso
- The African Cookbook
Find information about food from many countries in Africa. Menus, recipes, shopping lists, and tips on serving the food are included.
African Arts and Crafts
Information on arts and crafts from the following African countries:
African Clothing
- Special Event Clothing
See some examples of clothing worn by African people during traditional ceremonies and on special festival days. - Every Day Clothing
As you can see, the clothing worn is not so different from your own. See photos of contemporary African people at work and play. - African Clothing
Read through this site for information about African clothing.
- African Voices
This page has a great deal for you to learn about Africa, from sculpture, pottery, art, music, history, work and what has gone into developing the culture there. - Africa for Kids
Find out what life is like for young people living in Africa. - On the Line
Click on the names of the African countries to learn more about them, including music and dance, arts and crafts, sports, and a section on daily life in that country. - Nations
This site presents the countries of the world, summarized in a table with basic information. - Africa: One Continent. Many Worlds: African Stories
From the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, a tour through the pages shows videos, sound clips, photographs and information on several African regions, with a great deal of information on various regions throughout the continent.