The Bantu People

Bantu Migration

The Bantu were a group from Western Africa, between the Sahara Desert and the start of the rainforest. They began on the Niger River, where there was a lot of iron in the ground. They learned to make their iron exceptionally strong by using charcoal from African hardwood trees. This meant that the Bantu had better weapons and agricultural tools than the people around them.

Unfortunately, there aren’t written records left behind by the Bantu or their trading partners. Instead, the Bantu used oral histories to preserve their story. So no one is entirely sure why the Bantu left their homeland and moved south, but some current theories are deforestation (due to the iron smelting), overpopulation, or even war. Over the course of 3,000 years (from 2,000 BCE to 1000 CE), the Bantu would travel south through the Congo rainforest and then disperse throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, historians are torn on how native groups reacted to the Bantu. Was there war and oppression? Were the Bantu welcomed with open arms? Surely, there was a mix of both, and the Bantu probably learned from the local people, too. Even though there are still gaps in history, everyone can agree that this migration would affect the rest of Africa to this day.

Phase 1: 2000 BCE to 500 BCE

The Bantu migration had two main phases. The first and more ancient phase saw the Bantu leaving West Africa, with most pathways heading south. In terms of modern-day countries, the Bantu moved from Nigeria and Cameroon to the Tropic of Capricorn.

Map: movement of Bantu from 2000 BCE to 500 BCE

Phase 2: 500 BCE to 1000 CE

The second phase saw the Bantu spreading out in Southern Africa. In terms of modern-day countries, the Bantu migrated and spread from Congo.

Map: movement of Bantu from 500 BCE to 1000 CE

Consequences: Modern Bantu Language Map

The Bantu migration has had a lasting effect on the languages spoken in Africa. Today, there are around 500 languages spoken in Sub-Saharan Africa, but most have their roots in Bantu or Swahili (which is a mix of Bantu and Arabic). The map below shows the current distribution of Bantu languages in Africa, from just north of the Equator to the Southern tip of the continent, excluding modern-day Ethiopia, the Horn of Africa, and Namibia.

Map: distribution of Bantu languages in modern Africa

Contributions of the Bantu

The Bantu practiced slash-and-burn agriculture. This method begins when the Bantu (or another group) burns down a section of forest. This clears the land with relatively little human labor. The cleared land now has extra carbon (from the charcoal), which makes the soil more fertile. It can make the land better for agriculture if done rarely and responsibly. The Bantu spread this farming technique across Africa.

Many Africans of the south were hunter-gatherers before the Bantu arrived, so the reorganization of society as settled farmers would have been a big change. But, it wasn’t just how they planted – the Bantu also spread their primary crops across the continent. Bananas and yams are still eaten in many African cuisines.

Bananas, yams, and other fruit on sale at an Ivory Coast (Africa) market

They also spread their pottery. Finally, the mass (if slow) migration and intermingling with other groups led to large concentrations of people. This led to cities, which advanced into kingdoms. The Bantu might not have been a cohesive civilization in the strictest sense of the word, but their legacy is enormous.

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