80 / 112
HOW DID OUR WORLD GET TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY?
By following the course of history from the earliest days of civilization
to today, we can find the answers. In this series, each book covers a
major geographical or political region of the world and tells not only
its early history, but traces the intersecting ways that it has changed
in response to world events. Using maps, artwork, photography,
timelines, and artifacts, each book is a mini time-travel machine.
History is what made us what we are today; this series is the “how to”
guide to how the modern world came to be.
Set ISBN ..........978-1-4222-3529-4
Hardcover Set Price ...........$223.44 $167.60 (S&L)
Hardcover List Price ..............27.93 20.95 (S&L)
Multi-User eBook List Price ...35.93 26.95 (S&L)
Full color • Library bound
Trim Size: 8 ½ x 11 • 48 pages
Grade Reading Level: 5-7
8 VOLUME SET © 2016
Africa.........................................................-3530-0 -8350-9
Australia ...................................................-3531-7 -8351-6
China.........................................................-3532-4 -8352-3
India .........................................................-3533-1 -8353-0
Japan .......................................................-3534-8 -8354-7
Latin America............................................-3535-5 -8355-4
North America .......................................... -3536-2 -8356-1
The Polar Regions .................................... -3537-9 -8357-8
HBK ISBN E-ISBN
22
1500s-1800s
Inside East Africa
F
urthernorth, thekingdoms around the lakes ofEast
Africa escaped thedevastating effects of theMfecane.
But theywere involved inwars of their own, raiding
neighboringpeoples and taking away their cattle and
land.The twomostpowerfulkingdomswereBunyoro,
which lay on the edge ofLakeAlbert, andBuganda on the
edge ofLakeVictoria.
AnExpandingKingdom
Bunyorowas thefirstkingdom tobecome
important in this region.Themainoccupationof
thepeoplewas cattle rearing,but they also
produced saltwhich they sold to theirneighbors.
Bunyorowasdivided into several villages, and
each villageprovidedmen for theking’s army.
During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the
army conductedmany raids againstneighbors,
seizing their cattle and land andmaking thempay
taxes to theking.
ARivalNeighbor
Upuntil themiddle of the eighteenth century,
Bunyorowas themostpowerfulkingdom around
the lakes.Then, in thenineteenth century, a
kingdom that lay towards the east took over. Itwas
calledBuganda and overhalf amillionGanda
people lived there.
T
he kingdom of
Buganda lay on the
northwestern shores of
LakeVictoria.This view
of the lakewas taken
fromKisumu inKenya.
AFRICAFINAL.indd 22
11/18/15 1:49PM
23
Buganda lay on the shores of
LakeVictoriawhere the soil is very
fertile.People grew crops, such as
bananas andplantains.Bananaswere
very easy to grow, and any rotten
vegetableswereused as fertilizers.
Gandapeoplewere alsohunterswho
killedbuffalo, antelope andwildpigs.
They attended regularmarkets, selling
their crafts and crops in exchange for
other goods.
P
lantainsare tropical vegetableswhichare related
to thebanana.
Theking, orKabaka,divided
Buganda into sections and appointed
chiefs to rule over each area.The
chiefswere responsible for collecting
food,beer andfirewood from the
people,which they tookback to the
king’s court.Buganda alsohad trading
linkswithArabmerchants on the east
coast, andbought guns, ammunition,
cotton cloth,beads and glassware
from them.
GandaReligions
TheGandabelieved that certain
people in thekingdomhad
supernaturalpowerswhen theywere
alive.They called thesepeople
balubaale, and after theydied,people
prayed to them fordifferent things.
Onebalubaalewas in charge of
bringing rain and anotherhelped
huntersfind animals.Therewere also
manymedicinemenwho gaveherbs
andpotions topeoplewhen they
were ill.
T
woMaasaimen ofEastAfricawearing traditional clothing.Maasaimen often
undergomilitary trainingduring their teenageyears.
TheChampionNomads
TheMaasai are a groupofAfricanpeoplewhomove aroundwith
their cattle in searchof grazing land.Today they live inTanzania
andKenya.TheMaasaiwere a small groupofpeople in the1500s,
butby the1800s thepopulationhad expanded greatly.TheMaasai
menwere in chargeofmoving cattle fromplace toplace,while
thewomendid all themilking.Theybelieved in a supreme god
calledEnkai, andprayed tohim through their religious leader.The
leader alsoprayed for rain andmade charms toprotect soldiers
going intobattle.
TheChwezi
Bantupeople living around the eastAfrican lakeswere joined
by apeople calledChwezi in the1300s.TheChwezi came from
NorthAfrica andwere cattleherders.Before their arrival, the
Bantuhad lived in separate family groups, eachwith its own
ruler.TheChwezi introduced the idea of a single ruler, orking,
and encouraged thepeople to grow coffee.TheChwezibuilt
longditches, called oriembo,which theyused toprotect their
cattle.They ruled over a large area, and theirkingdom lasted
twohundred years.
AFRICAFINAL.indd 23
11/18/15 1:49PM
“
”
The slim, large-format volumes in the Exploring World History series present broad overviews of countries,
continents, and other geographic areas. Each book opens with one or two big maps, and small ones illustrate the
discussions. Information is presented chronologically.
The pages offer columns of text, short sidebars, and many illustrations, such as reproductions of period artworks,
photos, and artifacts, along with modern photos of landscape and historical sites.
Students looking for regional histories may find this colorfully illustrated series useful for school reports.
— Booklist
GLOBAL STUDIES
EXPLORING WORLD
HISTORY
80
Mason Crest
, an Imprint of National Highlights
|
Toll-Free 866.627.2665
|
Fax 610.543.3878