• Human Origin
  • Traditional Stories On Human Origin
  • Religious Stories On Human Origin
  • Factors Proving That Africa Is The Cradle Of Humankind
• Evolution
  • Stages of Man's Evolution 

Human Origin

Traditional Stories On Human Origin

This is an attempt by communities of people to explain their origin.
It is given through Oral Traditions, myths and legends.
It mainly states that the first people were created by God

1. Kikuyu community
   According to the Agikuyu, God (Ngai) appeared and created their ancestors (Gikuyu and Mumbi) at Mukurwe Wa Gathanga near present day Muranga
   Gikuyu and Mumbi gave birth to 9 daughters who later formed the nine class
2. Bukusu
   The bukusu of wetern Kenya belives that the fist man was called Mwambu.
   He was made from mud by WELE KHAKABA (God the creator) at a place called Mumbo which means west.
   God created a wife for him. Mwambu and his wife moved from Mumbo to the foothills of Mt. Masaba-mt elgon- where their descendants grew in numbers to become the Abaluhya community
3. Maasai
   Once upon a time Enkai (God) owned all the cattle in the world. One day he opened the sky and replaced all the cattle he owned from heaven to earth using a long rope.
   Enkai created 3 communities on earth
   The Torrobo(also the Ogiek) , the gikuyu whom God bless with seed and grain and the Maasai whom God blessed with all the cattle of the world
4. Akamba community
   The akamba community believes that God was called Mulungu. He created the first man MUNDU and woman KIVETI.
   They were then placed on top of Nzaui Hill in makueni.
   He blessed them with children and livestock
5. Nandi community
   According to the Nandi, the first two people came from the knees of a giant man, which began to swell until they burst. A man came from one knee and a woman from the other. These became the ancestors of the Nandi-speaking people of Kenya. This is an example of myths in certain communities that do not directly refer to God‟s creation.

Religious Stories On Human Origin

This presents man and everything else as having been created by God.
It is contained mainly in

1. The Bible (used by Christians)
   God created the heaven and earth according to Genesis chapter 2
2. The Quran (used by Muslims).
   Islam believes that all living and non living things were created by Allah
3. Hindu
   The universe was created by Brahma. He is regarded as the hindu god of creation

Factors Proving That Africa Is The Cradle Of Humankind

• African Savannas were ideal for primates.
• The moist, warm and varied climate supported animal and plant life.
• Archaeological sites were discovered in the Great Lakes region of eastern Africa and along the Great Rift Valley. This confirms that hominids were living in this region by the time the rift valley was being formed.
• The earliest apes and various animals may have first lived around what is now Lake Victoria and the rift valley, then some went northwards into Europe and Asia. This was because, at that time, areas along the Equator (especially central and west Africa) were covered in thick forest. Around the Great lakes of East Africa was the Savannah (grassland with scattered trees and bushes). It was in this environment that man had his first home.
• Due to earth quakes and volcanic eruptions during the formation of the great rift valley, allot of dust was brought up, which covered places where hominids had left their weapons, tools, their own bones, and those of other animals. These became archaeological sites in east Africa
• Remains found in Africa especially Eastern Africa are evidence that Africa is the cradle of mankind.
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Evolution

Evolution is a natural process of gradual and continuous change of living organisms from a lower (simpler) state to a better-adapted (complex) and superior one.
Archaeological site or prehistoric site
Is a place where human remains were found
Archaeologists
Are scientists who excavated the human remains for study
Fossils
Human remains

Stages Of Man’s Evolution

1. Ramapithecus also called kenyapithecus
   The 15-12 million year-old remains of Ramapithecus were found by Mary and Louis Leakey at Fort Ternan near kericho and also at Samburu hills and in the Lakes Turkana and Baringo basins. Ramapithecus and other manlike creatures were also discovered in Europe, India and China.
   Characteristics of Ramapithecus
   
   • He was manlike.
   • He had small canines.
   • He was quadrapedal (he moved on his four limbs), though he occasionally walked on two legs
2. Australopithecus/southern ape/zinjathropus
   Remains of Australopithecus were found at Taung in Botswana in 1924 by Raymond Dart, at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania by Mary Leakey in 1959 and throughout eastern Africa e.g. regions around Lake Natron in Tanzania, Lake Turkana in Kenya and Omo River valley in Ethiopia.
   Characteristics of Australopithecus
   • He was the earliest most manlike hominid.
   • He had a pelvis and leg that were similar to modern man‟s.
   • He was bipedal (walked on two limbs).
   • Could defend themselves.
   • Could attack their enemies.
   • Could see or sense impending danger from a distance.
   • Could grasp objects with ease.
   • May have been hairy, short and strong.
   • Had a large face and low forehead.
   • Had stereoscopic vision.
   • Had much larger teeth, skull and jaws.
   • His brain was smaller than modern man‟s, but larger than that of the most intelligent ape: the Gorilla.
3. Homo habilis (Practical man).
   This was the first species of the genus Homo. His two and a half to one and a half million- year old remains were found at Olduvai Gorge by Jonathan Leakey in 1964, Hadar and Omo River valley in Ethiopia and Koobi-For a in the lake Turkana area in 1972.
   Characteristics of Homohabilis
   • He was five feet tall.
   • He had a skull similar to modern man‟s in shape.
   • He was omnivorous.
   • He could grasp objects.
   • He made and used tools.
4. HOMOERECTUS (upright man).
   Homoerectus lived between two million to two hundred thousand years ago.
   • He was five and a half feet tall.
   • He was bipedal (walked on two legs).
   • He made and used tools, such as hand-axes, crude spears and arrowheads from stone, bone and wood.
5. Homo sapiens (Thinking/Intelligent man).
   Homo sapien appeared between two hundred thousand and a hundred and fifty thousand years ago.
   Characteristics of Homosapien
   • He was under six feet tall
   • He had small teeth.
   • He had a steep and well-rounded forehead.
   • He had long straight legs.
   • He made a variety of more refined tools i.e. microliths.
   • He was a fisherman and hunter-gatherer.
   • He domesticated plants and animals.
   • Remains of Homosapien were found at:
     
     • Eliye springs near Lake Turkana,
     • Kanjera and Kanam in Kenya,
     • Bodo and Omo river valley in Ethiopia,
     • Ngaloba in Tanzania.

• Interdependence Of People
  • Benefits of Interdependence
• Population Distribution
  • Population Distribution In The County

Interdependence Of People

• Interdependence means depending on each other.
• In our county people depend on each other
• For example we go to the market to buy what we do not have. Other people go to the market to sell what they have in excess.
• We all need each other.
• Life becomes easier and enjoyable when we depend on each other.

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Ways in which people depend on each other

• People also depend on each other through various means. They include:
  
  1. Food
  2. Treatment
  3. Education
  4. Market

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Benefits of Interdependence

• It promotes love and unity among people
• It brings development e.g. the development of roads which connect different communities.
• It discourages tribalism, racism and corruption
• It leads to the exchange of culture, goods and services.
• Through interdependence people are able to
  
  1. Live in unity
  2. Get assistance or support
  3. Appreciate each other’s culture
  4. Do what they cannot do on their own
  5. Get what they do not have
  6. Get new ideas and knowledge

Population Distribution

• Population refers to the number of people living in a given/particular place
• Population distribution refers to how people are spread over in an area

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Population Distribution In The County

• Population of our county is not evenly distributed
• Some areas are;
  
  1. Sparsely populated
  2. Medium/moderately populated
  3. Densely populated
• Areas with many houses are densely populated.
• Areas with few houses are sparsely populated.
• Areas with few houses far away from each other are unevenly distributed.

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Common patterns of population distribution   

1. Linear pattern – this is where the houses are arranged in a line.
2. Clustered pattern – this is where houses are close to each other.
3. Scattered pattern – this is where the houses are spread out.

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Patterns of population distribution in our county

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• Major Language Groups in Africa
  • The People of North Africa
  • The People of Western Africa
  • The People of Central Africa
  • The People of Southern Africa
  • Other Language Groups in Southern Africa
• Interactions among African Communities
  • Modern Ways of Interaction
  • Benefits of Interaction among Communities
• Factors Influencing Population Distribution
  • Factors Influencing Population Distribution in Africa

Major Language Groups in Africa

A language group is a group of who speak same or similar language.
Communities in africa belong to different language groups
The people of africa are grouped geographically
They include;

1. The people of west africa
2. The people of north africa
3. The people of central africa
4. The people of southern africa

The People of North Africa

This region is made up of egypt, morocco, libya, algeria, western sahara, tunisia and mauritania.
People is this region include.
B – Berbers
A – arabs(semites)
T – tuaregs
Arabs mainly came to: trade, spread islam.
Berbers are found in tunisia, morocco, western sahara, libya, algeria.
Arabs are found in tunisia, libya, egypt, algeria, morocco and north sudan.
Tuaregs live in ahaggar plateau in algeria.

The People of Western Africa

This is the largest group in africa
They include;

1. Mande speakers
2. Kwa speakers
3. Voltaic speakers
4. West atlantic speakers
5. Nilo – saharan speakers
6. Afro-asiatic speakers

The Mande speakers

They are also called mandinkas or mandigoes
They are mainly cultivators
They live in;

1. Mali
2. Senegal
3. Ghana
4. Guinea bissau
5. Burkina faso
6. Sierra leone

They include;
S – Soninke
M – mande
S – susu
M – malinke
B – bambara

The Kwa speakers

They are the largest language group in west africa
They initially lived in north africa
Mostly live in ghana and nigeria
They include;
Ashanti, kwahu, akyem, akwapim, fanti, wassa, nzima, fula, denkyira and ga.
Igbo, yoruba, nupe edo, ijaw, igala and efik.

Voltaic speakers

They moved from lake chad.
They live between the upper and lower volta rivers
They were prominent traders
They are found mainly in ghana and burkina faso
They include;
Ewe – ewe
Mo – mossi
Gu – gurma
Da – dagomba
Be – bergu
Fo – fon
Eg – egun.

West Atlantic speakers

They live along the coast of atlantic ocean.
They are mainly pastorists
They are found in senegal, mali, gambia, guinea, mauritania, guinea bissau.
They include:
Fu – fulani
Tu – tukolor
Wo – wolof
Se – serer
Te – temme
C – creole
K – kru.

Afro-asiatic speakers

Are as a result of intermarriage betwee africans and arabs
Were mainly traders
Played an important role in the tras-saharan trade
They include
Ha – hausa
Tu – tuaregs
A – andarawa

The Nilo-Saharan speakers

They migrated from nile region to west africa through sahara.
They live in nigeria, niger, mali and cameroon,
They include;
So – songhai
Za – zarma
De – dendi
Ka – kanuri.

The People of Central Africa

Majority of the people are bantu
The earliest inhabitants of the region were the khoikhoi, san, and pygmies.
The pygmies are also called the bambuti
The pygmies lived in the forests
The san and khoikhoi were forced to move southwards
The bantu were mainly cultivators
Some of the bantu group of central africa are:

Pygmies

Also called bambuti
Are forest people
Are mainly hunters and gatherers
They lead a communal life i.e.sharing most of the food they get.
They are found in the forest lands of:

1. Central african republic
2. Congo republic
3. Gabon
4. D.R.C

The People of Southern Africa

1. Southern africa countries include;
   • South africa
   • Lesotho
   • Botswana
   • Swaziland
   • Namibia
   • Madagascar
2. Main language groups in southern africa are the khoisan, bantu, afrikaners
3. Majority of the people here are the bantu

The khoisan

They are the earliest and oldest inhibitants of southern africa
They migrated from congo forest
They speak with click sounds
They are made up of
Khoikhoiand the san

The khoikhoi

Also called hottentos
Are pastoralists
Are mainly found in namibia

The san

Also called the bushmen
Are hunters and gatherers
Are mainly found in kalahari desert in botswana and namibia

The bantu speaking people of southern africa

The Afrikaners

They are also known as the dutch
They migrated from the holland/netherlands
They came as settlers in 1652 in south africa
They were also called boers a dutch wod for farmers
They speak a language called afrikaans
They fought with british colonialists and were granted independence 1934

Other Language Groups in Southern Africa

They include asians and coloureds.

Asians

Are mainly indians
They were brought to work in sugar plantations of natal
They live in towns as businessmen

Coloureds

Are as a result of intermarriage between
Whites and blacks, white and asians, asians and blacks
Are mainly found in the urban centres of south africa

Interactions Among African Communities

Interactions refers to the coming together of different communities
Communities in the past interacted through the following ways:

1. During migrations
2. Through intermarriages
3. During wars and raids
4. Through games and sports
5. During famine and drought
6. Through trading(main)

Modern Ways of Interaction

1. Trade i.e local and international trade
2. Games and sports e.g. CECAFA,All african games, african cup of nations.
3. Regional organisations e.g.E.A.C, IGAD,AU
4. International workshops, seminars and conferences
5. Intermarriages
6. Reliious organisations e.g. catholic women association
7. Ceremonies and celebrations
8. Migrations e.g.emmigration
9. Women and youth groups e.g. federation for african women educators
10. Employment i.e places of work
11. Local and international tourism.

Benefits of Interaction among Communities

• It promotes trust among people
• It promotes economic development
• It promotes friendly relations
• It enables people to appreciate other’s culture
• It facilitates learning and exchange of new ideas and skills
• It promotes spiritual growth through religion
• Promotion of international peace and security
• It improves transport and communication
• Rich nations offers support to the poor countries

Factors Influencing Population Distribution

1. Population distribution is the way people are spread over an area
2. Population is not evenly distributed in africa
3. Some areas are densely populated whereas others are sparsely populated
4. Most people of africa live in rural areas
5. Urban centres have high population densities
6. Densely populated areas include;
   1. Major towns and cities
   2. Mining areas
   3. Highland areas
   4. River valleys
   5. Lake basins
   6. Coastal lowlands
7. Sparsely populated areas include:
   1. Deserts
   2. Forests
   3. Swamps
   4. Mountain tops
   5. Pest infested areas
   6. Steep slopy areas

Factors Influencing Population Distribution in Africa

Climate

Areas receiving high rainfall are densely populated
Areas receiving low rainfall and high temperatures are sparsely populated

Relief

Steep slopes of hills and mountaions are sparsely populated
Gentle slopes of highlands are densely populated
Cold and rocky peaks of mountaions are unihabited

Drainage

River valleys are densely populated due to irrigation
Poorly drained areas such as swamps are sparsely populated

Soils

Areas with fertile soils are densely populated
Areas with infertile sandy soils are sparsely populated

Vegetation

Areas with thick rainfall do not allow human settlement
People are not allowed to live in forest reserves

Pests and diseases

Areas infested with pests like tsetse flies discourages human settlement e.g. miombo woodland and lambwe
valley.

Urbanisation

Urban areas are densely populated because of development of trade industries, employment opportunities and good social amenities.

Mining activities

Presence and discovery of minerals attracts large number of people
This encourages setting up of business centres and related industries
Natural disasters/calamities/catastrophies e.g floods, eruption of volcanoes, landslides
Such areas are sparsely populated

Security

Areas with good political stability are densely populated
Areas experiencing instability due to civil wars are sparsely populated.

Social amenities

Areas with good social facilities like schools, hospitals, roads and recreational facilities are densely populated.

Government policy

Government ideas of settlement or irrigation schemes attracts large population
Gazettement of forest resrves makes some areas to have little or no population.