Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2020 i Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children

1 The Mali Empire reached its height in the 13th century. Its emperors were called mansas, and they controlled the Trans-Saharan trade routes that transported salt and gold. 2 Salt was once so valuable that an ounce of it was worth an ounce of gold. During the time of the Mali Empire, salt was used to preserve meat and season food. It was highly valued in parts of Africa where it did not occur naturally. 3 The Great Mosque of Djenne is the world’s largest adobe building. Located in the city’s large market square, the mosque is actually the third to have been built on that site. 4 The Niger River is Africa’s third-longest river. It begins in Guinea and runs through Mali, Niger, and Nigeria. 5 Mansa Musa, who…

L ooking like a giant sand sculpture, the Great Mosque of Djenne (JEH-nay) is the world’s largest adobe building. It is also one of the most famous landmarks in Africa. Located in the city’s large market square, the mosque is actually the third to have been built at the site. The most recent mosque was constructed in 1907. Built using mud bricks (called ferey), the mosque has unique architecture. It is reinforced with large logs of wood (torons) that stick out from the building. The wood pieces extend about two feet. The walls are between 15-23 inches thick. Part of the mosque, which stands on an almost 10-feet-high large platform, is an open prayer courtyard. Several openings in the roof allow for light and fresh air. During the rainy season,…

Art can tell us a lot about ancient civilizations. Recent excavations have uncovered the history of Mali. Small figures made from terracotta were discovered in the delta of the Niger River. They are called the Djenne Figures after the city that is near where they were found. They have helped historians uncover clues about what life was like so many thousands of years ago. You can make your own terracotta figure. Materials: Air-drying terracotta clay (available at local craft or art supply stores) Surface to work on such as tile, cardstock, or parchment paper Clay-working tools or household items for mark-making such as knives, spoons, forks, and toothpicks Jar of water STEP 1—Making the Basic Shapes Soften the clay by working it with your hands. You can roll, pinch, and…

OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of Mali LOCATION: Mali is a land-locked country in Western Africa. It is southwest of Algeria, north of Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, and Burkina Faso, west of Niger, and east of Mauritania and Senegal. AREA: 478,800 square miles (1,240,192 square kilometers) CAPITAL: Bamako TERRAIN: mostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna in the south, rugged hills in the northeast POPULATION: 18,429,893 (July 2018 estimate) PEOPLE: Bambara 33.3%, Fulani 13.3%, Sarakole/Sonike/Marka 9.8%, Senufo/ Manianka 9.6%, Malinke 8.8%, Dogon 8.7%, Sonrai 5.9%, Bobo 2.1%, Tuareg/Bella 1.7%, other Malian 6% RELIGION: Muslim 93.9%, Christian 2.8%, Animist .7%, none 2.5% LANGUAGES: French (official), Bambara 46.3%, Peuhl/Foulfoulbe 9.4%, Dogon 7.2%, Maraka/Soninke 6.4%, Malinke 5.6%, Sonrhai/Djerma 5.6%, Minianka 4.3%, Tamacheq 3.5%, Senoufo 2.6%, Bobo 2.1%, unspecified 0.7%, other 6.3% CURRENCY: West…

Eco-guardians spread the word to the Tuareg villagers, “The elephants are coming.” Many villagers already know. They will stay out of the thick bushes and trees so they don’t surprise the elephants. Villagers believe that when the elephants come, the land and life are healthy. The elephants are baraka—a blessing to the people and environment of Mali’s Gourma region. Once there were many thousands of Gourma Desert elephants, but now, there are fewer than 400. The elephants live under constant threat from droughts, militant violence, poachers who want their tusks, loss of water from expanding herds and farms, and encroaching human settlement. Through the dedicated efforts of the Mali people and many worldwide organizations, the elephants have a fighting chance to survive. The Elephants’ Extraordinary Journey Every year for hundreds…

The Niger River The Niger River is the largest river in West Africa. It begins in Guinea and runs through three more countries: Mali, Niger, and Nigeria. The Niger is the third-longest river in Africa. The Nile and the Congo are longer. Because much of the surrounding land is desert, the river is very important to the countries it runs through. It provides almost all the water used for farming in the region. It is also an important source of fish and hydroelectric power. The name Niger may come from the Tuareg phrase “gher n gheren,” which means “river of all rivers.” The river has a very unusual route. In the center, it makes an almost 90-degree bend south. Scientists have discovered this turn is the result of two ancient…

The boomslang is an extremely dangerous, venomous snake found south of the Sahara Desert. Its name means “tree snake” in Afrikaans and Dutch. This quick-moving snake is diurnal (active during the day). It lives and hunts mostly in trees. Dangerous Venom Researchers estimate that between one and five million people are bitten by snakes each year. About one-fifth of those bites will result in death. That number is a lot lower than it was 60 years ago. Since then, antivenoms have become more widely available. Consider the case of Karl P. Schmidt. He was an expert herpetologist who worked for the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the Field Museum in Chicago. He was used to handling deadly snakes. In 1957, a zoo director gave him a…

During the cool months from October to March, camel caravans arrive in the desert city of Timbuktu every few days. Led by Tuareg and Arab traders, the caravans have traveled from the salt mines of Taoudenni—an oasis in Mali. It’s a trade that has not changed in hundreds of years. You may take salt for granted, but long ago, people in the deserts and forests of Africa could not obtain it easily. Salt was so valuable that one ounce of salt was worth one ounce of gold. Nowadays, each salt caravan has from 60 to 300 camels. Each camel carries four to six slabs of salt, with each slab weighing more than a man. The journey from the salt mines to Timbuktu takes about 15 days. To avoid the hot…

In the central region of Mali and spread out as far as the land of Burkina Faso, there lives a mysterious people known as the Dogon (do-gän). Many centuries ago, they moved into seclusion where they have continued to live in ancient villages in the plateau, plains, and cliffs of a land known as the Bandiagara Escarpment. They moved hoping to avoid invading forces and to maintain their ancient traditions. That is difficult when invaders enter the region, but the Dogon persist. Their seclusion and strong determination have helped them not only preserve their culture and traditional farming lifestyle, but also ensures a certain amount of physical safety from dangers that threaten them daily. With a population of several hundred thousands, the Dogon are not the biggest group, but they…

The country of Mali and the U.S. state of Mississippi are more than 5,000 miles apart and very different from each other in almost every way. But many people say that music is a universal language, and in this case, it’s true. Mississippi and Mali share a flavor of blues music that connects their modern-day musicians with ancient African musical traditions. How did these two places end up sharing a musical language? Mali is a country with a long, rich musical history. Music is such a big part of the culture that in 2012, when Islamic extremist groups tried to ban all music in the northern region of the country, there were widespread protests. In some parts of the country, music became a nonviolent way to stand up to oppression.…