Bantu Origins and Dispersals
The book continues by claiming another of interesting things about the Bantu migration into Central and Southern Africa. In regard to Central Africa:
- Bantu languages probably originated in the Cross River valley near the border between Nigeria and Cameroon. 5000 years, proto-Bantu were cultivating yams, legumes, peppers and gourds. This was supplemented by fishing, hunting and gathering.
- Adamawan languages (from the Adamawa plateau in Nigeria - proto Zande, Banda, Ngabanda, Amadi etc.) pushed the Bantu out of the moist woodlands north of the equatorial rainforest.
- Bantu expansion kept travelling east until they reached what is now Uganda and formed a new population nucleus.
- Entry into the rainforest brought the Bantu into contact with pygmoid peoples but given their different subsistence requirements, not that much competition occurred compared to the Bantu versus Khoekhoe. Trade relationships may have been established. The Bantu stuck close to river valleys in the Congo river basin.
- Iron-making arrived as a diffusion from Nok-Taruga (in Central Nigeria). However, iron hoes were not immediately adopted and digging sticks remained central planting tools - though iron axes cleared forest and more land for Bantu settlers.
- Bananas and plantains reached Africa from Asia. They fast become primary staples when the environment permitted it, solidifying higher population ceilings.
Some questions:
- Did an agricultural revolution in Nigeria spur the Bantu migrations?
- What are the ancestral origins of pygmoids?
- Iron-making diffusion occurred without population displacement in Central Africa. Why?
- How did bananas/plantains get to Africa? Also, what are their nutritional value compared to yams, sorghum/millet or rice?
