Roles African Women Played In Ancient African Civilizations
Introduction
The book entitled ‘African Woman the original guardian angel’ is a group of literary works on the role black women play within the community and especially world civilization. This particular writing presents forth acknowledged evidence on the central role African women embody in the world of the living (Barashango, 21). For instance, as per the book, the African woman developed agricultural knowledge, invented alphabets, mathematics, and devised ways of writing manuscripts and erected the basic framework for scholastic and communal systems. In essence, the African woman was the divine motivation beneath some of the most notable technical research in the ancient society. Furthermore, the black woman was the original constructor of houses, cities, and legislator of rules and regulations meant for administering the society and the inventor of marketplace. In fact, all aspects of civilization that human beings hold dear began at the doorsteps of the African women. That is the reason the book equates her to an angel in the world of Antiquity. This paper seeks to explore the works of the African woman in ancient civilization and her impact to the world.
Role of African woman in medicine
As stated earlier, African women played varied yet crucial roles in to the societies. As early as 10000 BC, African women participated in religious, political, and economic progress of the communities (Foley 45). In medicine, women were movers and shakers and discovered safe ways of giving birth and healing wounds. Their motherly roles helped them to easily transition into healing role in the community. Traditional doctors gave a vital link between the rural individuals of African and crucial healthiness s care. For instance, in ancient Egypt, social dignity was not dependent on gender but rather on societal ranks. This implies that women occupied numerous influential ranks in ancient Egypt and characteristically relished several of the lawful and commercial privileges bestowed to them by male counterparts.
During the early past of Africa, there existed an estimated 100 notable female professionals documented in each sector of medicine. These ladies were informed and highly skilled in matters concerning medicine specialization. Amongst the greatest authoritative female doctors, was an Egyptian named Peseshet (Joyce 102). As demonstrated in ancient Egyptian carvings, located in tombs of the ancient Egyptian kingdom, Pesehet was an ‘administrator of expert’ and directed other female doctors on matters pertaining medicine. Another remarkable doctor from old ancient Egyptian history was Merit Ptah who was the first medic to practice pharmaceutical evidence. In this particular context, she studied pharmacy thousands of years ago and in her grave, her child curved the words ‘best medic’.
Apart from the Egyptians, in other parts of Africa some women were mid wives and took care of pregnant women. Somehow, these mid wives had skills and knowledge of how to handle a woman who is about to give birth and knew the position and nutrient intake necessary for the child and the mother (Joyce 134). When the time came for the woman to give birth, the midwives would make use of warm water, herbs and then they would be able to deliver the child safely. More so, after giving birth, women cater to the needs of the infant. For example, the mother of the child would treat the infant in case of an injury, sickness and provide the infant with nutritious food. In the process of nurturing a child, the woman would acquire medicinal skills, which would in turn affect the entire community. In summary, Women aided different medical positions in African society (Lovejoy 232). Their most crucial role was midwife. At an expert level, female medics were not that many but their presence was recognizable due to their persistence and discoveries.
From past literature works, African women always had a space to do, as they wanted, even in male dominated societies (James 180). Women medics always had attention from men as men would go to war and the women were to remain and cater to the needs of the injured. In other words, the gender role of women naturally gave them an advantage to develop medicine more than men who played numerous roles in the community.
Spiritual role of women
The females in early Africa enjoyed countless deal of privileges. Women brought forth life and members of the community viewed them as supernatural beings. The great god isis signified the respected power of the African women (James 120). Ancient African communities depended on agricultural systems and supervised approximately all aspects of food production. Most women were traditional healers, prophets, visions, and leaders of religious faith. So, ancient African communities being spiritually focused, positioned the women at the pivotal ranks of the communities. Subsequently women became powerful and influential. Most African communities were matriarchal and females were the heads of the families, owned properties and held positions of influence in the community. As history would have it, colonialism was the only turning point for the African women as it weakened their role.
Traditional females handled various aspects of the African society of the living. They tilled the land and prepared foodstuff hence their labor changed the entire community. Subsequently, women also controlled young ones, weaved, and directed religious activities. More so, there were females fighters in most African tribes (Coquery-Vidrovitch 178). Women in this ancient era had a strong spirit and vigor because their gender roles characteristically possessed important prowess thus giving them the power to double as warriors and to go to war and safeguard the innocent from any harm and danger.
Some DNA specialists claim that Africans were the first inhabitants of earth. Fossils records and DNA examinations prove that this sentiments hold water. Thus, the African woman contributed a great to human civilization and was the first woman to bring forth other human being through birth. Other races of humanity gradually evolved from black Africans. This aspect explains the deep entrenched respect Africans have for women. Stearns (34), a historian explains that early humans were not aware of the connection amid sex and birth. Thus, people perceived that original life came directly from females. In other words, African saw women as divine beings, able to bring forth life and then sustain it before the linking sex to pregnancy. Thus, women were procreators and people valued them greatly for the sake of keeping peace and holding together the entire community. In summary, women were supreme beings manifesting as mortals.
Social roles of the African women
Another vital impact of African women to the community was collecting roots, seeds, and fruits and examining how they germinate and bring forth vegetation for the community. These studies led to better farming practices (Coquery-Vidrovitch 188). More so, it was the African women who developed agriculture I the 15,000 BC. In fact, according to historians, good farming practices triggered population increase, food surplus, and societal settlements.
People do not know precisely when the part men played in reproduction came to light. However, this newfound knowledge did not stop the African women from playing their spiritual roles. War defined the role of men in the community. The rise of men did not water down the role and duties of women in the communities; rather it reinforced the standards of duality and coexistence as evidenced in creation (Coquery-Vidrovitch 118). Both males and females were complimentary to each other and in coordination were essential between the two genders for the earth to continue. Hence, it was wise to safeguard the interests of both males and females for the survival of the humanity. The respect of women affected the community and the severity and deliberation women received. For instance, in Egypt and Kush communities, children took the surnames of the mothers and mothers were the leaders of the households. In Kush, the Queen mother would select the leader. Previously, before the Muslims invaded and concurred Sahara Africa between the 12th and 13th centuries, the structure of succession was matrilineal. This means that the heir to the king’s thrown was the son of his sister’s son: in other words, his nephew. This is due to the fact that the wife can cheat on the king thus the advisors of the king trusted the king’s sister more than they did the wife of the king. In simpler terms the king’s women lineage. Hence matriarchal basis upon which African leadership stood on and influenced the entire fabric of the society.
Women had several roles to conduct; most of them bestowed power and influence to them and gave them a solid and loud voice in the community. The erosion of the position African female took place slowly yet expressively facilitated by quickened foreign traditions.
Political roles of women in ancient civilizations
Before capitalist and matriarchal communities all over Africa permitted women to have some sort of authority in political spheres. For instance, in early Egyptian communities, the women would handle matters regarding real estates and livestock among other things. More so, because of the matrilineal nature of the Egyptian people, Egyptians perpetuated inheritance and descent via women influenced channels (Weitz et.al 139). Hence, Egyptians relied on societal variances on class and not sex and because of this, women were powerful and influential. One of the most notable example was the part played by the queen mother. The queen mother had many duties relating to governance and management such as legislations, levying duties, and attaining revenues. In some of the African nations such as Ghana, queen mothers had the duty of teaching and ensuring children received quality education and training within the community.
Women political role was not a gift. In fact, early women were intelligent and had acute instincts, which made them have a powerful and lasting impact on the community members. Some historians attribute the downfall of women to their high intelligence and sharp instincts, which in turn made them a threat to their counterpart fellow men. Experts believe that while collecting seeds women linked leaving seeds in the soil and germination of plants. For a moment, these simple mechanisms of farming were solely women duties (Weitz et.al 114). Nevertheless, as human came up with new discoveries discovered in agriculture, people realized anybody can farm their field and because farming required vast amount of strength. In the end, men ventured into farming and the domineering effect of women decreased for good. In summary the roles of African earned them respect and admiration by other people within the society.
Role of women in African culture and myths
Unlike other early traditions such as the Greek who relied on formation of myths were the females was second her male counterparts, and even more particularly, in the state of Pandora, the cause of sadness and other evil vices (Nwoko 69). The Africans had a more unbiased perspective where human beings and not necessarily men, came from gods, formed from water and earth. They then placed women as the center of gods’ creation and in the end, people respected women as part and parcel of God’s creation. In the end, most Africans formed traditions around the role of women such as procreation and nurturing. In simpler terms the formation of myths elevated the position of women in the community and revealed their potential and capabilities. For instance, among the kikuyu community of Kenya women were land owners and abusing them was a taboo hence there was a need to protect and preserve the role of women due to cultural perception build around the African women.
In summary, Africa has the oldest documentation of human technical accomplishments. Some of the tools reflect the role of women in preserving and discovering culture. Women held high positions and helped develop the medical world during old civilizations. Moreover, they fought wars hence men considered them for political leaderships. In the end, they contributed more to the ancient community than people in the current world could imagine.
References
Barashango, Ishakamusa. 2001. Afrikan woman, the original guardian angel: a collection of writings on the Black woman's creation of and on-going contribution to world civilization.
Coquery-Vidrovitch, Catherine. African women: A modern history. Routledge, 2018.
Foley, Helene. Reflections of women in antiquity. Routledge, 2013.
James, Sharon L., and Sheila Dillon, eds. A companion to women in the ancient world. Vol. 95. John Wiley & Sons, 2015.
Joyce, Rosemary A., and Lynn M. Meskell. Embodied Lives:: Figuring Ancient Maya and Egyptian Experience. Routledge, 2014.
Lovejoy, Paul E. Transformations in slavery: a history of slavery in Africa. Vol. 117. Cambridge University Press, 2011.
Nwoko, Kenneth Chukwuemeka. "Female Husbands in Igbo Land: Southeast Nigeria." The Journal of Pan African Studies 5, no. 1 (2012): 69-82.
Stearns, Peter N., Michael Adas, Stuart B. Schwartz, and Marc Jason Gilbert. "World civilizations." In The Global. 2011.
Weitz, Rose, and R. Weitz. "A history of women’s bodies." (2015).
