Basic 3 · History · Inter-Group Relations
Food Items Exchanged
In this topic you will name food items that ethnic groups exchanged long ago.
By the end of these notes you should be able to:
- Name foods from the north, forest and coast
- Explain why foods were exchanged
- Match foods to the areas they came from
What you already know
- Old trade routes and markets
Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.
- Strand
- My country Ghana
- Sub-strand
- Inter-Group Relations
- Indicator
- B3.2.2.1.2 – Name some of the items exchanged among the various groups
Introduction
The coast had fish and salt. The forest had kola and plantain. The north had shea butter and grains. Each area needed what the others had.
1. Foods from Different Areas
| Area | Foods they had |
|---|---|
| north (savanna) | millet, guinea corn, shea butter, groundnuts, livestock |
| forest | kola nuts, plantain, cocoyam, yam |
| coast | salt, dried and smoked fish |
2. Why Foods Were Exchanged
- No area had everything it needed.
- Salt was needed everywhere but was made mostly at the coast.
- Kola nuts were valued in the north for ceremonies and as a gift.
New words
- savanna
- Grassland with few trees.
- kola nut
- A bitter nut used in ceremonies and as a gift.
- shea butter
- Fat from shea nuts.
- livestock
- Farm animals like cattle and goats.
Summary
- The north had grains and shea butter.
- The forest had kola and plantain.
- The coast had salt and fish.
Class activity: Food Match
- Look at the tray of local foods.
- Sort them by the area they come from.
- Explain why each area needed the others' foods.
You need: Ghana map, Tray of local barter-item samples, Pictures, Cowrie shells, Source-area cards
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. Which food came from the coast?
- A. Salt
- B. Kola
- C. Millet
- D. Shea butter
Show answer
Answer: SaltSalt was made at the coast.2. Kola nuts came from the…
- A. Forest
- B. Coast
- C. Desert
- D. North only
Show answer
Answer: ForestKola trees grow in the forest.3. Shea butter came from the north.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueShea trees grow in the savanna.4. Every area had all the food it needed.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: FalseThat is why they exchanged.5. Grassland with few trees is ______.
Show answer
Answer: savannaThat is savanna.6. Name two foods from the north.
Show answer
Answer: Any two: millet, guinea corn, shea butter, groundnuts, livestock.These came from the north.
Homework
- List the foods your family buys that come from another region.