Further Readings
Asante, M. K., & Nwadiora, E. (2007).Spear Masters:
Introduction to African Religion. Lanham, MD:
Universities Press of America.
Mbiti, J. (1990).African Religions and Philosophy
(2nd ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
BOATS
The earliest records of boats in Africa come from the
civilization of ancient Egypt. Because human origin
and human civilization occurred first on the conti-
nent of Africa, it seems logical that Africa would be
the place where humans first created river crafts. The
nature of the Nile River, its absolute essentiality for
ancient Egypt, made it the perfect laboratory for
Africans to experiment with boat-making.
Boat CraftSo vast was the arena for the use of boats that the
Egyptians used boats to carry everything from grain
to stone, from lumber to the bark of the gods.
Papyrus was used as one of the most common
materials for boats around 4000 BC. However,
the Egyptians soon turned to cedar wood, often
conifers from Lebanon, as the most popular wood
for boats, especially the sea-going vessels that car-
ried troops, building equipments, and passengers.
The papyrus boats were steered with an oar; the
larger boats were often steered with two oars. Sail
boats were the preferred type of boats on the Nile
given that the winds were strong and powerful.
Boats sailed the Nile from Aswan to Men-nefer
for ritual purposes when the kings wanted to build
pyramids or take obelisks from the great quarries of
the south. Funeral boats crossed the Nile from the
east to the west to carry dead bodies and priests to
the burial grounds. Many Egyptians saw their boats
as the greatest possession they held; nothing could
be as painful and pathetic as to be boat-less.
A record of a boat under sail is shown as early
as 3200 BC in Egypt. There is no other example
as early as this in human history, neither in
Mesopotamia nor in China.
Boat making constituted a unique response to the
need for transport and transportation; it was the
way to maintain a stable society in ancient Egypt.
Boat-making evolved over the centuries. However,
by the time of the Pyramid Age, the Egyptians had
mastered the technique of creating boats that were
fastened with ropes and wooden pegs rather than
nails. Other areas of the continent also had strong
boat cultures, particularly around Lake Chad. Yet it
was in Egypt that the ancient boat was perfected for
commercial and ritual purposes. Because all of the
major towns were reachable by water, the making of
boats constituted a great industry. Water and wind
power combined to make the Nile one of the great
working rivers of the world.Boats in Ritual
It was as a ceremonial or ritual boat that the water-
craft was most natural on the Nile. When a per-aa
(pharaoh) died or when a god had to be moved, the
boat had to be decorated for the purpose. Boats
have been dug up from burial sites. Many boats
were buried with the royal family members. In fact,
Khufu’s boat was 150 feet long. It was found in
1,224 pieces unassembled with matching signs in
hieratic so that it could be reassembled.
It was believed that Khufu could use the boat in
the afterlife. Obviously, it was part of the funeral
cortege because it was found at Giza, the burial
ground for the royals who lived at Men-nefer. The
great king Khufu was not the only per-aa to be asso-
ciated with a boat. It was the common practice of the
ancient world for a person to have his own boat, but
in the case of the king, he would have several boats.
During a dig in 1991 near the temple of
Khentyamentiu, scientists found the remains of
14 boats that date to the first dynasty (2900–
2775). It is easy to say that these boats had to be
associated with King Aha, the first ruler of that
dynasty. Each boat was 75 feet long, buried in par-
allel graves, and all made of wooden hulls. These
are the world’s oldest planked boats.
Ancient Africans made boats long before the
presence of the wheel. Indeed, the ancient
Egyptians who lived along the Nile simply used
the technology of the people who lived above
them. Light rafts made of bundled papyrus are
thought to have been made by Africans who lived
further south along the Nile. There is evidence of
boats during the Naqada II culture, which came
just before the dynastic period. Tomb reliefs show
signs of boats being built.128 Boats