Answer to Question #193803 in History for Duduzile

Question

Briefly discuss the role of minerals in the early and late mixed-farming communities

of precolonial Southern Africa.

Answer 1

All through the pre-colonial era, livestock farming assumed a critical role within the economy and their ways of life. For example, livestock farming supplied societies with a valuable source of protein and hides for making clothes. Essential products like milk and beef were used as nutrition. Livestock farming was also regarded as a source of livelihood. Some livestock like bulls and oxen were used for plowing farmlands and transporting farm products. This procedure boosted a high level of efficiency for the populations. Livestock farming was also considered a sign of wealth and proficiency within the community, where those people with large numbers of cattle were regarded as well-off.