Begin where the evidence leads. Explore human origins and the many histories, cultures and living traditions of Africa.
Human origins: fossils, archaeology and the methods used to date evidence.
Kemet and ancient Egypt; Nubia and Kush; early cultures across the continent.
Diaspora, oral histories, cultural memory and living traditions.
Spiritual and star-origin narratives, clearly identified as spiritual or esoteric perspectives.
Smithsonian Human Origins — museum and scientific evidence. Study fossils, artifacts and research methods. This supports inquiry into biological origins and early behavior; it does not establish a spiritual origin story.
Explore Smithsonian human evolution evidence
The Metropolitan Museum of Art — museum collection. Explore African art with cultural and historical context. Collection objects illuminate particular places and traditions; they do not represent all of Africa.
Explore African art at The Met
Notice when a source is presenting an artifact, a translation, an oral tradition or a modern interpretation. Africa is a continent of many peoples and histories. We make room for depth without reducing it to one story.
Chapter pathway: Chapter 26 — Remembering Who We Are.
Which origin stories did we inherit? What evidence have we examined for ourselves? What changes when we listen to the people whose histories we are studying?