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Cultural patterns have helped unite people in African societies for centuries. Here are some examples:
Some African families traced themselves back to a common ancestor. These families lived together in a lineage. Many lineages formed tribes or clans. Over time, some tribes and clans united and formed great civilizations.
Many African societies implement an age-grade system. In this system, children of the same age grew up together. They learned to cooperate with each other. Eventually, they may even have shared in political leadership of the village or the state.
Most hunting bands consisted of a few nuclear families. These nuclear families had obligations towards each other. The men, who were usually the hunters, learned to work with each other. The families learned to help each other survive.
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