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Reading this chapter reminded me of the article on the mende people from a few weeks ago. I think often times it is easy to think of the African people as primitive and less civilized because of the way they are portrayed that way by the Europeans. However, this article reinforces the idea that they were not. They had set up societies and systems. For example chapter 5 talks a lot about their so called secret societies and their purposes. They were used to deal with political and social aspects of their said village similar to groups in western societies (pg.94-95). Another interesting aspect to this chapter was how some of these ideas carried over to the nations where the slaves were taken. Some examples of this were basket weaving among the women (pg.93). Also the masonry group that was similar in many aspects to the secret societies in Africa (pg.101).
This is similar to what Kyle says in his post. Secret societies were not only important to African society but also important to the cultures that formed once they made it to their final destinations. Kyle gives and overview of what these societies were like, this is important to understand if one is going to understand African culture in their new destinations.