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A Study of Ancient Subsistence Strategies of the Coastal Dangbe of Ghana: An Archaeological Perspective
$10.00Beveridge Fritz
Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies
University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.Abstract
Significant gaps exist in our understanding of the ancient economy of the coastal Dangbe
ethinic group who occupy Kpone, Prampram, Old Ningo, Ningo, Sege and Ada all of which
are located on the eastern coastal plain of Ghana. The study was undertaken in phases and
this paper is a summary of results from the first phase of work undertaken along Kpone
beach. The objective of the researcher was to use archaeological data to establish their
ancient subsistence strategies and economy. The study covered the period circa 1400 to 1800
A.D. The main thrust of the study was archaeological. However, other sources of data such as
ethno historical data, oral information, written documents and ethnographic data were also
used to complement the archaeological data.
The study revealed the people who occupied the study area had several specialists‘
vocations and had developed relatively complex exchange systems attested to by extensive
intra regional trade activities with neighbouring ethnic groups like Akyem and Akwamu.
Between the 16th and late 19th century, they had also established vibrant commercial links
with different European nations such as the English, Danish, French and Dutch on the Guinea
coast. Thee activities impacted positively on the socio-economic life ways of the settlers. It
made possible the introduction of new cultigens like maize and exotic European imports like
glass beads, guns, gun powder, linen, metal products, tobacco and smoking pipes among
many others to the area.
It is also probable that these developments facilitated and enhanced population growth
and promoted ethnic heterogeneity. Other significant developments arising out of these
commercial activities and cultural contacts may have included urbanization and state
formation. -
AA- Table of Content 40 & 41|Articles
Table of Content 40 & 41
1 ————————————————- 14 Pottery Tradition and Heritage Management in Sukur Kingdom, Nigeria.
Pat Uche Okpoko Ph.D. and Emeka E. Okonkwo Department of Archaeology and Tourism
University of Nigeria, Nsukka.15 ———————————————– 23 Archaeological Excavations in parts of the Katsina Ala Basin, Benue Valley of Nigeria.
Jonathan Demenongo Ndera (Ph.D.) Department of Archaeology Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.24 ——————————————– 32 Gender Representations in Death and Burial Rituals:
Perspectives from Some Cultural Groups in Ghana
Gertrude Aba Mansah Eyifa Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies University of Ghana, Legon. Accra, Ghana33 ———————————————— 47 A Study of Ancient Subsistence Strategies of the Coastal Dangbe of Ghana: An Archaeological Perspective
Beveridge Fritz Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana48 ————————————————55 Traditional Potters of Eggonland: An Ethnoarchaeological Investigation
Ibeanu, A. M. Department of Archaeology and Tourism,
University of Nigeria, Nsukka. and Gershom D. Dalat Department of History, Nasarawa State, University, Keffi.56 ———————————————- 66 Preliminary Report of Archaeological Investigations of Esie, North Central Yorubaland
Adekola, K. and Aleru, J. O. Department of Archaeology and Anthropology University of Ibadan,Ibadan, Nigeria67 ———————————————– 74 Stone Fortification of Surame, Northwestern Nigeria
Olusegun Opadeji75 ———————————————– 84 Africa and Archaeology: Empowering an Expatriate
Merrick Posnansky
Book Reviewed by Prof. C.A. Folorunso -
Africa and Archaeology: Empowering an Expatriate
$10.00Merrick Posnansky
Book Reviewed by Prof. C.A. FolorunsoThe book, an autobiography of Merrick Posnansky, has nine chapters excluding the
introduction that was not assigned a chapter number. The introduction is a veritable summary
of the book. The chapters of the book do not follow chronological sequence that one would
have expected from an archeologists but they treat different subjects of Merrick‘s life and
each subject has its chronology. -
Archaeological Excavations in parts of the Katsina Ala Basin, Benue Valley of Nigeria.
$10.00Jonathan Demenongo Ndera (Ph.D.)
Department of Archaeology
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.Abstract
This paper is a report of the recent archaeological excavations carried out on the northeastern
part of the Katsina Ala basin in the middle Benue valley of Nigeria. Archaeological
investigations started on the northeastern part of the Katsina Ala basin in the 1950s but this
was not sustained until the 1970s when the staff of the Department of Archaeology,
University of Ibadan initiated an archaeological research scheme for the Benue Valley.
Between 1980 and 2008, the northeastern part of the Katsina Ala basin witnessed series of
archaeological investigations leading to the location of historical and archaeological sites,
understanding of settlement behaviour and the history of origin and migration of different
groups in the Benue Valley. This paper is a report of the excavations conducted on and
around Dikpo hill in Mbagena-Shitire, a Tiv group inhabiting the northeastern part of the
Katsina Ala Basin. Though archaeological investigations have contributed immensely to the
understanding of the settlement history of the Shitire, the investigations would be more
rewarding if they are expanded and sustained over a period of time. -
Gender Representations in Death and Burial Rituals: Perspectives from Some Cultural Groups in Ghana
$10.00Gertrude Aba Mansah Eyifa
Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies
University of Ghana, Legon. Accra, Ghana
Abstract
While the sex of a person is biologically determined at birth, gender is a social construct
involving the sex-related roles of individuals in society (Renfrew and Bahn, 2008:230). When
archaeologists examine human remains, it is essential to extract the maximum information
while causing minimum damage to the remains themselves (Renfrew and Bahn 2008: 448). A
considerable amount of information on the gender of human remains can be gained by
understanding the cultural and archaeological contexts of the site under investigation. The
cultural practice involved in positioning of the body in a grave, the accompanying grave
goods and examination of the shape of the pelvis and other bones left intact, gives clues to the
gender interpretation of the human remain and the archaeological data. In addition,
ethnographic studies, oral traditions and historical records provide insights that guide
interpretations. This article looks at how the concept of gender is constructed among the
living and also how various cultures construct burials to reflect gender. The implication of
such gender constructs on archaeological interpretation of burials is also a focus of this paper. -
Preliminary Report of Archaeological Investigations of Esie, North Central Yorubaland
$10.00Adekola, K. and Aleru, J. O.
Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
University of Ibadan,
Ibadan, NigeriaIntroduction
The archaeology of Esie is yet to be properly delimited both in scope and in content. The
town of Esie (Fig. 1) is located in north central Yorubaland, the homeland of the Igbomina-
Yoruba speaking peoples. It is one of the major communities making up the Irepodun Local
Government Area of Kwara State. Esie has the largest collections of soapstone figurines in
West Africa. The figurines (over a thousand) depict the finest collection of work of art of a
culture yet to be fully understood in spite of detailed investigations from the art history
perspectives. Certain questions are still archaeologically pertinent: Who were the makers of
the figurines? What are the other socio-cultural manifestations of the culture that produced
the figurines? And; where are the possible sources of raw materials for the production of the
figurines? These are some of the propelling questions that led to the ongoing archaeological
research in Esie, -
Stone Fortification of Surame, Northwestern Nigeria
$10.00Olusegun Opadeji
Introduction
The term urbanism, as applied to sub Saharan Africa until recently, has been euro-centric
(Effah-Gyamfi, 1986) and believed to be a post-colonial phenomenon. This is changing due
to more recent contribution by anthropologists, geographers and archaeologists (Effah-
Gyamfi, 1986; Okpoko, 1987). Okpoko (1987) is of the opinion that scholars from other parts
of the world, due to their experiences, ―see an urban centre as being marked among other
things by such features as writing, monumental architecture and large population. While these
are true of south west Asia they are not true of West Africa where urban centres or states
were already very much in existence before the art of writing as practiced by the Arab or
European worlds developed‖ (Okpoko, 1987). The conclusion amongst all scholars is that it
is not easy to define settlements from one standpoint. Although there were suggestions on the
criteria to look out for before classifying a settlement as urban or rural, no consensus has
been reached. Some of these suggestions are population size, evidence of writing, social
structure and economic activities.
Hausaland is situated in the savanna which makes it easy to attract archaeologist
attentionwhen compared with such centres south of Nigeria such as Benin or Old Oyo,
Ibadan, Orile Owu, Abeokuta and others that are either in the forest region or in the woodland
savanna of Nigeria. The history of state formation in Hausaland had been attempted by
different scholars and Smith (1970) identified two distinct political institutions in Hausaland
namely; non state political institutions where political authority is founded on kinship
relations and state-like political institution where political authority is not based on kinship
relations and transcends family groups. At a point in history, the family groups or gidaje
which only recognized the mai gida were common. At a higher level was the collection of
family groups living in hamlets known as Kanyuka. The relationship was based on kinship
but the head, mai unguwa was only a distant relation of some of the members of the
settlement. Higher than this, was the gari (town) with Sarki as the leader. This developed as a
result of the Kanyuka being attractive to other immigrants who were not related to the
inhabitants of the settlement. The authority here was above that of the family groups. The
highest level was when gari (town) expanded to become birni. The birni meaning a walled
city had arable land, a semblance of specialization and fortification for protection against
invaders, and an army. Birni had political and economic control over neighbouring gari. -
Traditional Potters of Eggonland: An Ethnoarchaeological Investigation
$10.00Ibeanu, A. M.
Department of Archaeology and Tourism,
University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
and
Gershom D. Dalat
Department of History,
Nasarawa State, University, KeffiIntroduction
Pottery has been used by archaeologists to denote the human technological transition from
hunter gatherers to intensive food collecting and domestication of plants and animals. In
some archaeological sites, this technological transition may show evidence of both late Stone
Age materials plus pottery in one stratigraphic level and in some, only pottery without
polished stone artifacts. This phenomenon could be described as marking intermittent
sedentism to permanent settlement by man (Andah et al, 1980; Shaw & Daniels 1984; Fagg
1972; Scarre 2005). For example, at Iwo Elerro cave in Nigeria rainforest, pottery was found
in association with ground stone axes which may not always be indicative of farming. Also in
Shum Laka, a rockshelter in montane grass fields of southern Cameroon, the site had
microlithic quartz industry and evidence of discontinuous occupation with pottery appearing
before 2000BC associated with partly polished flake hoe like stone artifact (Scarre 2005).
The evidence of many burials in this site with date of 6000BC is suggestive that the
occupants were intermittently sedentary. In Jos Plateau Nigeria, the Rop rockshelter had
yielded a date of 4,000BC for early pottery in Nigeria. While excavation at Ukpa Rockshelter
in Afikpo (Andah et al 1980) identified two cultural sequence of aceramic and ceramic levels.
This study of pottery production was informed by the copious potsherds collected from
abandoned sites, caves/rock shelters during our archaeological survey of Eggon hill
settlements. The study focused on decorative motifs, various processes of pottery
manufacture, usage, discard and reuse with the hope of throwing more light on our
understanding and interpretation of human adaptations, settlement and migrations in the area.
In studying pottery, one has to be aware of how pottery is produced today and know
how different types are used in order to properly situate, appreciate and understand pottery
recovered from archaeological context (Ogundele 2002).
Our research objectives are as follows:
• To document the pottery traditions of Eggon people.
• To study the pottery processes in their socio-cultural context.
• To see if there is relationships between the extant pottery tradition with potsherds
collected from archaeological sites in parts of Eggon land and
• To observe if any change(s) in the pottery tradition.
