Waja

Monica Ewomazino Akokuwebe
Dept. of Sociology, Faculty of the Social Sciences,
Okuku Campus, Osun State University

Obiageli Okoye (Ph.D)
Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
University of Ibadan
[email protected]

Abstract
Art exhibition entails public display or collection of art objects in a gallery, often
times providing opportunity to showcase a people’s cultural heritage, the artists
and their works. When art exhibitions are carried out in rural communities by a
National Art Gallery, it has the potential of promoting tourism, and encouraging
budding artists in the locality. This study examines the extent to which the National
Gallery of Art, Igbo-Ukwu, southeast Nigeria, promote tourism in Igbo-Ukwu
through art exhibitions, with a view to establishing the impacts of these exhibitions.
Data gathering techniques employed are: participant observation, key informant
interview focus group discussions and photography. The study discovers that art
exhibitions in National Gallery of Art Igbo-Ukwu have contributed to promoting
tourism, skill acquisition and income generation to the artists in the community and
neighbouring towns. The gallery provides platform for budding artists to exchange
ideas with more established artists, and at the same time make young people to see
art as a viable profession. The study recommends that the exhibitions should be
publicized more to increase wider participation of artists and tourists.
Keywords: Art Exhibitions, tourism, Rural Communities, National Gallery of Art

Kingsley C. DARAOJIMB
Department of Archaeology and Anthr
University
+2348082403981
[email protected]

Introduction
Archaeological reconnaissance is a systematic approach of survey employed by
archaeologists for the purpose of locating, describing and documenting
archaeological sites. It is a deliberate search for artefacts or features associated with
the cultural history of a group of people. This is done so as to uncover aspects of the
written/unwritten past of the people under study in order to understand their history
and cultural development. Investigation of this kind entails two methods of
approach. First, the naked eyes and previous knowledge of the history, geography
and geology of the area; and second, the use of scientific methods such as aerial
photo and thermal infrared imagery, electrical resistivity, electromagnetic
conductivity and Ground Penetrating Radar systems (Andah and Okpoko, 1994).
Due to financial constraints in Nigeria, the use of scientific devices is not always
considered by archaeologists who often lack adequate funding. However, the use of
the naked eyes and previous knowledge of the area adopted in this study, though
laborious, is generally and widely practised by many archaeologists as one of the
rituals of fieldwork globally. Not just because of its affordability but also the fact
that it provides an avenue of firsthand interaction, mastery and understanding of the
landscape thereby enhancing a better interpretation.
Previous researches conducted at Orile-Owu point to it as an area worthy of
archaeological research due to the richness and indeed, romance of the local sociocultural
landscape. Such studies have focused on the impact of its natural and
cultural resources on socio-economic development in Nigeria (Adejobi, 2001);
practice of blacksmithing (Ijegbai, 2001); and its tourism potentials (Ebonine,
2010; Ogundele and Ebonine, 2010). In addition, the Department of Archaeology
and Anthropology, University of Ibadan carried out a five-year project (2010-2014)
on the origins, migrations and settlement of the people of Owu. This paper presents
a report of archaeological survey carried out at Orile-Owu. The report advances on
the research of Ogundele and Ebonine (2010) by taking a step further to examine the
cultural and natural landscapes and provide a tangible document of inventory of
cultural features/materials in the area.. Results from this current research will to a
West Afri. Journ of Arch. Vol. 46 (2) 2016
greater extent push back the frontiers of knowledge with respect to the peopling of
the region within the confines of natural and socio-cultural adaptation. This
underscores the reason why investigations in the area were targeted at searching,
recovering and documenting archaeological features/artefacts in a systematic and
socially engaging manner. This involved answering certain pertinent questions
with regard to nature of the cultural and natural landscape and cultural identities of
the people.

1May, Okafor .N. and 2Eyisi, Afamefuna .P.
1 – Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
[email protected]
2 – Department of Archaeology and Tourism, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
[email protected]

Abstract
Traditional pottery making has become one of the major ways through which
Africans have established themselves in world history and development over time.
Pottery making provided man with utilitarian items which served as evidence of
past human activities wherever found. However, in every society, art is dynamic.
Pottery as an art has also revealed this dynamism in several ways and in different
cultures. In Gui traditional pottery, remarkable changes have taken place across
different phases of pottery making. In most cases, these changes are results of
modernization. In the Nigerian traditional society, today, potters have, as much as
possible, continuously sought ways to keep their pottery traditions alive. Although
they incorporate new ideas to their creative endeavours to enable their craft
survive, they continuously work in distinct styles, techniques and idioms that place
their pottery wares and practices in the mainstream of traditional art. Through
ethnographic method of data collection, this paper presents the materials and tools
used in Gui pottery. Subsequently, it analyses distinct changes that have taken place
in their use of these materials and tools as well as their pottery usage. This research,
therefore, studies the effects of modernisation on the pottery traditions of Gui. It
discovered that hybridization of materials and techniques is the key strategy
through which most of these potters have survived.
Keywords: Syncretism, traditional, pottery, pottery techniques, Gui, pottery tools,

Abubakar Garba
Centre for Trans-Saharan Studies,
University of Maiduguri,
Email: [email protected]
[email protected]

Abstract
The Chad Basin covers an area of about 2.4million sq.km, but the conventional
basin which is under the jurisdiction of Lake Chad Basin Commission is about
1.00million sq km and hosts about 30 million inhabitants from five member
countries, namely; Nigeria, Niger, Central African Republic, Chad and Cameroun.
Agriculture, fishing and livestock rearing that rely on the water resources of the
basin are the primary sources of income for this population. The region provides a
fascinating scenario with regard to abundant archaeological, historical and living
cultural resources. Archaeologically, it is a region with vast archaeological
resources some of which made a great imprint not only within the sub-region but the
world at large. The Daima excavations of 1965-66 by Graham Connah were a case
in point. The Dufuna canoe with an antiquity of over 8000 years, so far the oldest
canoe in Africa and the third oldest in the world also speaks of the antiquity of the
region in terms of human activities including water transportation. Historically,it is
a crossroads of many cultures while linguistically,it is a zone of convergence and
divergence of most ethnic groups we found today in the North-Eastern region of
Nigeria.The Chad basin is a huge landmass which witnessed a series of depositions
and activities, and is rightly referred to as a cultural watershed, and an interface of
four major cultures of the world the Eastern, the western, the Saharan and Sudanic
(Alkali, 1991). The region accommodated one of the largest dynasties in Africa, the
Sayfawa (Alkali and Yusuf 1991). The methodology adopted adopted for this
research involved literature review of past and recent archaeological activities
undertaken by Graham Connah, some research projects results within the
framework of the University of Maiduguri-Frankfurt Joint Research project, and
the Wandala project with the University of Calgary,Canada.
Keywords: Chad Basin, Scenario, Daima, Dufuna, Dynasty, Sahara, Sudanic,
Wandala.

Ohioma Ifounu Pogoson
Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan,
Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract
This paper interrogates a rare anthropological collection from Edo North gathered
together between 1908 and 1910 by Northcote W. Thomas, first colonial
government anthropologist in Nigeria. After collection, the objects have been
stored up, largely ignored, at the University of Cambridge, Museum for
Archaeology and Anthropology. The paper questions the resultant long time decontextualisation
and isolation of these objects that have, over the time, made it
remote to link these evidential materials and their producer culture and neighboring
cultures. In an attempt to re-contextualize the objects, a comparison is made, of
highly anthropomorphic Benin court art, which has for a long time, politically,
dominated Northern Edo land but its character is not represented in Northern Edo
art and selected anthropomorphic objects from the Thomas collection. The idea
underlying Benin artistic production is basically anthropomorphic, revolving
around the Benin king and hierarchy and hence a court art, whereas there is paucity
of human representations in Northern Edo land which intriguingly also doesn’t have
the political structure to support it. Using the older language age evidence of forms
of Edo language spoken in Northern Edo land, the paper queries the possibility of a
south-north movement to create the works under reference. Perhaps there had been
an earlier north-south movement and then a later south-north returnee movement
whereby the works in the Thomas collection would represent those of the earlier
northern Edo autochthons and ancestors of present day occupants. The Thomas
collection may be remnants of an earlier tradition before Benin suzerainty gained
full grounds in the 19th Century.

Fritz Biveridge
University of Ghana, Legon

Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, University of Ghana.

P. O. Box 3. Legon, Ghana. West Africa.
E’mail: [email protected]

Mobile contact Number: 0269466443 / 0246788723.

Abstract of research
This research presents results of historical archaeological investigations conducted
at Forts Eliza Carthago and Ruychaver, two early fortifications / trade stations built
by the Dutch in the Western Region of Ghana to facilitate the exploitation and
export of gold from the Gold Coast. The objective of the study was twofold. The
first was to gauge from the material remains recovered at the two sites evidence
attesting to armed confrontations and second, establish if the two forts were
intentionally destroyed by the indigenous populations living nearby in the
subsequent conflagration following the confrontations. The archaeological
evidence, including totally burnt tobacco pipes, bones and several broken imported
Dutch bricks clearly corroborated historical sources which assert that the two forts
were fire razed to the ground. Data for the study was derived from archaeological
and historical investigations.

Martin Elouga
University of Yaoundé 1
Email: [email protected]
Cell phone: 677 63 91 00

Abstract
Shortly after settling in the upper Mbam catchment due to migration which took
them from the Adamawa highlands to their current habitat, the Tikars faced attacks
from neighboring and distant ethnic groups. The fortifications that encircle the
chiefdoms created indicate the conflicts that marred relations with other social
groups. These fortifications which could be seen as factors of reconfiguration of
space in the chiefdoms, were temporal borders put in place to ensure the safety of
property and people. The universe of confinement that came about as a result,
brought about an autarchic economic and social life style among the Tikars. This
new perspective in the analysis of fortifications is different from the causal and
phenomenological approaches used this far. It lays the foundation for a profound
reflection on this military architecture which isolated groups and at the same time
represented an ingeniously built original structure to secure property and persons.