Waja

Ethnoarchaeological Importance of Lokoja Rockshelters

By

Fr. Paul-Kolade Tubi, PhD

Department of History and International Studies

Federal University Lokoja, Kogi State, Nigeria

[email protected]

08035984669

Abstract

Rockshelters are durable archaeological niches. This paper aims to examine the importance of rockshelters in Lokoja. The methodological approach is ethnoarchaeology, which has the capacity to integrate archaeological data with ethnographic data in a single study. Data indicate that Lokoja has many rockshelters, crevices and subterranean hills. Findings from the research show that these hills have been of valuable use to human beings since antiquity. In conclusion, the study relying on ethnographic inferences argues for the relevance of rockshelters in the study of Lokoja. The sites are recommended for archaeological excavations so as to deepen our knowledge of human occupation and activities in Lokoja area from antiquity.

Key words: Rockshelters, Ethnoarchaeology, Lokoja