Waja

The Amazigh people of Western Africa: the early colonization of the Canary Islands

José Farrujia de la Rosa

Sociedad Española de Historia de la Arqueología

History of Archaeology Research Network

[email protected]

Abstract

The Amazigh people from North Africa settled in the Canarian Archipelago at the beginnings of the 1st millennium BC and developed a culture on the islands that can be linked to native North African societies and magical-religious practices associated with the religions of the ancient Amazigh. Nevertheless, the research developed during the 19th and the beginnings of the 20th centuries underestimated the African roots of the Canarian past. This paper analyze the archaeological evidences that reinforce the African roots of the Canarian indigenous people, and the theoretical and political reasons that help to understand how the colonial past has played a crucial role in the making of the image of the Canarian natives.

Keywords

Prehistoric archaeology, Africa, Canary Islands, Amazigh, human colonization, colonialism, heritage.