Browsing by Subject "Archaeology"
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Item An Archaeological Investigation Conducted at Okai Koi Hill (Ayawaso) and Its Significance for Iron Age archaeology in Ghana(University of Ghana, 1990-03) Bredwa-Mensah, Y.Archaeology in Ghana has a long and respectable tradition especially in relation to other areas in the West African sub-region. Despite this encouraging situation, significant gaps still exist in our understanding of the History of some early societies in Ghana. The need to apply an archaeological research strategy holistic in approach as a means of reconstructing a general and broad history of ancient Ghanaian societies, to fill in the gaps, cannot be over-emphasised. It is in this vein that this research on the Ga of the Greater Accra Region of Ghana was undertaken. The Ga,who occupy the western Accra Plains, founded early settlements some of which are in ruins, from the coast to a few kilometers inland. This research, focused on Ayawaso, the former capital of the Ga, which was referred to in early European written documents as Great AccraItem Archaeology and the Gold Coast(The Information Department, Gold Coast., 1945) Shaw, C.T.In this pamphlet my aim is chiefly to speak about archaeology in the Gold Coast. But, before I can do that, it is necessary to consider what archaeology is. We shall also have to consider what its achievements have been in other parts of the world.Item An Archaeology of African and German Interactions at Adaklu-Waya, Volta Region(university of Ghana, 2018-07) Amedekey, B.The nineteenth century saw the scramble for territories in Africa by European powers. Germany a front-runner in this agendum employed several means in asserting their ideologies on the colonized. The joint activity of missionaries, administrators and merchants ensured that the colonized adopted German ideologies. One of the main reasons for the colonization of territories was economical, however; missionization was used as an overture to change the world views of the colonized. This was done to make it easy for the implementation of their plans. The Germans in their attempt to colonize territories were met with opposition at some places (e.g. Kete Krachi) and welcomed by others (e.g. Adaklu-Waya and Amedzofe). Missionization was an important factor in the German colonization process. The subject of German colonialism and missionary activities has been studied extensively historically and now archaeologically. This study investigated the German (Bremen) and African interactions at Adaklu-Waya. The research elucidates the interactions between the German missionaries and the Adaklu-Waya community. Ethnographic and material data gathered were reconciled with the documented accounts. Also, the study reveals the elements that influenced the interaction between the period 1855 and 1914 when the Germans left the country. Both the emic and etic perspectives were considered to help understand what transpired between the locals and the missionaries. Oral and documentary accounts, as well as the archaeological data, proved beyond doubt that there was contact with Germans at Adaklu-Waya. There was contact with other European countries such as England, France, and the Czekoslovakia. Significant changes were experienced as a result of the contact with Germans, however, this contact did not lead to a complete change in the existing ways of life of the people.Item Archaeology of Cross-Cultural Interactions at Amedeka, Akuse, Eastern Region, Ghana(University Of Ghana, 2016-07) Darko-Yeboah, B.This study investigates the nature of interactions that existed at Amedeka and Akuse between Africans and Europeans. The objective of the study was to generate information on the legacy of multinational economic interactions at Amedeka and to derive additional archaeological data to facilitate reconstruction of past socio-economic and cultural life-ways in the area. It also sought to document factors which facilitated the growth of commercial network, identify the major local agents involved in trade and the reasons or factors that led to the collapse of commercial activity in the area in the early 20th century. The artefacts recovered helped establish a chronology of the site of Akuse-Amedeka. A multidisciplinary approach involving gathering of oral account, documentary and archival records, ethnographic and archaeological data were adopted in this study. The result revealed various levels of interactions (economic, social, political and cultural) between the local people and their European counterparts. The main reason for this interaction was the location of the research area which prevented Europeans from travelling up north to trade as a result of the presence of huge boulders of rocks in that part of the Volta River. This led to the establishment of multinational companies which attracted other local people from neighboring towns to the area, thus the multi-ethnic nature of the area. This research therefore gives an insight into an inland interaction at a 19th century port created at Amedeka leading to trade in various goods, including palm oil and cocoa which were exported in exchange for European materials. The study will therefore serve as a contribution to the study of inland trading activities and interactions in Ghana.Item An Archaeology of Nkonya Wurupong and Its German Encounters, Volta Region, Ghana.(University of Ghana, 2018-07) Owusu-Ansah, D.This research revolved around the study of the precolonial and colonial cultural lifeways of the people of Nkonya Wurupong. This archaeological investigation was carried out to assess the impact of the 19th and 20th centuries cultural contacts and interactions among the Nkonya people and with other local groups of people (especially the Akan imperial forces) and the colonial authoritative force (Germans) in Nkonya Wurupong, Volta Region of Ghana. An eclectic approach was employed in this study in an attempt to understand and interpret the nature of these encounters and interactions among the various groups of people at Nkonya Wurupong. The eclectic approach included information gathered through a review of archival and documentary sources, ethnographic research, reconnaissance survey as well as archaeological excavations. The study revealed that the interactions between Nkonya Wurupong and the Akan imperial groups led to the usage of some Akan cultural traits in the Wurupong community. The study also revealed that the contacts between the indigenes of Wurupong and the German colonial administrators at Nkonya Wurupong brought about transformations in their education, healthcare services, religion and farming systems. The study has unearthed and provided insights into how the presence of the German colonials in Wurupong relegated the authority of the traditional set-up. The vestiges of the German colonial past in the area serve as shared heritage resources that buttress the presence of the Germans in the Wurupong community. Recommendations were also made on how best to develop the heritage resources of Nkonya Wurupong into tourist attractions.Item Current Archaeological Research at the Krobo Mountain Site, Ghana(British Archaeological Reports, 2008) Gblerkpor, W.N.; Insoll, T.This preliminary archaeological report examines ongoing archaeological research at the Krobo Mountain site. It focuses on the ethnographic and archaeological research methods employed in the investigation of past liferways at the ancestral settlement of the Krobo people of south-eastern Ghana. A highlight of archaeological, ethnographic, and historical data relating to burial practices, consumption, construction technology, indigenous religious activities, exchange and interaction has been presented.Item Historical Archaeology of German Colonial Heritage at Ziavi, in the Ho Municipality, Volta Region, Ghana.(University Of Ghana, 2015-07) Dogbey, V.S.This thesis was aimed at investigating the Archaeology of German colonial encounters with local agency at the Galenkuito site of Ziavi, in the Ho municipality of the Volta Region of Ghana. It garnered oral and documentary accounts to contribute to the knowledge of the migration and settlement histories of the early Ziavi indigenes prior to colonial times. The study used ethnographic research to document the contemporary life-ways of the people. These included chieftaincy and traditional authorities, subsistence, popular culture (festivals, music and dance), indigenous technologies, clan identities and functionalities, building technology and architecture, social organization as well as the cognitive structures and the religious identities of the people of Ziavi. Archaeological excavation was carried out at Galenkuito to unsheathe the remnants of the indigenous and colonial material representations of the people through time. Analysis and interpretation of the material remnants including ceramics, slag, metal objects, smoking pipes, building structures, flora and fauna provided insights into the nature of material culture varieties, agency and contacts among the occupants of the Galenkuito site at Ziavi. It is revealed that the emic world-view of Ziavi in respect of its indigenous culture is continued and maintained in spite of their interactions with the German colonial powers decades ago. While the occupation of the Germans have impacted on the town planning and road network of Ziavi, their extant material relics, many of which are in ruins, have possibilities of being restored and preserved for purposes of cultural resource management and development. The present reality of remembrance and de-remembrance of the 19th Century German- Ziavi interaction and its implication for the contemporary society of Ziavi is also discussed.Item Identification and Documentation of the Cultural Heritage Resources of Kolon-Yiri, Upper West Region, Ghana.(University of Ghana, 2019-10) Manu, J.A.This research examined the cultural heritage and settlement history of an ancient settlement called Kolon-Yiri in the Nadolwli-Kaleo District in the Upper West Region of Ghana. The objectives of the study were to identify and document the cultural resources of the people of Kolon-Yiri as a means of safeguarding their cultural heritage in the light of socio-cultural and economic transformations. It has also examined some aspects of their indigenous religious belief systems and practices, including their worldview. Drawing on information gathered from oral traditions, documentary records, ethnography and archaeology, the study provided adequate information regarding the settlement history of Kolon-Yiri, and how the indigenes interact with their cultural heritage resources. The study has also highlighted the archaeological and tourism potentials of Kolon-Yiri, and recommends a major archaeological project in the area particularly in the ancient Pizaga rockshelter. Finally, the study has provided a date for the settlement of Kolon-Yiri which places it within a temporal context in relation to other archaeological sites researched in the region. A multi-disciplinary approach, combining archaeological survey and ethnographic research techniques, aided the collection and analyses of data.Item Identities and Archaeological Heritage Preservation at the Crossroads: Understanding the Challenges of Economic development at Tengzug, Upper East Region, Ghana(2010) Kankpeyeng, B.W.; Insoll, T.; MacLean, R.It is evident that both tangible and intangible elements constitute heritage and this needs to be recognized by researchers, heritage professionals and government bodies charged with implementing development policies. However, the relationship between traditional beliefs, worldview, heritage conservation, and archaeological investigation is a complex one. This is illustrated by the conflict that can occur between government policy and indigenous belief in relation to architecture, and with reference to perceptions of landscape amongst the Talensi communities of Tengzug in the Upper East Region of Ghana. The resilience of the community to preserve and identify their heritage is high-lighted and community involvement at all stages of development and research projects is stressed to be crucial for sustainable development.Item Investigation of trace elements in ancient pottery from Jenini, Brong Ahafo region, Ghana by INAA and Compton suppression spectrometry(Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 2007-10) Nyarko, B.J.B.; Bredwa-Mensah, Y.; Serfor-Armah, Y.; Dampare, S.B.; Akaho, E.H.K.; Osae, S.; Perbi, A.; Chatt, A.Concentrations of trace elements in ancient pottery excavated from Jenini in the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana were determined using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) in conjunction with both conventional and Compton suppression counting. Jenini was a slave Camp of Samory Toure during the indigenous slavery and the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Pottery fragments found during the excavation of the grave tombs of the slaves who died in the slave camps were analysed. In all, 26 trace elements were determined in 40 pottery fragments. These elemental concentrations were processed using multivariate statistical methods, cluster, factor and discriminant analyses in order to determine similarities and correlation between the various samples. The suitability of the two counting systems for determination of trace elements in pottery objects has been evaluated. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Item Material Culture and Ethnic Identity: The Case of the Krobo, Ghana(Sub-Saharan Publishers, 2011) Gblerkpor, W.N.The paper examines the role of material culture, including archaeological remains and historic landscapes in the construction, maintenance, and propagation of ethnic and or cultural identity in Krobo, Ghana. It focuses on how the Krobo have been exploiting their ancestral town, Krobo Mountain ancient settlement site, and its associated historical narratives for social, cultural, economic, and political gains.Item Researching our shared heritage: What do we want to see today?(South African Archaeological Bulletin, 2019-09) Kodzo, G.Archaeology has contributed immensely to knowledge about Africa's cultural past. It has informed us about the foundations and character of behaviour among different communities of people, the processes by which humans and their culture have developed and transformed within variable temporal and spatial contexts, and about the nature and legacies of cross-cultural interactions and interconnections between Africans and other peoples of the world (Connah 2001; Phillipson 2005; Mitchell and Lane 2013). The discipline has become increasingly nuanced and sophisticated on the continent (Mitchell and Lane 2013; Connah 2013; Stahl 2004) with research results stimulating revisions and refinements of archaeological theory, methods and techniques globally. Some researchers who work on the African continent, including Ann Stahl (2004), Judy Sterner and Nicholas David (2008), andWazi Apoh and Kodzo Gavua (2016) have made appreciable attempts to reconcile their scientific research interests with the social, political, and economic issues of the nations in which they operate.Item Rethinking the Stone Circles of Komaland. A Preliminary Report on the 2007/2008 Fieldwork at Yikpabongo, Northern Region, Ghana(Archaeopress, 2008) Kankpeyeng, B.W.; Nkumbaan, S.N.Item Shit, Blood, Artifacts, and Tears: Interrogating Visitor Perceptions and Archaeological Residues at Ghana's Cape Coast Castle Slave Dungeon(Journal of African Diaspora Archaeology and Heritage, 2019-02) Apoh, W.; Anquandah, J; Amenyo-Xa, S.Involuntary servitude, trade, and exchange in humans occurred among communities in parts of what is today known as Ghana before the advent of European involvement. However, with Europeans’ involvement and subsequent colonialism, this practice rapidly evolved into the heinous transatlantic chattel slave trade. Scholars studying slavery know that the material vestiges and memories of this phenomenon persist in the present. Yet, how public audiences engage with slavery’s past is determined by more than the transmission of such academic expertise. Visitors arrive to slave-related heritage sites typically having already had significant exposure to histories of slavery through public discourse and their own schooling. Public tours at such sites also may not relay all types of relevant evidence equally. Historical evidence may be given more attention than archaeological evidence. A monument’s architecture may be given more attention than less obvious material residues. This article explores visitor experiences at Ghana’s Cape Coast Castle, with particular attention given to visitor perceptions of the monument and of the history of slavery. We analyze how these perceptions are affected by visitors’ exposure to information on archaeological residues identified in Cape Coast Castle’s dungeons and in broader historical contextualization of the site.Item The Tension between Communities, Development, and Archaeological Heritage Preservation. The Case Study of Tengzug Cultural Landscape, Ghana(Left Coast Press, Inc., 2009) Kankpeyeng, B.W.; Insoll, T.; MacLean, R.The relationship between traditional beliefs, worldview, heritage conservation, and archaeological investigation is a complex one. This is considered with reference to perceptions of the landscape and the conflict which can occur between government policy and indigenous beliefs in relation to architecture amongst the Tallensi communities of Tengzug in Northern Ghana. It is evident that both tangible and intangible elements constitute heritage in Tengzug and this needs to be recognized by researchers, heritage professionals and government bodies charged with implementing development policies.