Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies
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Item A Preliminary Archaeological Study Of Iron Slag And Ore Shrines At Kormantse, Central Region Of Ghana(University Of Ghana, 2022-10) Arkoh, E.K.Memories are preserved for future generations and most often oral history and traditions are its conduit. In this study, it has been observed that African Traditional Religion shrines apart from serving as dwelling places of the spirits and deities, serve as a memory bank for past iron working activity in Kormantse, a coastal settlement in the Central Region of Ghana. The persistent use of slags and iron ore in the religious context in Kormantse is analogous to some religious practices in some past iron working societies in Africa. This suggests that not only was the iron working activity enmeshed in rituals but the by-product from the iron working activity. Furthermore, the discovery of Kormantse as a past iron working society has added to the number of known iron working sites in the Central Region of Ghana and makes this work a precursor to further studies of the extent of the industry in Kormantse and the Central Region as a whole. The study employed ethnography, archaeology and earth science approaches to derive the data presented in this thesis.Item Anthropology of Streetism: Documenting: The Heritage Resources of Street Dwellers in Adabraka(University of Ghana, 2020) Nsiah, S.The phenomenon of working and living on the street is on the rise in most Third World Countries of which Ghana is no exception. There have been several investigations into the lives of street dwellers most of which have provided useful insights into understanding the causes, effects and remedies to this phenomenon. However, most of such works fail to identify and document the positive cultural constructions that can be learned or deduced from life in the streets. This research explored and drew insights from the day to day life of the street dwellers in Adabraka, and identified and documented some aspects of their ways of life that can be viewed as the heritage. Concluding on information gathered during my research through the use of an eclectic research methodology which included techniques of both ethnography and visual documentation, it was evident that street dwelling is not always bad as mostly perceived. There are some positive aspects of this way of life that can be learned by the ‘normal’ individual. The study, for instance, revealed that the attitude of determination and perseverance, the African concept of ‘Ubuntu’ and egalitarian lifestyles can be learnt from these street dwellers. Hence, it is worthy of documenting these ways of life which can be considered as heritage.Item Anthropology of Streetism: Documenting the Heritage Resources of Street Dwellers in Adabraka(University of Ghana, 2020) Nsiah, S.The phenomenon of working and living on the street is on the rise in most Third World Countries of which Ghana is no exception. There have been several investigations into the lives of street dwellers most of which have provided useful insights into understanding the causes, effects and remedies to this phenomenon. However, most of such works fail to identify and document the positive cultural constructions that can be learned or deduced from life in the streets. This research explored and drew insights from the day to day life of the street dwellers in Adabraka, and identified and documented some aspects of their ways of life that can be viewed as the heritage. Concluding on information gathered during my research through the use of an eclectic research methodology which included techniques of both ethnography and visual documentation, it was evident that street dwelling is not always bad as mostly perceived. There are some positive aspects of this way of life that can be learned by the ‘normal’ individual. The study, for instance, revealed that the attitude of determination and perseverance, the African concept of ‘Ubuntu’ and egalitarian lifestyles can be learnt from these street dwellers. Hence, it is worthy of documenting these ways of life which can be considered as heritageItem Foreign Cinema And Popular Culture In Ghana, 1960 Circa 1980.(University Of Ghana, 2022-04) Novieku, E.A trend of popular culture evolved among Ghanaians from the 1960s to the 1980s. The watershed of this was foreign cinemas or films awash in Ghana. It became popular with the youth who served as agents of acculturated products, namely dressing, hairdo, slang, accents, and gaits or imitated walking skills harvested from the foreign films. This M.A. thesis examines the two decades of the efflorescence of unique popular culture in Ghana that influenced Ghanaian intangible heritage. Data for the thesis was based on primary and secondary sources. I made use of some research methods, namely structured interviews to garner specific questions for the objectives of the study. An open-ended interview questionnaire allowed respondents the latitude to add complimentary insights. Additionally, focused group discussions among adults who were between the ages of fifty-five and seventy years were employed. The relevance of the age-set group is that they had the privilege to witness foreign films as a conduit of popular culture in Ghana, and indeed, participated in the process and were impacted by the films whose end products were a composite heritage. Cinema and popular culture are centripetal to discussions of the tangible and intangible heritage of people living within a specific era. The tangible refers to cinema houses that are operating or those whose premises are being used for other purposes today. On the other hand, the intangible ones are in the realm of acculturation. The demise of foreign cinemas in the late 1980s appears to have brought to an end the ongoing acculturation emanating from foreign films. This is not to say that the cultural influences from foreign films atrophied. Rather they were perpetuated in streams of social change with some being retained while others took on new hues and glow. Thus, the main goal of this thesis is to historicize heritage from the watershed of foreign films, pointing to cultural trends such as fashion styles, hairdos, gaits, slang, accents, and so on. In sum, I show that from 1960 to 1980 foreign films were heavily patronized in Ghana because it was a medium for watching movable human action or scenes on screens. As a result, it eventually functioned as a venue of socialization and acculturation for the youths. Thus, the thesis discusses how foreign lifestyles of popular culture were acculturated into Ghanaian society through foreign films with Ghanaian youths as the agency.Item Inventorizing Selected Archaeological and Cultural Heritage Sites of Ghana(University of Ghana, 2021-12) Asare, K.Ghana has many archaeological and cultural heritage sites. However, the country lacks a comprehensive inventory of these assets. This makes it impracticable to effectively manage Ghana’s archaeological and cultural heritage resources, and put the resources at risk of destruction. Archaeological, historic, and cultural heritage sites are, for example destroyed indiscriminately by large-scale earth-moving construction and other infrastructural development activities. This pilot digital heritage inventory project uses computer software programmes, such as ArcGIS, Microsoft Excel and Word to document, annotate, profile, graphically represent and develop an inventory of nine selected archaeological and cultural heritage sites in Ghana. The study also uses desk research (literature search and review), collection of oral narratives, site visits, photography to gather complementary research data. This work is expected to create awareness, enhance the conservation, safeguarding and overall management of the selected sites and other heritage sites in the country. It is recommended that this inventory compilation be continued and more sites should be added to this inventory.Item An archaeological Investigation of Larteh Amanfu (Amanfro)(University of Ghana, 2021-09) Appiah, A.L.The geographical area of Akuapem has witnessed a spate of historical, sociological and archaeological investigations in the past. However, there is a cloying silence on the discourse of archaeology in the Larteh area. Thus, the history of Larteh from an archaeological perspective is limited. This archaeological investigation was carried out at Larteh Amanfu, the ancient settlement quarter of present-day Larteh people, to throw more light on the history as well as past socio-economic and cultural lifeways of the people of Larteh. A synergic relationship was established among the archaeological data, ethno-historical account, ethnographic data, and documentary records. This provided holistic account of the lifeways of the inhabitants of the site. Additionally, the study sought to establish cultural affinities, chronology of the site, economic, political and socio-cultural transformations that had occurred at Larteh as a result of their interactions with other communities. Both the “Object-Centered Approach” and the “Object-Driven Approach” to studying material culture as espoused by Bernard L. Herman served as the theory that guided the interpretation of the finds. The study revealed that Larteh Amanfu was a multi-purpose settlement. That is, it served as both a market centre and the home of the ancestors of present-day Larteh people. Also, the study revealed that Amanfu was an organized society with structured leadership systems, and social stratification. This study highlights the subsistence strategies, religious worldview, medicinal practices, and body adornments of the occupants of the site. Furthermore, the study shed light on trade relations with the Dangme people of Krobo and Shai, as well as Larteh’s relationship with other neighboring Akuapem towns, Akyem and Akwamu. This study has revealed that the inhabitants of Larteh Amanfu obtained their food from both wild and domesticated species. The study revealed that Larteh’s interaction with other nearby towns had accounted for some changes in their political administration exemplified by Akan Chieftaincy institution at Larteh as opposed to the pre-existing Guan priestly leadership. Also, the celebration of the Odwira festival is a signifier of Larteh’s borrowing of Akan worldview, chieftaincy, and eschatology. Continuity was observed in the archaeological record. This is based on the fact that cultural materials, such as, potsherds, metals, bones, mollusc shells, and stone tools (nyame akuma and a quern) were recovered from all the three layers of the excavated trench. Similarly, most vessels forms, dominant decorative motifs, and surface treatment of the sherds (burnished, unburnished, and smudged sherds) were present in all the three layers of the excavated trench. I showed that continuity exists between the archaeological record and the ethnographic present. The continuous use of grinding stones and pottery in Larteh indicates no break with the past. Equally significant is the fact that the Larteh people still go to the forest groves at Amanfu to perform various rites during Odwira and Ohum festivals. They also farm at the Amanfu site as they had done.Item An Archaeological Investigation of Selected Ewe-Danish Contact Sites at Keta, Volta Region, Ghana.(University of Ghana, 2017) Gokah, B.This research presents the results of an archaeological investigation conducted at Keta. It teases out the migration and settlement history of the Anlo people. Information gathered from oral tradition, reconnaissance survey, ethnography and material remains from archaeological excavations have been used to reconstruct socio-economic and cultural lifeways of the people, to provide information on early subsistence economy and socio cultural interactions and relationships between the various sections of the settlement. It also identifies current socio-economic lifeways that can be attributed to Euro-Ewe contact. Material cultural studies have been the backbone of the research. Datable European material remains date the excavated sites from the 17th to the 20th century. The faunal remains excavated at Fort Prinzenstein (where the Europeans resided) and the Ghana Stores Bar (where Africans resided) as well as the locally manufactured pottery are similar, an indication that the residents of the fort as well as the native population depended on similar sources of protein and pottery. The European residents of the fort therefore adapted to local conditions. The Europeans also affected the lifestyle of the local people as the smoking pipes and glass beads found at the Ghana Stores Bar testify. Fishing and fish processing, salt production, trading, animal husbandry, crop farming, kente weaving and mat weaving and iron smithing were the main occupation of the people. Faunal remains from fish, shell fish and domestic animals recovered from excavations testify to their exploitation for food and their role in the subsistence economy. Similar finds including locally manufactured pottery, European smoking pipes, bones, mollusc shells and glass beads were excavated from three different sections of the site, making it difficult to identify the use of space and gender relationships on the basis of the archaeological finds. A large number of churches and schools have sprung up in the area due to the role played by missionaries. Intermarriages among traders and locals have resulted in a “mulatto” population in the Keta area. Evidence of trade and interaction between Europeans and Africans can be seen in the form of European imported items as smoking pipes, glass beads, drinking glasses, alcoholic beverage and poison bottles and other metal objects such as nails. The locally manufactured potteries found at Fort Prinzenstein also testify to interaction between Europeans and Africans. This research will kindle further research at the site. The materials excavated will serve as museum exhibit and will facilitate a comparative study of Danish interactions.Item Contributions of Bioarchaeology to Understanding the Past: A Study of Excavated Human Skeletons from Hani-Begho, Ghana.(2019-07) Lamptey, P.The complexity of the archaeological record and its interpretation require a holistic comprehension of its makeup from an objective point of view rather than from a single subjective perspective. The analyses of materials recovered from the archaeological record of most sites in Ghana often neglect the analysis of human skeletal finds. This development affects the holistic interpretation of those sites. In view of such gaps, this research sought to subject the skeletal remains from Hani-Begho, within the Tain District of the Brong-Ahafo Region of Ghana, in the storage of the Museum of Archaeology, University of Ghana, to an in-depth bioarchaeological analysis. This was based on the idea that human skeletal remains have the potential to provide insights into the past. The research focused on the extent to which the bioarchaeological study of human remains from the Hani-Begho site can bolster understanding of the anthropology of death and archaeothanatological practices at the site. The study of the samples revealed eight individuals from Hani-Begho (five females and three males), which can be dated by reference to materials from the site to between the 11th and 15th centuries. Funeral treatments varied considerably in Hani-Begho’s social, cultural and religious parameters, for example Chromolaena odorata (Acheampong) leaves and schnapps were used to preserve dead bodies. The predominance of occlusal wear in molars and premolars could have resulted from masticatory behaviour. Additionally, evidence of ante-mortem teeth loss on the samples masked possible evidence of poor dental health. Also evident on some of the skeletons were blunt force trauma on skulls and the creation of artificial diastema and teeth filling within the community. The research forms the basis for sophisticated scientific analysis of human skeletal remains and the cataloguing and accessioning of these remains in the Museum of Archaeology.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 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.
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