The Kwena of Botswana and the cattle post institution

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn southern Africa, early research on the archaeological study of livestock herding revolved around the evidence for their presence and distribution. More recent research has expanded these concerns through interest in the socio-economic and political issues associated with cattle ownership, as well as questions relating to the history of their management. With evidence of increased numbers of cattle in southern Africa from the Middle Iron Age onwards, a key question has emerged: where were these animals kept and how were they managed? Several archaeological studies have shown that keeping cattle outside the main settlement, commonly known as the cattle post system, is not a new phenomenon. However, this work has not yet answered the questions of when the system first appeared or how we can effectively differentiate cattle posts from isolated homesteads. Nor has it addressed the factors influencing the establishment and location of cattle posts. This paper uses the Kwena polity of southeastern Botswana as a case study in order to begin to address these gaps. It is a preliminary report of an ongoing research project on the origin and evolution of the cattle post system among the Tswana. It reviews the evidence, both archaeological and historical, for herd management strategies in southern Africa and beyond and then defines a cattle post (Tswana moraka) before investigating the concept further from an ethnoarchaeological perspective. It shows that several factors lead to the establishment of cattle posts, of which two main kinds can be identified, some designed for risk management, others for ecological management. Both are implicated in the changing settlement patterns and expansion of Kwena territory. The next stage of the research will be to apply these insights to interpreting the archaeological record of pre-colonial cattle keeping in Botswana and south Africa.