Pre-colonial Society Research Articles

A CONTEXTUALIZED ARCHAEOLOGICAL PENDANT TO NEPHRITIC JADE IN THE AMAZON: A POSSIBLE LINK TO CARIBBEAN PEOPLE

“Green stone” ornaments from archaeological sites, also known as Muiraquitã, typically a frog-shaped pendant, found throughout Amazonia and the Caribbean, have been known since the 19th century; and were believed to have been carved in jade, an Amazonia exotic raw material supposed to have come from East Asia. The knowledge of the provenience and production of these artifacts is crucial for testing and improving explanatory models on the movement of people and artifacts, as well as on the complexity and entanglement of social networks’ interactions. It was only in the 2000s that Lima da Costa and colleagues were able to show that muiraquitã artifacts were composed by different minerals and the ones closest to jade were tremolite and/or tremolite-actinolite, that are found in the Amazon region. Despite advances in physical/chemistry characterizations of the “Green stone” ornaments, the vast majority have been on artifacts without any archaeological context. We present here the analysis of a pendant excavated from Monte Dourado 1 archaeological site, located in northwest of Pará state, northern Amazonia, near the border with French Guiana and Suriname. The pendant, found within a funerary context, associated with Koriabo ceramics and anthropogenic dark earth, is constituted by nephritic jade or tremolite-type jade; raw material that do occur in the Amazon region. The lack of other lithic artifacts usually associated with the chaîne opératoire for the manufacture of pedants might be an indication that these ornaments were being produced potentially in the Caribbean region. The detailed physical/chemistry characterization of archaeologically contextualized “Green stone” ornaments is crucial for creating a benchmark for these types of artifacts in order to better understand and improve our knowledge about the historical paths taken by pre-colonial societies in the Amazon e Caribbean regions.

The Transformative Nature of Indigenous Knowledge Systems to Address Gender Inequality

Women have played a significant role in the history of Africa and indigenous normative systems and continue to do so. However, today their roles are in some quarters undermined due to patriarchy. South Africa has been changing and transforming to be more inclusive of the important contributions of women in traditional leadership roles. Traditional leadership is the oldest form of governance in Africa; however, men have historically occupied the throne. In pre-colonial societies, traditional leadership was determined by gender-defined roles between men and women; however, it became a problem after colonialism, when the gender-defined roles became distorted and patriarchy dominated. This led to the exclusion of women from leadership positions and the situation persisted into the modern-day. This contribution argues that women can lead, as history has proven that they are great leaders, but decisions about their leadership and choices must be determined based on their own choices and the protection of their voices. Decisions as seen from judicial pronouncements in South Africa are made to protect the right to equality and dignity of women, but if not done properly, it has the effect of undermining the very rights that state institutions aim to protect. This article recommends consideration of women’s voices across South Africa, especially in rural areas. Society must hear how they feel about their role as traditional leaders and how succession to these positions will bring challenges, for example, what will happen if a woman leader marries a commoner.

Arystoteles i Biblia pod mezoamerykańskim dachem. Chrystianizacja przez asymilację aspektów wierzeń i dziejów nahua w narracji „Historia ecclesiástica indiana” Jerónimo de Mendiety (1525-1604)

The aim of this paper is to identify and define how elements of the native Mesoamerican Nahuan beliefs are described in „Historia eclesiástica indiana”, the chronicle written by Spanish Franciscan friar Jerónimo de Mendieta (1525-1604). The Catholic monk exploited numerous components of the Nahuan religious system, while this paper focuses on Mendieta’s rendering of the legendary character of Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl, Toltec priest-emperor as well as on the native speeches huehuetlahtolli, delivered by Nahuan parents to their children. The ecclesiastical historian uses the aforementioned themes to unfold his own ideas and narrative about the past and colonial reality of the Nahua people. Mendieta’s writings are compared with fragments of an encyclopaedia by the Franciscan Bernardino de Sahagún (1499-1590), „Historia general de las cosas de Nueva España”, the key source to studying religion and culture of the precolonial societies in Central Mexico. The paper also draws on the accounts of other colonial authors, such as Motolinia, Olmos and Durán.

Ancestral institutions and the salience of African ethnicity: Theory and Evidence

Abstract This paper advances a pre-colonial institutional thesis to explain the variation in the salience of ethnicity in African societies. It posits that pre-colonial political centralization facilitated the accumulation of economic and institutional advantages, positioning descendants of centralized ethnic groups to benefit from these advantages within postcolonial states. Social identity choices are rational; therefore, descendants of centralized ethnic groups, who enjoy greater advantages within the nation, find less incentive to choose their ethnicity over their national identity. Examples from Ethiopia and Ghana as well as the evidence from combining individual-level survey data from the Afrobarometer with historical data on pre-colonial political centralization support the theoretical claim. In particular, the paper presents both theory and evidence indicating that individuals with ancestors from politically centralized pre-colonial societies are less likely to favour their ethnic identity over their national identity . These findings underscore the importance of considering pre-colonial legacies when promoting national unity.

Minangkabo Dalam Naskah Kuno

In West Sumatra in general, people know that Minangkabo's traditional form of government is Nagari. In historical chronology, the social structure of pre-colonial society is rarely revealed. This is because the composition of pre-colonial society and government is not widely sourced and written down in modern historical narratives. Therefore, not many people know how the social life before the colonial sat and changed the shape of Minangkabo's social structure. By using manuscripts and literacy sources from rare books using the methodology of Historiography, Historiarchaeology, Manuscript Transliteration and Ancient Map Analysis in this paper, the author tries to reveal things that are rarely the concern of many people. The findings of the information reveal other aspects and are different from what is generally known by people in the present. The Minangkabo people and the existing Traditional Government had a great influence when the trade office and representative Gurbernur in Batavia, the Government of the Republic of Batavia in Eastern Europe, was just pioneering its position which eventually controlled the entire archipelago which is currently known as Indonesia.

Patriarchy Without Masculinity in Homa-Bay County of Kenya (1894-2022)

Purpose: The purpose of this treatise is to justify the existence of patriarchy without masculinity because of the existence of patriarchal shell as evidenced in the male failure to meet the societal expectation of a functioning masculinity. This study is premised in the pre-colonial belief that in patriarchal society men made far-reaching decisions, they were the breadwinners and wielded exclusive authority and power.
 Methodology: The study used historical research design of Gottschalk Louis to collect, verifies, and synthesizes evidence from the past to establish facts that defended the existence of patriarchy without masculinity in Homa Bay. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to identify the individuals and gender groups informants during the primary data collection. Primary data was also gathered from the National Archives to triangulate oral and secondary data. Secondary data were collected from, thesis, journal articles, books, and other publications from the internet, university, and other libraries.
 Findings: The data collected is given thematic content analysis based on study question. Primary and secondary data sources were corroborated to attain the validity and reliability of findings. The publication utilizes patriarchal theory of Robert Filmer which highlights the role of culture on gender performance roles and explains the role of patriarchal ideology in elevating men and making woman to depend on them for survival. In this study masculinity is viewed as a quality or set of habitual performed roles which were stereotypically connected with male gender as opposed to inherent in male. Contrary to the above, this study established that men still claim to have socio-economic and political entitlement in Homa Bay but the level of degeneration and reduction on the same is below expectation. Such degeneration makes patriarchy a shadow of its original reality. This premised in the study findings that there exists a widening masculine gap between the pre and postcolonial men of Homa Bay. The evidence in Homa Bay shows that most men fail to meet the societal expectation in their performances but grapple with vulnerability as they helplessly stare at the systematic loss of pre-colonial socio-economic and political patriarchal authority.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice The existence indicators of the decline of patriarchal dominance in Homa Bay such as long-life expectancy among women, high birth rate among baby girls and the socioeconomic and political degeneration, make patriarchal; theory to be rethought. This paper shows that in the pre-colonial society, there was a concept of valorized hegemonic masculinity which men strived to emulate that consequently established patriarchy. Therefore, the policy makers, governments and the non-governmental organizations should reorganize their strategies to save masculinity from extinction for the purpose of gender egalitarian societies.

The long memory of the land: Pre-colonial origins of Mapuche mobilization in Chile

We aim to explain the long-term territorial patterns of conflict across Mapuche communities in southern Chile. The Mapuche indigenous people have resisted external invasions by colonial settlers and the Chilean state for about five centuries. However, not all Mapuche communities have mobilized for their demands. While conflict between communities and external invaders has been a historical constant in certain areas, in others, Mapuche communities have remained largely passive. We explain subnational patterns of Mapuche mobilization by identifying path-dependent sequences –that range between conflictive and passive– that trace back to the social complexity of pre-colonial societies. Specifically, we claim that communities with stronger pre-colonial indigenous organization had a higher capacity to resist colonialism. Conversely, communities with weaker levels of organization had less capacity to mobilize to fend off colonialism. As a result, path-dependent sequences emerged, which persisted throughout the post-colonial period and explain the differing levels of conflict –or its absence– across Mapuche communities.

Colonial Legacies and Their Implication to Marriage Relations among the Gusii of Kenya (1895-1960)

This paper examines the legacies of colonialism using Abagusii, a community in western Kenya, as a case study. Firstly, the paper briefly summarizes the key aspects of Abagusii marriage relations in pre-colonial society. It then defines colonialism in the context of Gusii and examines the effects of invasion, the spread of western ideals, the influence of western education, and missionary interactions in the highlands. The research also looks at how colonial economic and social policies affected marriage relationships. The main contention made in this essay is that pre-colonial and colonial social-political and economic dynamics, in combination, have shaped and continued marriage ties across time

EXPLORING THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTIONS OF PRE-COLONIAL NON-MECHANISED TRANSPORT SYSTEMS IN ILORIN EMIRATE

Transport and transportation systems in pre-colonial Africa were important aspects of Nigeria’s pre-colonial socio-economic history. Prior to the period of colonial rule and the introduction of mechanised transport systems, the movement of goods and services across domestic and national borders was not alien to Nigerian pre-colonial societies. As against the colonial historiography which described pre-colonial transport and transportation systems as primitive, backward, and incapable of supporting economic growth and development, the article demonstrates, through a thorough examination of pre-colonial transport and transportation systems in the Ilorin Emirate, that such arguments are untrue. Ilorin Emirate, like other pre-colonial towns, has a record of different pre-colonial transportation systems in operation to support its economic growth, trade and market systems, and inter-economic relations. Among the pre-colonial transportation systems widely used in the Ilorin Emirate were the Porterage system and the use of animal packs (camel, horses, and donkeys). These identified pre-colonial non-mechanised transport systems contributed significantly to the growth and development of the Ilorin Emirate. Through these transportation systems, revenues were generated through tolls and taxes, and the expansion of trade and markets, among others, were experienced. The paper relies on primary and secondary sources of data to interrogate the contributions of pre-colonial non-mechanised transport systems.

The Invention of the Maghreb: Between Africa and the Middle East

The Invention of the Maghreb: Between Africa and the Middle East

Modern concept of peacebuilding and the idea of peacebuilding in Igbo pre-colonial society in Africa

ABSTRACT Several studies have examined and applied the concept of peacebuilding in different contexts. A careful examination of these studies revealed that adequate attention has not been given to an examination of the modern concept of peacebuilding vis a vis the idea of peacebuilding in Igbo pre-colonial society in Africa. With the aid of secondary data and historical descriptive approach, this article seeks to contribute to the literature on peacebuilding by bringing in the Igbo perspective. The paper reveals that the Igbo pre-colonial society perceived peacebuilding as a long-term process that also involves the preventive aspect of the concept, since conflict was seen by the Igbo society as a naturally occurring and ever-present phenomenon in human existence. It also reveals that the pre-colonial Igbo people imbued their socio-political arrangement and structures with peace-building consciousness in such a manner that ensured lasting peace.

Inter-imperiality: Vying Empires, Gendered Labor, and the Literary Arts of Alliance

Inter-imperiality: Vying Empires, Gendered Labor, and the Literary Arts of Alliance

Precolonial African Historiography as a multidisciplinary project

In this historiographical article we analyse the three sources from which historians obtain their material for the research of the Bahurutshe (a subgroup of the Sotho-Tswana of South Africa) in the precolonial era: oral tradition, archaeological studies of Iron Age sites, and the oldest written accounts by European visitors to the Marico. We show that because the Batswana were non-literate societies before the nineteenth century, the study of their early history is a multidisciplinary project requiring the inputs of anthropologists, archaeologists and linguists. To produce a cohesive narrative of African precolonial history is an arduous task, but the history of precolonial African societies has major significance in the bigger picture of the (South) African past and informs ongoing discourses about the history of the region. We argue that Hurutshe history fits into the broader pattern of South African history and has relevance for the understanding of current debates around controversial issues such as ethnicity and land claims.

Developmental consequences of identity-driven African studies

In this article, we show how scholarly insistence on the preservation of a certain African tradition, heritage, or identity, inhibits agentic reflections and actions in response to contemporary developmental needs of African societies. This article attempts to answer this question: Of what use are the traditions, heritages and identities if they only enhance a sense of continental and cultural pride but do not enhance well-being, nor contribute to solving global human challenges? We argue that there is nothing special about traditional precolonial societies in Africa, except that: (i) they were traditional as different from modern; and (ii) they were precolonial. But they were not the only societies that had these features. Many scholars have ignored these facts because of a desire to emphasise Africa’s uniqueness in the face of, for instance, what is termed epistemic violence. We highlight three anti-development consequences of this approach for African studies. First, it normalises the marketisation of the knowledge-making process in Africa. Second, it justifies Wahbie Long’s submission that something is seriously wrong with African academia. Third, it inhibits agentic reflections and actions in response to the contemporary needs of African societies.

Legacies of Islamic Rule in Africa: Colonial Responses and Contemporary Development

Colonial rule had long-lasting effects on economic and political development. However, colonial policies and investments varied across and within colonial territories, often in response to local geographic and political conditions. We argue that the religious basis of authority in pre-colonial societies was an important political factor shaping the colonial response in Africa. In particular, we argue the presence of Islamic rule affected long-term economic development through its impact on the investments made by colonial administrators and missionaries. Focusing on historical kingdoms in Africa, we find that areas governed by Islamic states in the pre-colonial period experience higher infant mortality, fewer years of education, and lower density of nightlights in the contemporary period in comparison to areas governed by traditional or Christian kingdoms or stateless areas. The evidence suggests that these long-run effects of Islamic rule are better explained by the location of missionaries and weak penetration of the colonial administration than by the influence of Islamic beliefs.

POST-COLONIAL ECO-CRITICAL CONCERNS IN D.H. LAWRENCE’S POST-WAR NOVELS

Post-colonial eco-criticism examines the impact of colonization on indigenous life, culture, and environment in pre-colonial societies. It analyses how the natural environment, in the colonized regions, is exploited, degraded, contaminated, and destroyed in the process of colonization. D.H. Lawrence, disillusioned by the accesses of modern industrial civilization, is fascinated by the vital and potent cultures of the primitive societies which offered a better alternative to degenerate European existence. He, especially in his later works, idealizes the primitive modes of life and presents a critique of barren European culture. Such dissatisfaction with collapsing European civilization and glorification of foreign primitive cultures led him to a decolonizing vision reflected in his post-war fiction where he offers a serious commentary on imperialism. Colonialism, for him is means of exploitation, an unnecessary intrusion, and a threat to the vitality of primitive cultures, a source of disintegration in traditional modes of life and an important cause of eco-environmental disruption in the colonized world. This article attempts to analyse Lawrence's post-war fiction from a post-colonial eco-critical perspective by employing a qualitative research approach and the theoretical frameworks of post-colonial and eco-critical theories. Keywords: Colonialism, Imperialism, Postcolonialism, Eco-criticism, Postcolonial eco-criticism.

People and power in an African consensual democracy

Some African thinkers have argued that the governance systems in traditional precolonial African societies were democratic, and the kind of democracy they practised was consensual democracy. It was democratic because it ensured the maximal participation of all members in the governance of the society, and it was consensual because it involved the rational deliberation of issues where decisions were primarily reached by consensus. The aim of this article is to examine, on the one side, the nature of the demos and kratos in traditional African systems of governance that warrants characterising them as democratic, and, on the other side, the decision- making process that marks it as a distinctive form of democracy – consensual democracy. Reflecting on Akan proverbs and archival records of deliberations, I argue that the question of democracy in relation to the traditional African systems of governance should be pursued not from how they cherish consensual decision- making, but by how they uniquely conceptualise the demos and kratos in the political experiences of African societies. This unique conception of people-power and the institution of decisional dissensus is what distinguishes traditional African consensual democracy from both populism and deliberative democracy.

Plantas vibrantes

Las concepciones arqueológicas tradicionales suelen considerar a los materiales como inertes y pasivos, capaces de obtener forma sólo mediante la acción de un agente humano. Nuevos enfoques llevan a repensar estos vínculos, que subyacen en nuestras interpretaciones del pasado, al considerar a los materiales en constante cambio y dar cuenta de cómo emergen sus propiedades. Siguiendo este razonamiento, se presenta el recorrido por las diferentes materialidades de las plantas implicadas en la fabricación de una canasta a partir del estudio de las improntas de su trazado en la cerámica de las sociedades precoloniales de la región central de Argentina (Córdoba). A través de un análisis situacional, relacional y ritmoanalítico, serán mostradas algunas de las potencialidades interpretativas de un enfoque que considere los materiales desde otra perspectiva.

Traditional Institutions and Socio-economic Development in Nigeria: A Critical Analysis

Traditional institutions held pre-eminence positions in the pre-colonial societies in Nigeria. The level of order witnessed during this period was a testimony to the invaluable roles played by the traditional rulers in administering their different empires, kingdoms and communities. However, during the colonial era, the position of traditional rulers was compromised as they became mere stooges of the colonial power. The post-colonial period saw the traditional rulers’ roles diminished as they were given advisory roles in previous constitutions and with no single role in the 1999 Constitution. Thus, for the continuous relevance of the traditional institutions, there is a need for re-examination of their roles in the country. This chapter argues for community based developmental roles for the traditional rulers in the country. These include promotion of tourism development, encouraging modern agricultural development, maintenance of peaceful co-existence among the people of their domain and settlers from other parts of the country, providing platform for alternative dispute resolution, monitoring the activities of the various vigilante groups and other unconventional security apparatus in their communities and lastly partnering the security operatives through intelligence gathering within their domains for effective operations of security outfits in serving the people better.

The foot-in-the-mouth figurine and discourse construction based on material culture

The ‘foot in the mouth’ figurine is one of the most iconic pieces of Santarém ceramics, dated between the 10th and 16th centuries. This article focuses on the several analyses that have included this object since its discovery at an archaeological site in downtown Santarém in the middle of the 20th century. From the review of nine collection studies, seven news reports, three TV programs, and nine social media accounts, I present a perspective on different discourses, in particular archaeological ones, based on the material culture of pre-colonial Amazonian societies.