Archaeology, Cosmology and African Ritual Past. Perspectives from Yikpabongo, Koma Land, Northern Region, Ghana
Author(s): Benjamin Kankpeyeng
Year: 2013
Summary
The legacies of the slave trade in northern Ghana recognized in the traditions/memories of peoples of the area include vanished communities within vast territories today represented by archaeological assemblages. These archaeological regions suffered from raids resulting in the enslavement or dispersal of the inhabitants. Koma Land is located within such an archaeological region and contains unique mounds with insightful information for understanding the cosmological beliefs of the populations which were affected by the slave raids. From 2006 to 2011 renewed archaeological research provided new insights into the contextual associations of artifacts and features, reflecting discard behaviours and intentional depositions relating to ritual actions. The information is helpful for understanding past material culture produced by Africans in the diaspora. Also, the study reinvigorates the inseparable alliance between history, ethnography and archaeology and the effectiveness of methodological concerns for an enhanced understanding of the African past.
Cite this Record
Archaeology, Cosmology and African Ritual Past. Perspectives from Yikpabongo, Koma Land, Northern Region, Ghana. Benjamin Kankpeyeng. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, Leicester, England, U.K. 2013 ( tDAR id: 428422)
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Keywords
General
Archaeology
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Identity
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Ritual
Geographic Keywords
Ghana
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Sub-Saharan Africa
Spatial Coverage
min long: -3.249; min lat: 4.731 ; max long: 1.199; max lat: 11.139 ;
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology
Record Identifiers
PaperId(s): 707