Browsing by Author "Ichumbaki, Elgidius B."

Now showing 1 - 14 of 14
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    Archaeological and Ethnographic Evidence for the Historic Consumption of Fish and Shellfish along the Coast of East Africa in Tanzania
    (2015) Ichumbaki, Elgidius B.
    By using archaeological and ethnographic evidence, this paper provides an overview of historic consumptions of fish and shellfish by local communities that lived along the coast of East Africa particularly in Tanzania. It is argued in this paper that for the past one and half millennium, fish and shellfish landing sites as well as their consumption have been changing over time and space. Data from archaeological surveys and excavations highlight some information on these two issues. Results indicate that, whereas the former (fish and shellfish landing sites) were and continue to be attributed to change in sea level and the need to meet demands of existing socio-economic setups, the latter (their consumption) was either due to availability and/or preferences. This tendency continues to-date though in a different manner. For instance, as a means to obtain preferred fishes, local communities embarked on dynamite fishing which, however, despite providing commercial and food advantages, causes serious harm to both local communities and marine resources.
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    A Bibliography of Tanzania's Prehistory Volume 1
    (Dar es Salaam University Press, 2013) Ichumbaki, Elgidius B.; Marufu, Happinos
    The book collects all the publications on subjects mainly archaeology, prehistory and the related heritage studies both published and unpublished until 2012. It is a guideline to a list of what has been done in Tanzania arranged in an alphabetical order. Additionally, research reports and both thesis and dissertations are listed in an alphabetical order.
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    Equatorial Eastern Africa: Quaternary Climate Change and Variability
    (Elsevier, 2015) Ogola, Christine; Asrat, Asfawossen; Rucina, Stephen; Ichumbaki, Elgidius B.
    The Eastern Africa Quaternary Research Association (EAQUA) isa multidisciplinary scientific organization formed to enhance thegrowth of the Quaternary Science community in the eastern Africaregion through promotion of collaborative research. In addition, theAssociation aims to facilitate active communication on Quaternaryresearch issues and information exchange on palaeoclimate, palae-oenvironment, archaeology, palaeontology and palaeoanthropol-ogy among eastern African and international researchers withinterests in various aspects on the Quaternary sciences in the re-gion. The Association hosts biennial rotational conferences ofeastern African and international researchers working in variousaspects of the Quaternary period in the region to share research re-sults and deliberate on various issues of Quaternary sciencesresearch. The first three conferences of the Association were heldin 2007, 2009 and 2011 in Kampala (Uganda), Addis Ababa(Ethiopia) and Zanzibar (Tanzania), respectively. The conferenceswere aimed at bringing together eastern African Quaternary re-searchers together with their international counterparts to pro-mote collaborative research and exchange of research results.
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    Equatorial Eastern Africa: Quaternary Climate Change and Variability
    (Elsevier, Science Direct, 2015) Ichumbaki, Elgidius B.; Ogla, Christine; Asrat, Asfawossen; Rucina, Stephen
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    Linking Cultural Heritage and Eco–Tourism in Tanzania: Reflections from a New Cultural Heritage Policy of 2008.
    (2013) Ichumbaki, Elgidius B.
    Tanzania is endowed with numerous natural and cultural heritage assets that span from pliocene to present. A number of these such as Oduvai Gorge and Ngorongoro Crater, just to mention a few encompass mosiacs of heritage assets that attract both local and international attention. Integration of such features is advantageous to tourists because they get an exposure to both cultural and ecological heritage at close distance. Therefore it is more fruitful in both time and money. However, despite existence of many features of the kind in Tanzania, such rare advantage has never been taped. In addition, there are no strategies to link cultural heritage and eco-tourism for sustainable socio-economic developments. This paper therefore explores and illustrates how Tanzania can link ecotourism and cultural tourism to promote not only tourism but also conserve both natural and cultural environments.
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    New footprints from Laetoli (Tanzania) provide evidence for marked body size variation in early hominins
    (eLife, 2016-11-14) Masao, Fidelis; Ichumbaki, Elgidius B.; Charin, Marco; Barili, Angelo; Boschian, Giovann; Iurino, Dawid A.; Menconero, Sofia; Moggi-Cecchi, Jacopo; Manzi, Giorgio
    Laetoli is a well-known palaeontological locality in northern Tanzania whose outstanding record includes the earliest hominin footprints in the world (3.66 million years old), discovered in 1978 at Site G and attributed to Australopithecus afarensis. Here, we report hominin tracks unearthed in the new Site S at Laetoli and referred to two bipedal individuals (S1 and S2) moving on the same palaeosurface and in the same direction as the three hominins documented at Site G. The stature estimates for S1 greatly exceed those previously reconstructed for Au. afarensis from both skeletal material and footprint data. In combination with a comparative reappraisal of the Site G footprints, the evidence collected here embodies very important additions to the Pliocene record of hominin behaviour and morphology. Our results are consistent with considerable body size variation and, probably, degree of sexual dimorphism within a single species of bipeda hominins as early as 3.66 million years ago.
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    Potsherds Coated with Lime Mortar Along the East African Coast: Their Origin and Significance
    (Springer Science+Business Media, 2015-09-08) Ichumbaki, Elgidius B.; Pollard, Edward
    This paper investigates the purpose of lime mortar-coated potsherds found along the East African coast. Recent sites investigated are in areas of Kaole, Kiswere, Rushungi, Sudi, and Mikindani in Tanzania. Desktop research revealed similar potsherds from Manda in the Lamu Archipelago of Kenya and Kilwa Kisiwani in Tanzania. From the late first millennium AD, asphalt has been recorded on pottery at Manda to make it waterproof. From around the same period, mortar was found on pottery at Kaole and on other artefacts in the midden deposit such as ‘bead’ grinders and bone deposits. This suggests natural cementation from lime introduced to the midden deposit. A thin layer of plaster on pots dating to the late twelfth to late thirteenth centuries at Kilwa Kisiwani, and eleventh to fourteenth centuries at Sudi, has been interpreted as deliberate to make the vessel more watertight. Later evidence indicates that the tradition of coating potswith lime mortar probably for the purposesof storing liquids continued up to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries at Mikindani. However, vessels and deposits dating from the late twelfth and thirteenth centuries at Kiswere and Bwembweni, near Kaole, contain layers of mortar too thick for the purpose of waterproofing the vessel, and were probably used for mixing and then coating a building. The coastal and estuarine settings of the find spots indicate the importance ofwater transport for this lime mortar industry. The storage and transport of lime along the coast and inland would have been a significant part of local East African trade for its use in iron making and building.
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    Potsherds Coated with Lime Mortar Along the East African Coast: Their Origin and Significance
    (Springer Link, 2015) Ichumbaki, Elgidius B.; Pollard, Edward
    This paper investigates the purpose of lime mortar-coated potsherds found along the East African coast. Recent sites investigated are in areas of Kaole, Kiswere, Rushungi, Sudi, and Mikindani in Tanzania. Desktop research revealed similar potsherds from Manda in the Lamu Archipelago of Kenya and Kilwa Kisiwani in Tanzania. From the late first millennium AD, asphalt has been recorded on pottery at Manda to make it waterproof. From around the same period, mortar was found on pottery at Kaole and on other artefacts in the midden deposit such as ‘bead’ grinders and bone deposits. This suggests natural cementation from lime introduced to the midden deposit. A thin layer of plaster on pots dating to the late twelfth to late thirteenth centuries at Kilwa Kisiwani, and eleventh to fourteenth centuries at Sudi, has been interpreted as deliberate to make the vessel more watertight. Later evidence indicates that the tradition of coating pots with lime mortar probably for the purposes of storing liquids continued up to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries at Mikindani. However, vessels and deposits dating from the late twelfth and thirteenth centuries at Kiswere and Bwembweni, near Kaole, contain layers of mortar too thick for the purpose of waterproofing the vessel, and were probably used for mixing and then coating a building. The coastal and estuarine settings of the find spots indicate the importance of water transport for this lime mortar industry. The storage and transport of lime along the coast and inland would have been a significant part of local East African trade for its use in iron making and building.
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    Shipwreck Evidence from Kilwa, Tanzania
    (Wiley, 2016) Pollard, Edward; Bates, Richard; Ichumbaki, Elgidius B.; Bita, Caesar
    This article reports on the artefacts and environment of marine ballast and pottery sites identified through inter-tidal and underwater survey around Kilwa, Tanzania, one of the most important medieval sultanates along the east African coast. An inter-tidal site on the limestone fringing reef on the approaches to Kilwa Kisiwani Harbour and an underwater site within the harbour have been dated from associated pottery to c.8th–10th century and the 13th–16th century respectively. The presence of exotic basalt ballast is discussed as an indicator of wreck-sites.
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    Shpwreck Evidence from Kilwa, Tanzania
    (Willey Online Publishing, 2016-06-29) Pollard, Edward, J.; Bates, Richard; Ichumbaki, Elgidius B.
    This article reports on the artefacts and environment of marine ballast and pottery sites identified through inter-tidal and underwater survey around Kilwa, Tanzania, one of the most important medieval sultanates along the east African coast. An inter-tidal site on the limestone fringing reef on the approaches to Kilwa Kisiwani Harbour and an underwater site within the harbour have been dated from associated pottery to c.8th–10th century and the 13th–16th century respectively. The presence of exotic basalt ballast is discussed as an indicator of wreck-sites.
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    Tanzania’s Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage Assets: Strategies towards Sustainable Conservation and Management
    (2011) Ichumbaki, Elgidius B.
    Tanzania has a long and unique maritime history. This shared history left various signatures which are needed by present and future generations for their cultural, scientific and economic significance. However, despite such maritime potentiality, very miniature has been done by scholars to research, identify, document and assess the cultural significance of the Tanzanian maritime and underwater cultural heritages. It was until rescently that the country has started some initiatives to identify and manage her maritime and underwater heritage assets. This is done by the established Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage (MUCH) program which officially started in february 2009. Among others, the program initiatives has resulted to documenting some of the country's maritime and underwater cultural heritage assets as well as establishing a strong team from various Government‟s departments and institutions.
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    When Did the Swahili Become Maritime? A Reply to Jeffrey Fleisher et al. (2015)
    (Springer, 2017-01) Ichumbaki, Elgidius B.
    In a paper titled ‘When Did the Swahili Became Maritime’ published in the American Anthropologist, authors are skeptical about accepting the idea that Swahili societies of the East African coast were fully maritime from their earlier settlement times (about 20,000–30,000 years ago). Instead, they argue that “despite their proximity to the sea and the use of it, they practically remained not maritime societies until after circa C.E. 1000 when the level of maritimity increased greatly and became fully realized.” Although tracing when a certain society becomes ‘maritime’ is problematic, the authors did not recognize the full maritime-ness of the Swahili societies that existed several centuries before 1000 C.E., hence this reply. This paper uses historical and archaeological data with the view that the maritime-ness of the Swahili communities of the East African coast is older than thought by authors. I hereby argue that from their earlier settlement, Swahili communities were not merely part of their maritime environment but they were fully maritime and interacted with the Indian Ocean. Movements of people between and among the islands of the Indian Ocean along the coast of East Africa, individuals navigating abroad to learn some aspects of a foreign culture which they later brought back home, and the day-to-day uses of resources from the ocean verify that the maritime-ness of the societies is before 1000 C.E.
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    Why Land Here? Ports and Harbors in Southeast Tanzania in the Early Second Millennium AD
    (Taylor & Francis, 2016) Pollard, Edward; Ichumbaki, Elgidius B.
    The east African Swahili ports developed extensive maritime trading links around the Indian Ocean, and supported economic, political, and urban growth in the early second millennium AD. This article identifies ports of varying function and importance in SE Tanzania, and seeks to understand their development in the context of natural harbor advantage, boat technology, sailing practice, and resource needs. Field data from landing places are combined with weather patterns, historical documents, and oral traditions to provide an integrated survey of the ports and harbors that once sustained medieval commerce along this section of the Swahili coast. The emergence of Kilwa as an entrepôt to become the key center is based initially upon its naturally advantageous harbor facilities, safety and flexibility of approach in days of sail, and assurance of monsoon winds. Original natural advantages gradually become self-sustaining with its economic and political growth. To the north and south of Kilwa a series of ports of call with drinking water and boat servicing supported trade to and from the pre-eminent city, although some such as Kisimani Mafia and Kwale-Kisuju developed important trade functions of their own.