Symbolic kraals: Subterranean food stores, hidden wealth and ethnographic errors

IF 1.6 2区 历史学 Q1 ANTHROPOLOGY
Thembi Russell
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引用次数: 1

Abstract

Iron Age studies in South Africa are dominated by Huffman’s (1982, 1986, 1993, 2001) ethnographically derived Central Cattle Pattern model, which identifies the cattle-based bridewealth institution of South Eastern Bantu-language speakers by the spatial distribution of specific archaeological features. The idea of the spatial expression ‘on the ground’ of a variety of symbolic codes was Adam Kuper’s (1980, 1982) interpretation of predominantly Swazi ethnography. Surprisingly, Kuper’s work has never been interrogated and consequently his misunderstanding of the ethnography was carried into the Central Cattle Pattern and interpretations of the last 1600 years of Iron Age, farmer archaeology in southern Africa. Two particular features, burials and subterranean grain storage pits, and their relationship to cattle-kraals are explored. Because cattle are central to the Central Cattle Pattern, much archaeological attention has been given to looking for evidence of cattle at archaeological sites, either by dung, bones or cattle-kraals. The paper presents the views of contemporary Swazi, Xhosa and Mfengu people that suggest the symbolic importance of cattle-kraals; in the extreme they may not reflect the presence of livestock at all, yet their persisting presence demonstrates the continuing importance of cattle, real or imagined.
象征性的kraals:地下的食物储存,隐藏的财富和人种学的错误
南非铁器时代的研究以Huffman(1982、1986、1993、2001)的民族学衍生的中央牛模式模型为主导,该模型通过特定考古特征的空间分布确定了东南班图语人群以牛为基础的嫁妆制度。各种符号代码的空间表达“在地上”的想法是Adam Kuper(1980,1982)对主要是斯威士兰民族志的解释。令人惊讶的是,库珀的工作从未受到质疑,因此他对民族志的误解被带入了中央牛模式和对铁器时代最后1600年南部非洲农民考古的解释中。探讨了墓葬和地下储粮坑这两个特殊的特征,以及它们与牛栏的关系。由于牛在“中央牛模式”中处于中心地位,考古学家对在考古遗址寻找牛的证据给予了很大的关注,要么是通过粪便、骨头,要么是牛爪。本文介绍了当代斯威士兰人、科萨人和姆丰古人的观点,认为牛-克拉尔具有象征意义;在极端情况下,它们可能根本不能反映牲畜的存在,但它们的持续存在表明了牛的持续重要性,无论是真实的还是想象的。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
3.10
自引率
8.30%
发文量
9
期刊介绍: The Journal of Social Archaeology is a fully peer reviewed international journal that promotes interdisciplinary research focused on social approaches in archaeology, opening up new debates and areas of exploration. It engages with and contributes to theoretical developments from other related disciplines such as feminism, queer theory, postcolonialism, social geography, literary theory, politics, anthropology, cognitive studies and behavioural science. It is explicitly global in outlook with temporal parameters from prehistory to recent periods. As well as promoting innovative social interpretations of the past, it also encourages an exploration of contemporary politics and heritage issues.
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