Private business investments in heritage sites in Tanzania have recently captured scholarly interest of some archaeologists. Curiosity in the matter has largely emanated from a fundamental need to widen the sites' utilization through heritage tourism. This paper reviews a recent incident in which a local community explicitly opposed the minister of Natural Resources and Tourism handing over ceremony of Kunduchi ruins site to a private investor. The paper also highlights recent developments, problems in private business investments, and their potential implications to the conservation and management of heritage sites in Tanzania.
The paper presents detailed zooarchaeological and taphonomic results on the Later Stone Age (LSA) faunal assemblage. The contributions of various taphonomic agents in the formation of the assemblage are accentuated. The assemblage is well-preserved and the majority of specimens are not highly weathered. Fluvial disturbance did not play a significant role and can be ruled out as a significant taphonomic agent in the formation. Results indicate that LSA humans exploited high-quality nutritional resources mainly of the large-sized animals and aquatic resources as extra sources of meat and fat. The assemblage preserves stone tools butchery marks (cut marks and percussion marks) and carnivore marks (tooth marks) albeit few. Overall, the faunal assemblage exhibits high anthropogenic inputs and marginal carnivore involvement.
Keywords: Zooarchaeology; Taphonomy; Later Stone Age; Serengeti National Park; Loiyangalani; Tanzania
The 1891 battle of Lugalo in Tanzania is one of the many the Germans faced against the local people in their endeavour to impose colonial rule. The Hehe warriors under chief Mkwawa, mostly equipped with spears and shields, defeated the German forces with superior weaponry. The aftermath was bloody and costly based on the number of causalities sustained by both parties. Until recently, the battlefield has received no attention from archaeologists. This article presents results of the first archaeological survey. The battlefield is full of bullet cartridges linked to the fight. Over a dozen bullet cartridges were recovered. The assemblage provides an opportunity to broaden the understanding of the military engagement, and to clarify, validate, and reconcile the historical and oral accounts. The Mauser rifle, which so often gave military triumphs in Europeans’ warfare against Africans, was the main firearm used by the German forces. The interpretation is supported by a large number of fired Mauser cartridges. The paper also provides recommendations and directions for future research.
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