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Fig. 9 Dahomean ceramic typology identifying a series of storage, cooking, and serving vessels

Figure 9 Dahomean ceramic typology identifying a series of storage, cooking, and serving vessels

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Fig. 1 Precolonial polities on the Slave Coast of West Africa during the Atlantic Era (seventeenth to nineteenth centuries)
Fig. 1 Precolonial polities on the Slave Coast of West Africa during the Atlantic Era (seventeenth to nineteenth centuries)
Fig. 2. Appliqué cloth showing the dokpwe, dokpwegan, and calabashes filled with food for the impending feast (after Herskovits 1938: plate 15) ceremonial activities—within communities (Fig. 2). Led by charismatic individuals called dokpwegan, dokpwe were mobilized through feasts hosted by sponsors. Potential sponsors contacted a dokpwegan when additional labor was needed for clearing fields, building a house, or some other labor-intensive activity. Sponsors were then expected to compensate laborers at the completion of the project, and according to Herskovits (1938:72):
Fig. 2. Appliqué cloth showing the dokpwe, dokpwegan, and calabashes filled with food for the impending feast (after Herskovits 1938: plate 15) ceremonial activities—within communities (Fig. 2). Led by charismatic individuals called dokpwegan, dokpwe were mobilized through feasts hosted by sponsors. Potential sponsors contacted a dokpwegan when additional labor was needed for clearing fields, building a house, or some other labor-intensive activity. Sponsors were then expected to compensate laborers at the completion of the project, and according to Herskovits (1938:72):
Fig. 3. Representation of the Dahomean Hwetanu, or “Annual Customs,” involving human sacrifice and the distribution of material wealth (Dalzel 1793: facing p. 55) Contemporary accounts attest to dramatic displays of wealth and power that took place at the Abomey palaces in this period. Collectively, the state cult of the royal ancestors served as a central force in the power politics of the kingdom. These rituals provided the opportunity for the king to impress his subjects with the generous distribution of wealth (Fig. 3). Dalzel (1793:xxiii-xxiv), who has provided one of the clearest accounts of this practice, describes it as follows:
Fig. 3. Representation of the Dahomean Hwetanu, or “Annual Customs,” involving human sacrifice and the distribution of material wealth (Dalzel 1793: facing p. 55) Contemporary accounts attest to dramatic displays of wealth and power that took place at the Abomey palaces in this period. Collectively, the state cult of the royal ancestors served as a central force in the power politics of the kingdom. These rituals provided the opportunity for the king to impress his subjects with the generous distribution of wealth (Fig. 3). Dalzel (1793:xxiii-xxiv), who has provided one of the clearest accounts of this practice, describes it as follows:
Fig. 5 Cana-Gbenganmey unit 4 profile (be/ow) and a selection of the nineteenth century imported ceramics and bottle fragments recovered therein (above) (Photos: J.C. Monroe)
Fig. 5 Cana-Gbenganmey unit 4 profile (be/ow) and a selection of the nineteenth century imported ceramics and bottle fragments recovered therein (above) (Photos: J.C. Monroe)
Fig. 6 Cana-Agouna unit 8 profile (above) and a selection of the eighteenth century liquor bottle and Dutch tobacco pipe fragments recovered therein (below) (Photos: J.C. Monroe)
Fig. 6 Cana-Agouna unit 8 profile (above) and a selection of the eighteenth century liquor bottle and Dutch tobacco pipe fragments recovered therein (below) (Photos: J.C. Monroe)
Fig. 7 Comparison of artifact and faunal densities (NISP) within unit 4 and unit 8. Note that local ceramic density is recorded as a function of weight (g) rather than count
Fig. 7 Comparison of artifact and faunal densities (NISP) within unit 4 and unit 8. Note that local ceramic density is recorded as a function of weight (g) rather than count
Fig. 8 Locally manufactured tobacco pipes from unit 8 at Cana-Agouna (above) and unit 4 at Cana-Gbengamey (below) (Photos: J.C. Monroe)
Fig. 8 Locally manufactured tobacco pipes from unit 8 at Cana-Agouna (above) and unit 4 at Cana-Gbengamey (below) (Photos: J.C. Monroe)
Fig. 10 Relative sherd thickness (mean, maximum, minimum, and standard deviation) for pottery form and size categories identified
Fig. 10 Relative sherd thickness (mean, maximum, minimum, and standard deviation) for pottery form and size categories identified
Fig. 11 Frequency of sooty sherds across form and size categories
Fig. 11 Frequency of sooty sherds across form and size categories
Fig. 12 Relative thickness of most common vessel forms from royal palace complexes, compared to all sherds collected in systematic survey at rural sites around Cana
Fig. 12 Relative thickness of most common vessel forms from royal palace complexes, compared to all sherds collected in systematic survey at rural sites around Cana
Fig. 13. Frequency of ceramic types recovered at Cana-Gbengamey (unit 4) and Cana Agouna (unit 8) between 2001 and 2002
Fig. 13. Frequency of ceramic types recovered at Cana-Gbengamey (unit 4) and Cana Agouna (unit 8) between 2001 and 2002
fable 1 Frequency of fauna taxa identified (NISP and MNI) at Cana-Agouna (unit 8) and Cana-Gbengamey (unit 4
fable 1 Frequency of fauna taxa identified (NISP and MNI) at Cana-Agouna (unit 8) and Cana-Gbengamey (unit 4
* Currently undergoing analysis, only NISP presented here
* Currently undergoing analysis, only NISP presented here
Related topics:
HistoryAfrican StudiesArchaeologyHistorical ArchaeologyZooarchaeologyAfrican HistoryHistory of West AfricaAnthropology of FoodWest African ArchaeologyAfrican Archaeological Review
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