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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Early Iron Age buffalo hunters on the Kadzi River, Zimbabwe
Author:Plug, InaISNI
Year:1997
Periodical:African Archaeological Review
Volume:14
Issue:2
Pages:85-105
Language:English
Geographic term:Zimbabwe
Subjects:Iron Age
hunting
External link:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02968368
Abstract:The faunal sample from Kadzi, an Early Iron Age site in the Zambezi Valley (dated to AD 1021 and AD 685), is the first substantial sample for that period and region in Zimbabwe. The site appears to have been a permanent or semipermanent settlement. The sample consists mainly of bovid remains, dominated by buffalo as a single species, suggesting special hunting skills. The presence of some domestic animals proves that these animals were available to the inhabitants of the site. Their status in the community is, however, uncertain. Possible explanations for the small number of cattle fragments could be the result of paucity of livestock for environmental or other reasons, or may reflect differential disposal of cattle bones as part of ritual expression. Environmental conditions, particularly the possible presence of the tsetse fly, could also have been a factor in determining the distribution of livestock and herd sizes in the region. The faunal remains provide valuable insight into the subsistence strategies of the period. They also provide evidence about animals present in the region during the first millennium AD. The exact position of Kadzi within the framework of Early Iron Age traditions has yet to be determined. However, based on current knowledge, G. Pwiti (1996) argues for its relationship with the Gokomere/Ziwa tradition. Bibliogr., sum. in English and French.
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