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Title: | Sacred Groves as Historical and Archaeological Markers in Southern Ghana |
Author: | Chouin, Gerard |
Year: | 2002 |
Periodical: | Ghana Studies |
Volume: | 5 |
Pages: | 177-196 |
Language: | English |
Geographic term: | Ghana |
Subjects: | shrines archaeology agroforestry historiography History and Exploration Anthropology and Archaeology Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups) Religion and Witchcraft |
Abstract: | Small clusters of trees, groves or thick woods dominate the landscape of southern Ghana. The remarkable conservation of these groves is linked to the important sociocultural functions they fulfill as sacred places associated with earth and ancestors' rituals. This paper examines these sacred groves as historical and archaeological markers in southern Ghana. It shows how sacred groves can present information on land clearing history; ancient settlements and ancestral sites; social organization; and historical events. The paper also addresses methodological problems related to potential archaeological investigation of sacred groves, and presents suggestions for a system aimed at mapping sacred groves. Bibliogr., note, ref. [ASC Leiden abstract] |