Sacred Groves as Historical and Archaeological Markers in Southern Ghana

bibliographic database
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Periodical article

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]