East African Archaeology: Foragers, Potters, Smiths, and Traders

5. Fipa Iron Technologies and Their Implied Social History

5 Fipa Iron Technologies and Their Implied Social History Bertram B. B. Mapunda Attribute and chemical analyses conducted on metallurgical materials from archaeological sites in Ufipa, Tanzania, have revealed that at least three ironworking technologies, varying in space or time or both, have been practiced in Ufipa during the last five hundred years.This paper uses the spatial and temporal distribution of the technologies, as well as pottery , to reconstruct the social history of Ufipa.Archaeology and oral tradition evidence show that Katukutu technology, found on the southeastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, was practiced by pre-Bantu peoples. This research adds to a growing body of studies indicating pre-Bantu communities in the southern part of Africa had knowledge of ironworking, pastoralism , and political organization before the arrival of Bantu speakers, and that previous notions of a Bantu “expansion” that packaged all these traits are oversimplified. The history of indigenous iron production in East and Central Africa goes back 2,500 years. Since its establishment, ironworking has remained a vital technological invention among African societies until very recently.The technology began to collapse in most places during the first quarter of the 20th century due in great part to competition from relatively cheap European metalware and scrap iron.The availability of both classes of iron increased tremendously following colonialism. Sometimes the colonial gov- ernments deliberately repressed indigenous technology to protect a market for European-made products (Brock and Brock 1963).In a few places,where European influence was minimal (mainly due to remoteness), indigenous iron production continued until very recently. One such place is Ufipa in southwestern Tanzania, where regular iron production continued until the 1930s (Greig 1937; M. Wright 1982) and, under special request by government officials until the 1950s (WembahRashid 1969; M. Wright 1982). During World War II and immediately after (mid- and late 1940s) there was a serious shortage of farm implements in Ufipa, especially imported hoes.To address this problem, the Sumbawanga District Commissioner lifted the ban on local iron production and requested former smelters to resume work. Many smelters did not turn up because they suspected that the request was a government trap to catch them.A few daring ones responded to the request.Among them was Stephano Malimbo who, apart from working in Ufipa, conducted a demonstration smelting at the Village Museum in Dar es Salaam in 1967 to commemorate the sixth anniversary of independence (Wembah-Rashid 1969). Other locales where indigenous iron production persisted include central western Malawi, among the Tumbuka, where iron production continued until the 1930s (Killick 1990), and northwestern Tanzania, among the Barongo, where the production continued until the early 1950s (Schmidt 1996, 1997a). The prolonged practice of indigenous ironworking in Ufipa induced me to conduct archaeological research there aimed at examining the development of this technology through time. The research project, conducted 1992–1993, concentrated in Nkansi District—a district that had been neglected by previous archaeologists. Four localities were chosen for intensive investigation:Kirando and Kala along the LakeTanganyika shore,King’ombe on the Fipa escarpment, and Kalundi on the Fipa plateau (Fig. 5.1). The research project yielded 75 archaeological and historical sites.Sixtysix sites had evidence of ironworking such as furnaces, slag, tuyeres, iron ore, and charcoal, and four were sources of iron ore. The remaining sites, together with some of the ironworking sites, had materials ranging from microlithic tools to daub, potsherds, and animal bones (for details, see Mapunda 1995a, 1995b). Attribute and chemical analyses conducted on metallurgical materials have revealed that at least three ironworking technologies, varying in space or time or both, were practiced in Nkansi District. These include the Katukutu technology, dating to the 16th and 18th centuries AD and located along the shore and the Fipa escarpment; the Malungu technology, dating to the 19th and 20th centuries and located mainly on the escarpment and the Fipa plateau;and the Barongo-type technology,dating to the 19th century and located along the lakeshore (for spatial distribution of sites see Table 5.1). East African Archaeology: Foragers, Potters, Smiths, and Traders 72 ZAMBIA L . T a n g a n y i k a Masolo Namanyere Kisumbi Wampambe King'ombe Chapota Kalambo Falls Chala Kalundi Nkundi SUMBAWANGA 0 40 km N Regional HQ District HQ Village Dry Weather roads All Weather roads Localities intensively investigated TANZANIA Fig. 5.1 Map of the Fipa area southeast of Lake Tanganyika. Both Katukutu and...