Richard and Tamera stand on a stone wall at Mokikigiranteme a fortified settlement site believed to have been constructed in the 19th century
The ARCC project has been ramping it’s archaeological activity in western Serengeti this past month, doing participatory mapping and surveys throughout the region. The ARCC project’s archaeologist post-doc Anna Shoemaker was thrilled to be joined in the field from November 6-11 by Professor Tamera Minnick and Richard Alward, both of whom are currently visiting scholars at the Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology in Arusha.
Richard and Tamera conducting 1×1 m vegetation plot transects at Kywisahi Hill, another fortified settlement site dating to c. 19th century
Together with local research partners Nyangi Mtoka, David Maganya, and Johanna Mzalendo Mago, Anna, Tamera and Richard conducted vegetation surveys at early 20th century wells and fortified 19th century settlement sites. The data generated by this collaborative research endeavor is contributing to our understandings of how people have been managing and shaping the landscape over longer-term time scales than are typically considered in most ecological studies. Archaeological work in western Serengeti will continue in November and December of this year.