ABSTRACT

This volume provides a powerful alternative to the Western paradigms that have governed archaeological inquiry and heritage studies in Africa. Community-based Heritage Research in Africa boldly shifts focus away from top-down community engagements, usually instigated by elite academic and heritage institutions, to examine locally initiated projects.  Schmidt explores how and why local research initiatives, which are often motivated by rapid culture change caused by globalization, arose among the Haya people of western Tanzania. In particular, the trauma of HIV/AIDS resulted in the loss of elders who had performed oral traditions and rituals at sacred places, the two most recognized forms of heritage among the Haya as well as distinct alternatives to the authorized heritage discourse favored around the globe.


Examining three local initiatives, Schmidt draws on his experience as an anthropologist invited to collaborate and co-produce with the Haya to provide a poignant rendering of the successes, conflicts, and failures that punctuated their participatory community research efforts. This frank appraisal privileges local voices and focuses attention on the unique and important contributions that such projects can make to the preservation of regional history. Through this blend of personalized narrative and analytical examination, the book provides fresh insights into African archaeology and heritage studies.

part I|24 pages

Backdrop to Heritage Meanings

chapter 1|7 pages

Prelude to the Unexpected

chapter 2|15 pages

Setting, Place, and Heritage

part II|70 pages

A Biography of a Local Heritage Research and Development Initiative

chapter 3|12 pages

Disorientation and Recuperation

Relearning Heritage in Katuruka Village

chapter 4|13 pages

Grassroots Heritage Work in Action

chapter 5|19 pages

Spitting Pearls

Agendas for Community Research and Heritage Performance Are Realized

chapter 7|16 pages

Commentary

Fitting Buhaya into Global Perspectives

part III|73 pages

Community Research Findings

chapter 8|14 pages

HIV/AIDS, the Living, and Memory

chapter 9|11 pages

Intangible Heritage

Hope Lost over Erased Ethical Values

chapter 10|15 pages

Commentary

Reflections on Human Rights, Senses of Place, and Heritage

chapter 11|5 pages

Heritage Lost, Heritage Regained

chapter 13|20 pages

Njeru, the “White Sheep” and Her Snake

part IV|29 pages

Reflections on the Katuruka Initiative

chapter 14|9 pages

Progress while Negotiating Potholes

chapter 15|11 pages

Harm by Greed

“Negotiating” Heritage Rights and Land Use

chapter 16|7 pages

The Future of Katuruka

Is There Hope?

part V|42 pages

Spreading to Other Communities and Concluding Thoughts

chapter 19|7 pages

The “Cave of the Dead”

Genocide, Forgotten Heritage, and Education

chapter 20|7 pages

Reflections and Connections