Typological and Interpretive Analysis of a 19th-Century Bead Cache in Coastal Kenya

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منو

" Typological and Interpretive Analysis of a 19th-Century Bead Cache in Coastal Kenya "
Lydia Wilson Marshall

Document Type	:	AL
Record Number	:	1069852
Doc. No	:	LA113481
Call No	:	‭10.3213/2191-5784-10224‬
Language of Document	:	English
Main Entry	:	Lydia Wilson Marshall
Title & Author	:	Typological and Interpretive Analysis of a 19th-Century Bead Cache in Coastal Kenya [Article]\ Lydia Wilson Marshall
Publication Statement	:	Leiden: Brill
Title of Periodical	:	Journal of African Archaeology
Date	:	2012
Volume/ Issue Number	:	10/2
Page No	:	189–205
Abstract	:	This article provides a typological and interpretive analysis of 3968 beads unearthed at Amwathoya, a late 19th-century Giriama homestead site in Kenya’s central coastal hinterland. These beads are predominantly imported glass specimens, and most were recovered from a single cache. The typological analysis of Amwathoya’s assemblage draws on both historical bead terms from 19th-century Eastern Africa and broader classificatory schemes developed by archaeologists in other world areas. Smaller glass bead assemblages from two nearby contemporaneous settlements are also examined for comparative purposes. The interpretive analysis of Amwathoya’s beads focuses on such ornaments’ potential role in the expression of cultural and gendered identities; the use of locally produced shell beads in divination and healing practices is also explored. This article provides a typological and interpretive analysis of 3968 beads unearthed at Amwathoya, a late 19th-century Giriama homestead site in Kenya’s central coastal hinterland. These beads are predominantly imported glass specimens, and most were recovered from a single cache. The typological analysis of Amwathoya’s assemblage draws on both historical bead terms from 19th-century Eastern Africa and broader classificatory schemes developed by archaeologists in other world areas. Smaller glass bead assemblages from two nearby contemporaneous settlements are also examined for comparative purposes. The interpretive analysis of Amwathoya’s beads focuses on such ornaments’ potential role in the expression of cultural and gendered identities; the use of locally produced shell beads in divination and healing practices is also explored.
Descriptor	:	beads
Descriptor	:	Giriama
Descriptor	:	Historical archaeology
Descriptor	:	identity
Descriptor	:	Kenya
Descriptor	:	trade
Location & Call number	:	‭10.3213/2191-5784-10224‬