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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:The Archaeology of Social Rank among Eighteenth-Century Nomadic Pastoralists in Southern Namibia
Author:Kinahan, JohnISNI
Year:1996
Periodical:African Archaeological Review
Volume:13
Issue:4
Period:December
Pages:225-245
Language:English
Geographic term:Namibia
Subjects:social structure
Khoikhoi
archaeology
settlement patterns
Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
Anthropology and Archaeology
History and Exploration
External link:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02126097
Abstract:This paper considers the archaeological evidence from the site of //Khauxa!nas, a large stone-walled encampment in Namibia established by emigrant Cape Khoi in the late 18th century. It compares the layout of the site with earlier pastoral encampments and argues that it represents a permutation of a pattern of settlement organization which probably existed throughout the region in precolonial times. At //Khauxa!nas, this general pattern is combined with a number of new elements, including a communal perimeter wall and evidence of controlled access to the site. Most importantly, the positioning and construction of key residential features are consistent with the presence of social ranking. Details of layout and construction point to the rise of a hierarchical organization uniting autonomous households within a pastoral alliance. This development reflects the evolutionary potential of Khoi society at a crucial moment in its history, immediately prior to the rise of armed resistance against colonial rule. Bibliogr., sum. in English and French.
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