An Ethno-Archaeological Study Of Pottery From The Saunyama Territory North Eastern Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT

The Nyanga archaeological complex has been linked to a number of contemporary ethnic

groups that include the Saunyama. These groups have been accredited to as the terrace

builders of the complex but however this has been mostly perpetuated on the basis of

incomplete archaeological inquiry and oral traditions. Such a scenario is the case of the

Saunyama where archaeologists and historians have developed the archaeological identity of

the Saunyama in relation to the Nyanga complex on the basis of incomplete archaeological

enquiry and oral traditions hence their accounts remain hazy and fragmented. Surprisingly

amongst other sources of ethnoarchaeology there is some evidence to confirm this link

between the Saunyama and the hilltop settlements of Mt Muozi, an early phase of the Nyanga

complex though this has not been proven. Given such a context in which Saunyama oral

traditions have been given much precedence following the presence of ‘their’ sacred sites in

this ancient cultural landscape. This study comes in with an attempt to develop a ceramic

ethno-archaeological comparative study of archaeological complete pottery vessels situated at

‘their’ shrine of Muozi and ethnographic complete pottery vessels consumed by their

descendants as one of the possibilities that could assist in verifying this link. This study

portrays the prowess of ceramic ethno-archaeology in solving archaeological problems as it

successfully confirms the link between the contemporary Saunyama and hilltop settlements

of the Nyanga complex whereby stylistic and decoration attributes from both assemblages

greatly show high levels of continuity from the archaeological record to the ethnographic

present even though some changes are notable. The study also crafts the humanistic side of

the story that had lacked in most archaeological texts as concluded by Beach (1980).