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This volume contains the results of significant fieldwork completed in the Tong Hills of Northern Ghana, an area currently inhabited by the Talensi ethno-linguistic group. Although made anthropologically renowned by the anthropologist Meyer Fortes, the archaeology and material culture of the Talensi Tong Hills had largely been neglected until the research initiated by the authors. Extensive archaeological surveys and excavations were completed allied with ethnoarchaeological and ethnobotanical research on shrines, sacrifice, and indigenous medicine. The data is presented and described, and a settlement chronology for the region reconstructed. The results of the geological, organic geochemica...
This volume describes the agricultural and cultural history of the Gold Coast (now, Ghana) in the Atlantic era, exploring the historical significance of new food crops and culinary techniques from the Americas, Asia and elsewhere in Africa to the farmers who produced them and to everybody who ate.
This is the first report of the DNA Bank-Net, an organization whose goal is to encourage the conservation, collection, and preservation of plant genes.DNA banking and gene retrievalOligonucleotides from endangered/extinct speciesOperation of a DNA banking facilityThe impact of intellectual property rights in developing countriesInterim preservation of plants for DNA useCryopreservation of fruit stocksCritical review of international conservation efforts
"Why do people die and where do they go when they are dead? How should the dead be buried and mourned in order to ensure that they continue to work for the benefit of the living? How have perceptions and experiences of death and the ends of life changed over the centuries? In My Time of Dying considers these questions from the perspective of African history. In what is the first history of death in Africa, John Parker examines mortuary culture and the ongoing relationship between the living and the dead over a four-hundred year period. Focusing anecdotally on West Africa but with a comparative awareness of comparable practices throughout the continent, Parker highlights how Africans developed the world's most vibrant and recognizable cultures of death"--
Soul is the ultimate expression and experience of African-American culture. The Big Book of Soul is the first popular reference book to provide an in-depth examination of the source of soul in African culture and how soul finds its expression today. Author Stephanie Rose Bird takes readers on a breathtaking journey of soul by examining the spirit of animism and how it evolved in contemporary African-American culture. She explores spiritual practices related to diet, dance, beauty, healing, and the arts, and provides readers with ancient healing rituals and practices they can use today. Filled with fun facts, practical advice, and ancient spiritual wisdom, The Big Book of Soul is for any reader who wants a genuine, rooted experience of soul today.
For over a century, plant specialists worldwide have sought to transform healing plants in African countries into pharmaceuticals. And for equally as long, conflicts over these medicinal plants have endured, from stolen recipes and toxic tonics to unfulfilled promises of laboratory equipment and usurped personal patents. In Bitter Roots, Abena Dove Osseo-Asare draws on publicly available records and extensive interviews with scientists and healers in Ghana, Madagascar, and South Africa to interpret how African scientists and healers, rural communities, and drug companies—including Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Unilever—have sought since the 1880s to develop drugs from Africa’s medi...
This volume presents a catalogue of over 2000 doctoral theses by Africans in all fields of mathematics, including applied mathematics, mathematics education and history of mathematics. The introduction contains information about distribution by country, institutions, period, and by gender, about mathematical density, and mobility of mathematicians. Several appendices are included (female doctorate holders, doctorates in mathematics education, doctorates awarded by African universities to non-Africans, doctoral theses by non-Africans about mathematics in Africa, activities of African mathematicians at the service of their communities). Paulus Gerdes compiled the information in his capacity of Chairman of the African Mathematical Union Commission for the History of Mathematics in Africa (AMUCHMA). The book contains a preface by Mohamed Hassan, President of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) and Executive Director of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS). (383 pp.)
Whether it is the binding of shattered bones or the creation of herbal remedies, human agency is a central feature of the healing process. Both archaeological and anthropological research has contributed much to our understanding of the performative aspects of medicine. The papers contained in this volume, based on a session conducted at the 2010 Theoretical Archaeology Conference, take a multi-disciplinary approach to the topic, addressing such issues as the cultural conception of disease; the impact of gender roles on healing strategies; the possibilities afforded by syncretism; the relationship between material culture and the body; and the role played by the active agency of the sick.
Africa has more native cereals than any other continent, a legacy that has largely been bypassed in modern times. This book draws attention to traditional African cereals & their potential for expanding & diversifying African & world food supplies. A number of grains -- including African rice, finger millet, fonio, pearl millet, sorghum, tef, & other cultivated & wild grains -- are discussed with attention paid to their uses, nutrition agronomy, harvesting, & prospects & limitations for use. Includes information on species, distribution, cultivated varieties, & environmental requirements. Black & white photos & drawings.
Positive images of Africa contrast with negative images of misery, war and catastrophes often conveyed by the mass media. This selection of papers debate the images and stereotypes of Africa.