November 6, 2011, 2:00
Dr. M. Dores Cruz, University of Denver
Sites, ancestors and trees: landscapes of historical archaeology in Southern Mozambique
Despite a conceptual distinction between nature and culture, anthropologists have long debated that people derive cultural meanings from natural elements. More recently, the dialectic of nature-culture became intrinsic to studies of landscapes and archaeological monuments in which nature provides a fundamental concept for understanding cultural forms. In this paper I explore the significance of nature as integrated into local narratives of past events performed by elders in the Manjacaze district (Southern Mozambique). Natural elements, particularly trees and tree groves, are endowed with cultural and historical significance, participating in interpretations and memorialization of local ancestors, in an association between archaeological sites, rituals and narratives of events that took place within contexts of colonial expansion. This analysis draws on a multidisciplinary approach that examines narratives embedded in representations of landscapes, in which elements of nature are accorded special significance in the interpretation of the past and of archaeological sites.
