Abstract
This paper discusses the importance of economic specializations in banana farming and cattle pastoralism in eastern Africa's Great Lakes region. I present comparative linguistic evidence for the careers of these two socially and economically important food sources. Next, I review some recent archaeological work on pastoralism and Later Iron Age pottery traditions. A final section considers some of the forces that shaped the choices of some Lakes Africans to take up more intensive forms of banana farming and/or pastoralism.
Résumé
Cet article discute de l'importance des spécialisations économiques dans la culture de la banane et l'élevage du bétail dans la région des grands lacs d'Afrique orientale. J'y présente des témoignages linguistiques comparatifs sur les trajectoires de ces deux sources alimentaires socialement et économiquement importantes. Ensuite, j'examine des travaux archéologiques récents sur l'élevage et les traditions de la poterie de la fin de l'âge de fer. Une dernière section étudie certaines des forces qui ont orienté le choix par certains africains de la région des lacs d'adopter des formes plus intensives de culture de la banane et/ou d'élevage.
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Schoenbrun, D.L. Cattle herds and banana gardens: the historical geography of the western Great Lakes region,ca AD 800–1500. Afr Archaeol Rev 11, 39–72 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01118142
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01118142