In Africa, pathways to food production followed a unique trajectory: Cattle-based pastoralism developed on the continent long before any indigenous agriculture. In Africa, therefore, any study of early food production must focus on questions related to relatively high mobility rather than on settled village life. This research project will be among the first to examine archaeological relationships between mobile pastoralism and material culture, specifically pottery. Although technologically and stylistically-distinct ceramic industries are associated with many of Africa's earliest herders, we do not yet understand how pottery production and use was socially, economically, or ideologically integrated into the lives of these mobile pastoralists. The first group of pastoralists moved into East Africa during an arid climatic phase over 4,000 years ago. A distinctive type of pottery, referred to as "Nderit," is associated with this group of herders. Nderit pottery is widely recovered from both domestic and ceremonial archaeological sites, but we do not understand how it was used in either of these contexts. Neither do we know how the sizes, shapes, and quantities of Nderit pottery found at these sites may have been structured by pastoralists' needs for high mobility and reliance upon domestic animals instead of agriculture. To address these questions the first comprehensive study of Nderit ceramics from the Turkana Basin in northwestern Kenya will be conducted. The analysis will focus on material from the Jarigole Pillar Site, which comprises the largest assemblage of Nderit ceramics yet found in East Africa. Samples from domestic sites in the region will also be analyzed for comparative purposes. Analysis of lipid residues on the surfaces of Nderit ceramics will be conducted to determine how these pots were used, and data on clay types will be collected to examine patterns of ceramic production and circulation. In addition, ethnoarchaeological research will be conducted among Samburu pastoralists in northern Kenya. This research will provide insight into pastoralists' functional needs for containers, as well as into the social and economic contexts of pottery production and use within a modern mobile pastoralist group. This project is designed to aid in the interpretation of the East African archaeological record, but will have broader implications for the study of mobile ceramic-producers in other parts of the world. As little systematic research has been conducted on pastoralist ceramics, this research will provide useful cross-cultural comparative material for archaeologists interested in the material culture of mobile groups in Africa and elsewhere. In Samburu District, potting traditions are dying out as traditional pots are being replaced by aluminum and plastic containers. This project may help to preserve this one aspect of Samburu cultural heritage, in the process contributing valuable information to the ethnographic literature on pastoralism and container production and use. Collaborations with Kenyan scholars at the National Museums of Kenya will focus on building infrastructure for the archaeology of the Turkana Basin. Training students will likewise contribute to an international exchange of information and to the development of new research initiatives examining the histories of East Africa's early pastoralist peoples.
