Toward an Understanding of Stone Tool Variability: An Ethnoarchaeological Study of the Konso Hide Workers of Southern Ethiopia

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With National Science Foundation support Dr. Kathryn Weedman and her colleagues will conduct two field seasons of ethnographic and archaeological research in southern Ethiopia among the Konso, who are one of the few people in the world to continue to make and use stone tools. Their goal is to investigate the meaning behind stone tool variation, which has been a source of great archaeological interest for over 100 years, and as a result there are multiple explanations for this diversity based on inferential methods, ethnohistoric documents, and experimental archaeology. The Konso make and use stone tools on a daily basis to process hides into everyday items such as bedding, clothing, and bags. Furthermore, the Konso are unique because they represent the only known culture, where women primarily make and use stone tools. The team will focus on interviewing the hide workers, other artisans, and farmers for information concerning the social-economic-political position of hide workers and their activities within Konso society. The manufacture, use, and discard of the stone tools will be observed and stone production waste, resharpening flakes, and scrapers from each individual will be collected. They will conduct macro- and microscopic morphological analysis and DNA residue studies of the stone tools and waste products. By combining ethnographic and material studies, they will be able to provide a context for interpreting stone tool diversity. Lastly, they will excavate abandoned hide worker households to assess how the morphology, residues (DNA), and the spatial distributions of stone tools are affected by cultural and environmental factors through time. This research is important for several reasons. For most of our prehistory, stone tools were the most commonly left object by our ancestors, and in many instances they represent the only objects archaeologists have for deciphering our ancestors' lifeways. The Konso, as one of the few peoples to continue to make and use stone tools, may provide archaeologists with useful insights for understanding stone tool diversity. Unique because of the use and manufacture of stone tools by women, they are especially important for enhancing our knowledge of gender roles and how they may be reflected in stone tool technology. With the influx of western clothing and other products, hide working with stone tools is a dying craft. Thus, it is imperative that they document this rare occurrence of female hide workers through both written descriptions and documentary films.