Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant: The Akpinis and the Echoes of German and British Colonial Overrule: An Archaeological Investigation of Kpando, Ghana

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An important focus in contemporary anthropology is understanding how small-scale societies, often viewed as "traditional" and unchanging, were effected by long-standing global connections. West African societies were involved in the Atlantic trade from the end of the fifteenth century, and a central question is how their daily lives were affected by changing local and global trade relations and colonial policies over the past several centuries. In this project, Ray Apoh under the supervision of Professor Ann Stahl, will use multiple sources (archaeological, oral historical, archival, ethnographic) to explore how specific daily practices, particularly foodways and the domestic technology of Kpando people (Akpinis), were impacted by precolonial and colonial political economic pressures such as altered labor arrangements, new tastes for imports and the monetization of the Kpando economy. The research also explores how colonial officials negotiated their daily living arrangements in district centers far from the colonial capital. A particular focus is to understand the extent to which German and later British colonial officials provisioned themselves and were shaped by Akpini cultural practices (e.g., in their foodways). Kpando, located in the Volta Region of Ghana, was shaped by powerful external forces from at least the 18th century, beginning with slave raids, warfare, trade and cultural interaction with the Asante state located to the west of Kpando. This was followed by German and British colonial rule from the mid 19th century until 1957. The colonial regimes established a settlement and worked to cultivate new markets for their European products. They also diverted local labor and local production toward commodities deemed important by the metropolis. The reverberations of these varied encounters in Kpando led to the monetization of the local economy, which impacted labor practices, dietary practices and renegotiations of social distinctions among colonial officials and local elites. Methodologically, the research will explore oral historical, archival, and ethnographic sources in addition to archaeological data sets from four sites in Kpando to comparatively assess patterns of continuity and change in the daily practices of natives and colonizers. The sites include the early Akpini settlement, the extant colonial settlement and the Akpini elite and commoner sites of the colonial period. Ceramic, faunal and botanical remains will contribute to the study of the changing domestic technology and foodways. This investigation into the effects of local and colonial influences on Kpando lifeways and vice versa, will contribute to a growing body of case studies aimed at assessing commonalities and variations in intercultural entanglements. It will also contribute to our understanding of agency in pre-colonial and colonial contexts-in other words, the differential responses of people to similar processes. A significant practical contribution of this study is incorporating field training for Ghanaian students as well as disseminating research results to a local audience through pamphlets, presentations, and wider dissemination through a website and publications in scientific journals. By enhancing understanding of the pre-colonial and colonial history of Kpando, the research will also contribute to tourist initiatives that are being developed by Kpando people.