BANDAFASSI

HISTORICAL LANDSCAPE PROJECT, SENEGAL

Course ID: ARCH 3XXX
May 14 June 20, 2015
FIELD SCHOOL DIRECTORS:
Dr. Cameron Gokee, Appalachian State University, gokeecd@appstate.edu
Dr. Ibrahima Thiaw, Institute Fondamental dAfrique Noire, thiawi@yahoo.com

BACKGROUND
In 2012 the rolling hills of the Bandafassi Plateau in southeastern Senegal became part of a UNESCO
World Heritage site recognizing both the natural beauty of this landscape and the cultural heritage of
Bassari, Bedik, Peul, and Mande people living there today. Although local villages appear to preserve a
traditional way of life, many historical accounts suggest that this region has long been a crossroads for
powerful kingdoms and vast trade networks that shaped political, economic, and cultural life in West
Africa over the past 2000 years. The goal of the Bandafassi Historical Landscape Project (BHLP) is to
study such processes and identify the temporal and cultural changes the region experienced and that
are shaping it today. The BHLP 2015 field school will undertake an archaeological, anthropological, and
historical study of this landscape, with particular focus on the village site of Ethiowar Ancien occupied
during the 18-19th centuries CE. It is during that crucial period when political conflict, migration, and
interactions among numerous ethnic groups contributed to the emergence of the complex cultural
mosaic seen today in southeastern Senegal.
COURSE OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES
The BHLP field school trains undergraduate students to employ a suite of archaeological field methods
survey, surface collection, mapping and excavation. Although the project focuses specifically on life
within a small-scale village community in West Africa, this multi-scalar approach to research can be
extended to answer archaeological and anthropological questions in other times and places.

This course has four primary objectives: (1) to provide students with hands-on training in archaeological
techniques including survey, mapping, excavation, artifact analysis, field photography, and cataloging
methods; (2) to introduce students to the ethnography and history of small-scale societies in West
Africa; (3) to provide students with a practical working knowledge of how archaeological research can
contribute to understandings of the historical processes within and beyond these small-scale societies;
and (4) to have students conduct independent or collaborative research projects focused on a specific
question about small-scale societies in the Bandafassi region.
In order to meet these objectives, students will work closely with Project staff trained in field
archaeology, as well as several Senegalese scholars and students from the Institut Fondamental
dAfrique Noire (IFAN) at the Universit Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD) in Dakar.
ACADEMIC CREDIT UNITS & TRANSCRIPTS
Credit Units: Attending students will be awarded 8 semester credit units (equivalent to 12 quarter units)
through our academic partner, Connecticut College. Connecticut College is a private, highly ranked
liberal arts institution. Students will receive a letter grade for attending this field school (see grading
assessment and matrix, below). This field school provides a minimum of 192 direct instructional hours.
Transcripts: An official copy of transcripts will be mailed to the home address listed by students in their
Student Enrollment Form. One additional transcript may be send to the student home institution at no
additional cost. Additional transcripts may be ordered from the Registrar Office at Connecticut College
by following this link: http://www.conncoll.edu/academics/registrar/transcripts.

OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS WILL BE MAILED OUT BY NOV. 1, 2015

PREREQUISITES
None. This is hands-on, experiential learning. Students will study onsite how to conduct archaeological
research. Archaeology involves physical work and exposure to the elements, and thus requires a
measure of acceptance that this will not be a typical university learning environment. You will get
sweaty, tired and have to work outdoors. Students are required to come equipped with sufficient
enthusiasm and adequate understanding that the archaeological endeavor requires real, hard work in
the sun, on your feet, and with your trowel.
DISCLAIMER PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
Violent crime in Senegal is quite rare, but students should be on guard against pickpocketing or petty
theft from their rooms (these should ALWAYS be kept locked). Valuables and passports can be
collectively stored in hotel safes.
Senegal lies within the tropics so students should consult with a travel clinic to obtain all necessary
inoculations several weeks prior to travel. Although mosquitos (which transmit malaria) are uncommon
in Senegal during the late dry season (May-June), students are strongly encouraged to obtain a
prescription for antimalarial drugs. It is also be a good idea to acquire an antibiotic (i.e., Cipro) as the
adjustment to new environments and foods can sometimes bring about illness. In the event of a serious
illness or injury, students will be taken for treatment at the hospital in Kedougou, Tambacounda
(regional capital of eastern Senegal), or Dakar. In the event of any regional health risks (including Ebola
virus), students will be evacuated immediately to Dakar and, if necessary, back to the United States.


2

GRADING MATRIX
Students are graded according to the following rubric:
A) Daily participation in field activities including surveying, mapping, excavation, and artifact
analyses (50% of grade): Students are graded on how well they learn and execute various
techniques and procedures assessed periodically through practicums. For example, students will be
trained to use a hand-held GPS; they will then be expected to demonstrate competency with this
tool by mapping site boundaries during survey.
B) Field Journals (15% of grade): For the five weeks of fieldwork, students will keep a detailed DAILY
journal of activities they carry out each day in the field and data they collect for their independent
projects. In addition to describing these activities and data, students should attempt to synthesize
their thoughts by connecting their notes and observations to their own broader research questions
and/or those of BLHP as a whole.
C) Nightly discussions and group presentations of articles (10% of grade): Three evenings each week,
students will meet with the project director and staff to discuss assigned readings related to the
course topics (see below). Two students each night will be assigned to lead group discussions.
Students will be expected to read all assigned articles and write short comments in their field
journals for each reading. Students are evaluated based on their journal comments, oral comments
made during group discussions, and how well they lead group discussions. Journal comments should
demonstrate a critical engagement with the main points of each piece and some attempt to connect
these points to the archaeological study of historical landscapes undertaken each day in the field.
D) Student Projects (25% of grade): Each student will meet with the project director and staff at the
end of the first week of field school to discuss and design an independent research project.
Proposal: Students will work with faculty to identify a specific (and manageable) research
question that can be addressed through a study of material, spatial, and/or ethnohistorical data
from the Bandafassi region. By the end of the second week of the program, students will submit
a one page research proposal that briefly details the question to be addressed and what types of
data will be obtained to address it.
Data Collection: Students will collect data for their project during the four weeks of fieldwork.
They will keep detailed notes in their field journal regarding project progress. Students will meet
with the instructor at the end of each week to discuss project progress as well as any questions
or concerns regarding research design or data collection.
Final presentation: Following fieldwork, students will have three to four days at the Institut
Fondamental dAfrique Noire in Dakar to finish their analyses and prepare a 15 minute
PowerPoint presentation for their peers. This presentation should present the main research
question and explain how data were collected in the field to answer it.
Students will be graded on the quality, clarity, and succinctness of their presentations, how well they
answered their research question, and the quality of the overall research project (including an
assessment of how thorough the investigation was (i.e., does the project reflect 4 weeks of work).
Students will be given a grading rubric to help them prepare their project and final presentation.
TRAVEL & MEETING POINT
International flights into Senegal arrive in the cosmopolitan city of Dakar (DKR) on the Atlantic coast.
This city boasts all of the excitement (and dangers) of any large urban center, but highlights include the
IFAN museum, numerous markets, delicious Senegalese cuisine, etc. During the last week of field school,
there will be time to explore the city as well as other destinations on the surrounding Cap Vert peninsula
and le de Gore, a colonial French fort now home to several museums including the infamous Maison
des Esclaves (Slave House).

Air Travel Tickets should be booked well in advance. Plan to arrive in Dakar on May 14, 2015 (often
requiring a departure from the USA on May 13). Plan to depart from Dakar on or after June 20, 2015.
Travel plans can be made on-line or through an agent such as Premier Travel Services (215-893-9966)
and the primary carriers are usually South Africa Airlines or Delta.
VISA REQUIREMENTS
US, UK, and EU citizens do not need a visa to enter Senegal if traveling in country for less than 90 days.
Citizens of other countries, please check the Senegalese Embassy website in your home country for visa
requirements.
Students will provide their flight details to the project directors so they can be met directly at the airport
at the time of their arrival. If a student missed their connection or their flight is delayed, they should call,
text or email project director immediately. A local emergency cell phone number will be provided to all
enrolled students.
ACCOMMODATIONS
During the course of fieldwork around Kedougou, students and staff will stay at a campement (tourist
hotel) with running water and flush toilets. Daily meals include a light breakfast and mid-morning snack,
a hearty lunch in the afternoon, and dinner in the evening around dusk. Additional snacks, foods, and
drinks can be purchased in town. Several hotels in town offer internet service for a small fee.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Week 1
Thursday

Friday



Saturday

Sunday-
Thursday










Friday

Saturday

Weeks 2-3
Sunday-
Thursday

(May 14 May 23, 2015)

Students arrive in Dakar

6:00 am

1:00 pm 4:00 pm

Depart from Dakar

Archaeological field trip to Iron Age megalithic site Ngayene

6:00 am 6:00 pm

Travel to Kedougou, set-up residence at campement Chez Diao

5:30 am 6:00 am
6:00 am 1:00 pm
1:00 pm 4:00 pm
4:00 pm 6:00 pm
7:00 pm 8:00 pm
8:00 pm 9:00 pm

Breakfast
Survey and surface collection (includes mid-morning snack)
Lunch and afternoon rest
Artifact processing and analysis
Dinner
Discussion of assigned readings (Sunday/Monday/Wednesday)

8:00 am 1:00 pm

Ethnographic field trip to Bassari villages

Day off: Rest and finalize student projects

(May 24 June 6, 2015)

5:30 am 6:00 am
Breakfast
6:00 am 1:00 pm
Survey and surface collection (includes mid-morning snack)
1:00 pm 4:00 pm
Lunch and afternoon rest
4:00 pm 6:00 pm
Artifact processing and analysis
7:00 pm 8:00 pm
Dinner
8:00 pm 9:00 pm
Discussion of assigned readings (Sunday/Monday/Wednesday)

Friday




Saturday
8:00 am 1:00 pm






Week 4 (June 7 June 13, 2015)
Sunday-
5:30 am 6:00 am
Thursday
6:00 am 1:00 pm
survey


1:00 pm 4:00 pm


4:00 pm 6:00 pm


7:00 pm 8:00 pm


8:00 pm 9:00 pm

Friday




Saturday
8:00 am 1:00 pm



Week 5 (June 14 June 20, 2015)
Sunday
6:00 am 9:00 pm

Monday-
7:00 am

Wednesday 8:00 am 12:00 pm
Lab





12:00 pm 1:00 pm


1:00 pm 6:00 pm
Lab





6:00 pm 8:00 pm

Thursday
7:00 am



8:00 am 12:00 pm
Lab





12:00 pm 1:00 pm


1:00 pm 6:00 pm


6:00 pm ??

Friday
9:00 am 3:00 pm

Saturday

Day off: Rest and work on student projects

Ethnographic field trip to Peul village of Dindfello with scenic
hike to waterfalls








Breakfast
Shovel-testing and test excavations at sites identified during
Lunch and afternoon rest
Artifact processing and analysis
Dinner
Discussion of assigned readings (Sunday/Monday/Wednesday)
Day off: Rest and work on student projects
Field trip to Niokola Koba National Park

Return travel from Kedougou to Dakar, set-up residence in hotel
Breakfast
Study and work on finishing student projects in the Archaeology
at the Institute Fondamental dAfrique Noire
Lunch
Study and work on finishing student projects in the Archaeology
at the Institute Fondamental dAfrique Noire

Dinner
Breakfast
Study and work on finishing student projects in the Archaeology
at the Institute Fondamental dAfrique Noire
Lunch
Student final presentations


Dinner and End-of-the-Season Party
Field trip to Goree Island in Dakar
Students depart from Dakar

READINGS
Week 1

Archaeological Approaches to Historical Landscapes

______

MacEachern, S. (2005). Two Thousand Years of West African History. In African Archaeology, A.B. Stahl
(ed.). Blackwell, Malden, MA. Pp. 441-466.

Thiaw, I. (2012). Atlantic Impacts on Inland Senegambia: French Penetration and African Initiatives in
Eighteenth and Nineteenth-Century Gajaaga and Bundu (Upper Senegal River). In Power and
Landscape in Atlantic West Africa: Archaeological Perspectives, J.C. Monroe and A. Ogundiran
(Eds.). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Pp. 49-77.
Rossler, M. (2006). World Heritage Cultural Landscapes: A UNESCO Flagship Programme 1992-2006.
Landscape Research 31, 333-353.
Feder, K, L. (2009). Site Survey. In Field Methods in Archaeology, T.R. Hester, H.J. Shafer, and K.L. Feder
(eds.). Left Coast Press, Walnut Creek. Pp. 41-68.

Week 2

Small-Scale Societies in West Africa

________________________________

Curtin, P.D. (1973). The Lure of Bambuk Gold. Journal of African History 14, 623-631.
David, N. (1971). The Fulani Compound and the Archaeologist. World Archaeology 3, 111-131.
Horton, R. (1971). Stateless Societies in the History of West Africa. In History of West Africa, J.F.A. Ajayi
and M. Crowder (Eds.). Longman, London. Pp. 78-119.
Hawthorne, W. (2003). Strategies of the Decentralized: Defending Communities from Slave Raiders in
Coastal Guinea-Bissau, 1450-1815. In Fighting the Slave Trade: West African Strategies, S.A.
Diouf (Ed.). Ohio University Press, Athens, OH. Pp. 152-169.

Week 3

Ethnoarchaeology and Material Culture

Agorsah, E.K. (1986). House Forms in Northern Volta Basin, Ghana: (Evolution, Internal Spatial
Organisation and the Social Relationships Depicted). West African Journal of Archaeology 16, 25-
51.
Linares de Sapir, O. (1969). Diola Pottery of the Fogny and the Kasa, Expedition 11, 2-11.
Ewen, C.R. (2003). Artifacts. Altamira Press. Selected pages.
Feder, K,L. (2009). Methods of Excavation and Stratigraphy. In Field Methods in Archaeology, T.R. Hester,
H.J. Shafer, and K.L. Feder (eds.). Left Coast Press, Walnut Creek. Pp. 41-68.

Week 4
Landscape and Cultural Heritage in Africa


___________________
Arazi, N. (2009). Cultural Research Management in Africa: Challenges, Dangers and Opportunities.
Azania 44, 95-106.
Chirikure, S. (2010). Unfulfilled Promises? Heritage Management and Community Participation at Some
of Africas Cultural Heritage Sites. International Journal of Heritage Studies 16, 30-44.
Thiaw, I. (2003). Archaeology and the Public in Senegal: Reflections on Doing Fieldwork at Home. Journal
of African Archaeology 1, 215-225.

Week 5

No Reading Finish Student Projects

________________________________