Ethnoarchaeology of Cattle and Humans among Selected Communities in Manicaland, Eastern Zimbabwe

This chapter presents the results of ethnoarchaeological research conducted among selected communities in Mani- caland, eastern Zimbabwe, to establish a clearer understanding of the relationship between farming communities and their cattle within economic and, more importantly, socio-cultural, ritual, spiritual, and political spheres. Against this background, this research collected and analyzed specific data relating to the communities’ relationships, understand- ings, and meanings of their association with cattle. Data were gathered from the Hwesa in the northeast, the Manyika who occupy the central part, and the Ndau, Sangwe, and Shangaani found in the southeast of Manicaland. The results show how cattle have been and continue to be exploited, and have various meanings among the communities. This work also highlights the less obvious meanings imbedded in the relationships between humans and cattle. These provide a framework for a more informed and comprehensive reading of the faunal remains from archaeological sites. In the final analysis, it is noted and emphasized that the faunal remains that we recover from the archaeological record carry mul- tiple identities and meanings that archaeologists should consider, although some of these are not immediately apparent.