The Ethnoarchaeology of coffee production and consumption: three case studies from Southwest Ethiopia (Kafecho, Majangir and Oromo)

Coffea arabica, which still grows wild in the forests of the southwestern highlands of Ethiopia, is the oldest known species of coffee to be cultivated for its berries. The present thesis presents different traditions of coffee cultivation and consumption among people living in southwestern part of...

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Bibliographic Details
Author: Megenassa, Worku Derara
Format: doctoral thesis
Publication Date:2019
Country:España
Institution:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repository:Docta Complutense
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/17191
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/17191
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:633.93(043.2)
Coffea arabica
Ethnoarchaeology
Ethiopia
Café
Etnoarqueología
Etiopía
Antropología (Sociología)
Arqueología
51 Antropología
5505.01 Arqueología
id ES_7d2d6b49ed0122378faff1bbb59fc5c2
oai_identifier_str oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/17191
network_acronym_str ES
network_name_str España
repository_id_str
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv The Ethnoarchaeology of coffee production and consumption: three case studies from Southwest Ethiopia (Kafecho, Majangir and Oromo)
Etnoarqueología de la producción y consumo de café: tres casos de estudio del sudoeste de Etiopía (Kafecho, Majangir y Oromo)
title The Ethnoarchaeology of coffee production and consumption: three case studies from Southwest Ethiopia (Kafecho, Majangir and Oromo)
spellingShingle The Ethnoarchaeology of coffee production and consumption: three case studies from Southwest Ethiopia (Kafecho, Majangir and Oromo)
Megenassa, Worku Derara
633.93(043.2)
Coffea arabica
Ethnoarchaeology
Ethiopia
Café
Etnoarqueología
Etiopía
Antropología (Sociología)
Arqueología
51 Antropología
5505.01 Arqueología
title_short The Ethnoarchaeology of coffee production and consumption: three case studies from Southwest Ethiopia (Kafecho, Majangir and Oromo)
title_full The Ethnoarchaeology of coffee production and consumption: three case studies from Southwest Ethiopia (Kafecho, Majangir and Oromo)
title_fullStr The Ethnoarchaeology of coffee production and consumption: three case studies from Southwest Ethiopia (Kafecho, Majangir and Oromo)
title_full_unstemmed The Ethnoarchaeology of coffee production and consumption: three case studies from Southwest Ethiopia (Kafecho, Majangir and Oromo)
title_sort The Ethnoarchaeology of coffee production and consumption: three case studies from Southwest Ethiopia (Kafecho, Majangir and Oromo)
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Megenassa, Worku Derara
author Megenassa, Worku Derara
author_facet Megenassa, Worku Derara
author_role author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Ruibal González, Alfredo
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv 633.93(043.2)
Coffea arabica
Ethnoarchaeology
Ethiopia
Café
Etnoarqueología
Etiopía
Antropología (Sociología)
Arqueología
51 Antropología
5505.01 Arqueología
topic 633.93(043.2)
Coffea arabica
Ethnoarchaeology
Ethiopia
Café
Etnoarqueología
Etiopía
Antropología (Sociología)
Arqueología
51 Antropología
5505.01 Arqueología
description Coffea arabica, which still grows wild in the forests of the southwestern highlands of Ethiopia, is the oldest known species of coffee to be cultivated for its berries. The present thesis presents different traditions of coffee cultivation and consumption among people living in southwestern part of the country, the Kafecho, the Majangir and the Jimma Oromo. Historical accounts that provide first-hand information on the early cultivation and consumption of the plant in the southern half of Ethiopia are rare and the subject has received no archaeological examination. In addition, modernization, urbanization and access to industrial products, with the accompanying changes in the agricultural system have, in part, transformed ways of life of people in different parts of the country. This thesis, thus, intends to document methods in traditional coffee cultivation, the consumption of the beverage, and the chaîne opératoires involved in the production of coffee-related crafts before they disappear or are radically transformed. It does so from the point of view of ethnoarchaeology, that is, with an eye toward the analogical potential of such cultural practices to understand similar practices in the past. The study employed problem-oriented ethnoarchaeological research methods and archaeological techniques of recording sites, artifacts, structures and features. This involved, among other things, the mapping of compounds and activity areas and the documentation of material culture. Ethnographic methods were also used, such as household interviews and participant observation of the the technology and the socio-cultural contexts of production and consumption of the beverage. The four principal types of coffee production systems known in Ethiopia, forest-coffee, semi-forest coffee, garden-coffee and plantation-coffee, are found in the region. In relative terms, the degree of human involvement in the natural growth and reproduction of coffee is high in garden-coffee cultivation system and minimal in forest and semi-forest coffee cultivation systems. This investigation has thoroughly examined the different cultivation methods and has documented the tools employed in each stage of the cultivation process. Some of the traditional instruments, which are made entirely in wood, can be probably traced back to a time before agriculture or to the beginnings of agriculture. The thesis demonstrates that the social impact of coffee consumption is profound whether in reproducing gender roles, buttressing relations of solidarity between neighbors, or in creating a sense of otherness. We can say that coffee consumption serves to delimit the group, who belongs and who does not. The beverage is used in reconciliation rituals, communal works organized during the ploughing and harvesting seasons and during post-funeral gatherings. Coffee is also widely employed in religious rituals. Kafecho and Oromo, in particular, have continued to use coffee in different kinds of ceremonies. The thesis has also explored in detail the production of pottery associated to the preparation and consumption of coffee and its transferring to the archaeological context. Finally, the transformation of coffee into cultural heritage is studied. In sum, the study has generated theoretical and methodological insights into the onset of domestication and cultivation of the plant, and the cultural and environmental context in which artefactual evidence could be recovered archaeologically. The thesis has argued that the prime motive behind initial domestication of the plant, unlike other food crops, could be related to religious needs. This would be suggested by its important role in different rituals.
publishDate 2019
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2019
2019-07-08
2019
2019-07-08
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv doctoral thesis
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_db06
dc.type.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis
format doctoralThesis
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/17191
url https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/17191
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
eng
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
language eng
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
dc.rights.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Universidad Complutense de Madrid
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Universidad Complutense de Madrid
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:Docta Complutense
instname:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
instname_str Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
reponame_str Docta Complutense
collection Docta Complutense
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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spelling The Ethnoarchaeology of coffee production and consumption: three case studies from Southwest Ethiopia (Kafecho, Majangir and Oromo)Etnoarqueología de la producción y consumo de café: tres casos de estudio del sudoeste de Etiopía (Kafecho, Majangir y Oromo)Megenassa, Worku Derara633.93(043.2)Coffea arabicaEthnoarchaeologyEthiopiaCaféEtnoarqueologíaEtiopíaAntropología (Sociología)Arqueología51 Antropología5505.01 ArqueologíaCoffea arabica, which still grows wild in the forests of the southwestern highlands of Ethiopia, is the oldest known species of coffee to be cultivated for its berries. The present thesis presents different traditions of coffee cultivation and consumption among people living in southwestern part of the country, the Kafecho, the Majangir and the Jimma Oromo. Historical accounts that provide first-hand information on the early cultivation and consumption of the plant in the southern half of Ethiopia are rare and the subject has received no archaeological examination. In addition, modernization, urbanization and access to industrial products, with the accompanying changes in the agricultural system have, in part, transformed ways of life of people in different parts of the country. This thesis, thus, intends to document methods in traditional coffee cultivation, the consumption of the beverage, and the chaîne opératoires involved in the production of coffee-related crafts before they disappear or are radically transformed. It does so from the point of view of ethnoarchaeology, that is, with an eye toward the analogical potential of such cultural practices to understand similar practices in the past. The study employed problem-oriented ethnoarchaeological research methods and archaeological techniques of recording sites, artifacts, structures and features. This involved, among other things, the mapping of compounds and activity areas and the documentation of material culture. Ethnographic methods were also used, such as household interviews and participant observation of the the technology and the socio-cultural contexts of production and consumption of the beverage. The four principal types of coffee production systems known in Ethiopia, forest-coffee, semi-forest coffee, garden-coffee and plantation-coffee, are found in the region. In relative terms, the degree of human involvement in the natural growth and reproduction of coffee is high in garden-coffee cultivation system and minimal in forest and semi-forest coffee cultivation systems. This investigation has thoroughly examined the different cultivation methods and has documented the tools employed in each stage of the cultivation process. Some of the traditional instruments, which are made entirely in wood, can be probably traced back to a time before agriculture or to the beginnings of agriculture. The thesis demonstrates that the social impact of coffee consumption is profound whether in reproducing gender roles, buttressing relations of solidarity between neighbors, or in creating a sense of otherness. We can say that coffee consumption serves to delimit the group, who belongs and who does not. The beverage is used in reconciliation rituals, communal works organized during the ploughing and harvesting seasons and during post-funeral gatherings. Coffee is also widely employed in religious rituals. Kafecho and Oromo, in particular, have continued to use coffee in different kinds of ceremonies. The thesis has also explored in detail the production of pottery associated to the preparation and consumption of coffee and its transferring to the archaeological context. Finally, the transformation of coffee into cultural heritage is studied. In sum, the study has generated theoretical and methodological insights into the onset of domestication and cultivation of the plant, and the cultural and environmental context in which artefactual evidence could be recovered archaeologically. The thesis has argued that the prime motive behind initial domestication of the plant, unlike other food crops, could be related to religious needs. This would be suggested by its important role in different rituals.Universidad Complutense de MadridRuibal González, AlfredoUniversidad Complutense de Madrid20192019-07-0820192019-07-08doctoral thesishttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_db06info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesisapplication/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/17191reponame:Docta Complutenseinstname:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)Inglésengopen accesshttp://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/171912026-06-02T12:44:21Z
score 15,300719

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