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An Environmental History of a Collective Family Domain 1960-2016

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An Environmental History of a Collective Family Domain 1960-2016 Lauri Jokinen Tracing a Transforming Landscape in South Western Benin An Environmental History of a Collective Family Domain 1960-2016 Master’s thesis in Global Environmental History 1 2 Abstract Jokinen, L. 2016. Tracing a Transforming Landscape in South Western Benin, An Environ- mental History of a Collective Family Domain. Uppsala, Dept of Archaeology and Ancient His- tory. This master’s thesis discusses the environmental history of a collective family domain in South Western Benin Republic from 1960 to 2016. Research material was collected through fieldwork in 2014 and 2016 focusing mostly on collective and personal oral histories, and participatory map making. The results of the fieldwork were analysed through a relational theoretical view of landscape to find out whether transformations in the landscape between 1960 and 2016 could be related to the uptake of rice farming in the early 1970s. The conclusion is that while some trans- formations could be directly linked to the uptake of rice farming, a consideration of wider spatial and temporal scales shows that transformations in the research landscape are part of transforma- tions on broader scales. The uptake of rice farming thus appears as a less dominant factor of transformations in the landscape when broader spatial and temporal scales are considered. The research also included experiments with co-creative fieldwork methodology, which broadened the created research material beyond the initial research focus and offered unique insights to the relation between people and the landscape in the research area. Keywords: Environmental History, Deforestation, Landscape Transformation, Benin Republic, Dahomey Gap Master’s thesis in Global Environmental History (60 credits), supervisor: Paul Lane, Defended and ap- proved spring term 2017-02-06 © Lauri Jokinen Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Uppsala University, Box 626, 75126 Uppsala, Sweden 3 Acknowledgements I would like to thank the whole Agbedonu family collective for making this thesis possible, and I would especially like to thank Mr Leon Dekadje for his commitment and enthusiasm. Mr Joseph Tehoungoue also showed interest in the research and I thank him for his assistance. I also wish to thank my wife Juliette and all of my family, both in Benin and Finland. Without their support I could not have finished this thesis. I greatly appreciate the dedication of my supervisors Profes- sor Paul Lane and Anneli Ekblom throughout the process of creating this thesis. I wish to thank Professor Paul, Anneli and the whole staff at the Department of Archaeology and Ancient His- tory at Uppsala University for welcoming us students among them as colleagues and supporting and inspiring us throughout our studies. I thank my fellow students in the Master’s Programme in Environmental History for their camaraderie and solidarity. I especially want to thank my classmate Mr Ghide Gebremichael for his unconditional friendship and support. Uppsala Univer- sity has also financially supported me in this thesis work through a travel grant for which I am grateful. Finally, I would also like to thank Finnish taxpayers for funding my education. 4 Contents Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................... 4 List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................... 7 List of Abbreviations .................................................................................................................................... 8 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 9 1.1. Where the Work Started .................................................................................................................... 9 1.2. Introduction to the Research Area ................................................................................................... 10 1.2.1 Locating the Research Area ...................................................................................................... 10 1.2.2. General Information and Statistics .......................................................................................... 12 1.3. Introduction to Relevant Scientific Literature ................................................................................. 12 1.3.1. Landscape Change in Africa .................................................................................................... 12 1.3.2. Landscape Change in Benin .................................................................................................... 14 1.3.3. The Dahomey Gap ................................................................................................................... 15 1.3.4. Ethnographic Introduction to Some Aspects of Hwatchi Culture ........................................... 16 1.3.5. Other Relevant Sources ........................................................................................................... 17 The Research Question, Theoretical Background and Research Aims ....................................................... 19 2.1. Introducing the Research Question ................................................................................................. 19 2.2. Theoretical Background .................................................................................................................. 19 2.2.1. Temporality of the Landscape and Remembering ................................................................... 19 2.2.2. From Change in Nature and Culture, to a Transforming Landscape ....................................... 21 2.2.3. Reconsidering Ingold ............................................................................................................... 23 2.3. The Research Question and Research Aims .................................................................................... 23 Methodology ............................................................................................................................................... 25 3.1. Exploratory Fieldwork of 2014 ....................................................................................................... 25 3.2. Fieldwork of 2016 ........................................................................................................................... 26 3.2.1. Collaboration with Mr Leon and his Family Members ........................................................... 26 3.2.2. Research Design ...................................................................................................................... 27 3.2.3. Realising the Fieldwork ........................................................................................................... 28 3.2.4. Methods in the 2016 Fieldwork ............................................................................................... 29 3.3. Co-Creation ..................................................................................................................................... 31 3.3.1. Co-Creation in Current Scientific Literature ........................................................................... 32 3.3.2. Modernity/Coloniality ............................................................................................................. 34 Landscape of the Agbedonu Family Collective’s Domain ......................................................................... 35 4.1. Origins of the Agbedonu Family Collective ................................................................................... 35 4.2. Environmental Changes .................................................................................................................. 36 4.2.1. Vegetation ................................................................................................................................ 36 4.2.2. Animals .................................................................................................................................... 38 4.2.3. Water ....................................................................................................................................... 40 4.2.4. Soil/Land ................................................................................................................................. 41 4.3. Spiritual Life / Religion ................................................................................................................... 42 4.3.1. Origin of Vodun in the Domain ............................................................................................... 42 4.3.2. General Findings about Vodun ................................................................................................ 43 4.3.3. The Sacred Forest .................................................................................................................... 44 4.3.4. Christianity .............................................................................................................................. 46 5 Taskscape of the Agbedonu Family Collective’s Domain .......................................................................... 47 5.1. History of Rice Farming in Sazue, and More Specifically the Agbedonu Family Domain ............ 47 5.2. Landscape Changes Related to Rice Farming ................................................................................
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