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REPRESENTATION, HERITAGE, AND ARCHAEOLOGY AMONG THE WOLAITA OF ETHIOPIA By JUSTIN DUNNAVANT A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2017 © 2017 Justin Dunnavant To the life and memory of Warren Dunnavant, Sr. (1953-2011), Professor Mark E. Mack (1961-2012), and Dolores “Bunny” McCullough (1931-2014). ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, I must acknowledge the support and sacrifice of my friends and family. I give thanks for all that they have done and continue to do to help me to grow as an individual and scholar. Thanks Tiffany Walker for the continued support and encouragement during the extended fieldwork trips and long writing sessions. I would like to thank my committee for the support and guidance throughout the dissertation process. Thanks to Dr. James Davidson for allowing me to participate in the Kingsley Plantation Field School and hone my archaeological field method skills. Dr. Terje Ostebo provided positive critique on the socio-historical context of Ethiopia. Dr. Paul Ortiz served as an academic and personal mentor and demonstrated how academic work is paired with social activism. Finally, I owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Steven Brandt for extending the initial invitation to come to Ethiopia and giving me the freedom to explore new and interesting questions related to historical archaeology in the country. I am also indebted to him for reading previous drafts of this dissertation in a relatively short time frame and providing critical feedback. I am indebted to all of those in Ethiopia who helped to facilitate my research in Addis Ababa and Wolaita. Thanks to everyone at ARCCH including Kibrewosen Negash, Tedele Solomon, Mogus Makonnen, Hatamu Tesfaye, and Ato Desalegn. Special thanks to Ato Berhanu and Ato Abraham in Wolaita, Sodo. Also thanks to the people of Dalbo for their hard work and warm welcome. In addition to those who helped facilitate this research, I must acknowledge those who have helped me grow as a scholar outside of the university. I would like to thank Ayana Flewellen for being my “intellectual partner.” Special thanks go to Jay Haigler, Ken Stewart, and Dr. Jose Jones for reaching out and devoting the time and resources 4 to develop my skills in scuba diving as I begin to embark upon new archaeological research in the maritime world. I hope to be able continue the work and fulfill the mission of all of those who have helped me arrive at where I am today. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. 4 LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ 9 LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................ 10 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................... 13 ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... 14 CHAPTERS 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 16 Ethiopian Historiography and Wolaita Historicity .................................................... 16 Theory: Oral History, Archaeology, and an Anthropology of History ....................... 20 Geography and Environment of the Wolaita Zone .................................................. 23 The Wolaita ............................................................................................................. 25 Wolaita Society .......................................................................................... 26 Wolaita Religion ......................................................................................... 32 Wolaita Political Structure .......................................................................... 33 Anthropology of History in Ethiopia ......................................................................... 35 Chapter Overview ................................................................................................... 41 2 REPRESENTATION, IDENTITY, AND IMPERIAL HISTORY: THE WOLAITA MUSEUM AND LANDSCAPES OF REPRESENTATION ....................................... 47 Background ............................................................................................................. 47 Methodology ........................................................................................................... 49 What is a Museum? ................................................................................................ 50 National Museums in Ethiopia ................................................................................ 53 National Museum of Ethiopia ..................................................................... 55 Institute of Ethiopian Studies (IES) ............................................................ 58 Local Museums in Ethiopia ..................................................................................... 61 Wolaita Cultural Museum ........................................................................... 64 Zebdewos’s Home of Wolaytta .................................................................. 68 Discussion .............................................................................................................. 72 Symbolic Annihilation ................................................................................. 72 Challenging Dominant Historiographies ..................................................... 78 Recommendations .................................................................................................. 82 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 85 3 HERITAGE TOURISM BEYOND THE NORTHERN ROUTE: ASSESSING TOURISM POTENTIAL AT AJORA FALLS AND MOCHENA BORAGO................ 94 6 Background ............................................................................................................. 94 Tourism in Ethiopia ................................................................................................. 96 Defining Tourists Domestic and International ....................................................... 100 Challenges of Natural and Heritage Tourism in Ethiopia ...................................... 103 Theoretical Considerations to Sustainable Tourism Development ........................ 112 Tourism in Wolaita ................................................................................................ 116 Ajora Falls ................................................................................................ 117 Mochena Borago ...................................................................................... 121 Recommendations ................................................................................................ 124 Generating Income .................................................................................. 125 Increasing Tourist Flow ............................................................................ 125 Capacity Building and Site Development ................................................. 130 Developing Wolaita’s Intangible Cultural Heritage ................................... 134 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 138 4 IN SEARCH OF KING TONA’S PALACE: TOWARD AN HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE WOLAITA ................................................................... 153 Background ........................................................................................................... 153 The Holocene and Historical Archaeology of Complex Societies in Southwestern Ethiopia ....................................................................................... 157 Dalbo .................................................................................................................... 164 Survey Methodology ............................................................................................. 167 Excavation Methodology ....................................................................................... 167 Dalbo 1 .................................................................................................... 169 Dalbo 2 .................................................................................................... 170 Dalbo 3 .................................................................................................... 170 Analysis ................................................................................................................ 171 Stratigraphy .............................................................................................. 172 Ceramic Analysis ..................................................................................... 174 Lithic Analysis .......................................................................................... 178 Other Artifacts: Glass, Bone, Iron Ore, Nails and Wooden Posts ............ 181 Features ................................................................................................... 183 Discussion ............................................................................................................ 184 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................