University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies Legacy Theses 2001 The archaeology of Doulo Cameroon Jones, Kimberley S. Jones, K. S. (2001). The archaeology of Doulo Cameroon (Unpublished master's thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/11643 http://hdl.handle.net/1880/41208 master thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY The Archaeology of Doulo, Cameroon by Kirnberley S. Jones A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS DEPARTMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGY CALGARY, ALBERTA JUNE, 200 1 O Kimberley S. Jones 200 1 Natiarral Library &liith&que nationale du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographic Services sewices biblbgraphiques The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive pennettant B la National Library of Canada to Bibliotheque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distrriute or sell reproduire, prgter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette these sow paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format electronique . The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriete du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qpi protege cette these. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thkse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent 8tre imprimes reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. ABSTRACT Doulo, Extreme North, Cameroon has been inhabited for at least 2500 years and for much of the last 400 years has been the centre of the Wandala State. This thesis examines the archaeological evidence excavated by the Projet Mqu Wandala in order to unravel the prehistory of this community. In particular, the statistical method of cluster analysis is used on ceramics to map chronological and spatial trends at Doulo. By using this method, and other archaeological and ethnohistoric information, it is clear that the occupation of Doulo is represented by at least three periods. The earliest recognized period is the Early Iron Age, the second is the Late Iron Age, and the most recent is the Wandala Period. Similarly, statistical analysis differentiated between assemblages associated with recent ethnic Mura and ethnic Wandala populations, indicating that it is possible to identify socially distinct populations within the larger community. This thesis is the result of several years of research that has taken place in Cameroon, the USA and Caoada. It would not have been possible without the collaboration of many individuals at every stage of the archaeological process. Funding for the Projer Maya Wandala was provided by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (grant 4 10-92- 1860), my travel to Cameroon was made possible by a National Geographic Society Research Grant, and some of my own research was funded by a University of Calgary Thesis Research Grant (File Reference 99 17 18). Dr. Scott MacEachern must be thanked for giving me the opportunity to conduct research on this material, and for allowing me the privilege of travelling to Northern Cameroon in 1996. Dr. MacEachem also provided essential input into this thesis at all stages. He and his family, Dr. G. Lemoine and their daughter, Meredith MacEachern, graciously welcomed me into their home in Maine during the early phases of analysis. I must also acknowledge my supervisor, Dr. Nic David, for his encouragement, guidance, and prompt and thorough attention to early drafts of this document. He has also provided valuable references fiom his own library and has generally gone out of his way to prepare this graduate student for the rigours of academic life. Gratitude must also be expressed to my defence committee, Dr. Kathryn Reese-Taylor and Dr. Doug Peers who both read this thesis during very busy semesters. Many members of the faculty and staff at the University of Calgary were very generous in sharing their knowledge and experience with me during the preparation of this thesis. Dr. Nigel Waters, fiom the Department of Geography, provided helpful comments on statistical analysis, and Dr. Jon Jones of the Department of Geology and Geophysics generously assisted . in identifying some of the raw materials in Doulo's stone assemblage. I have gained a great deal of knowledge fiom the faculty, staff and students of the Department of Archaeology. Special mention must be made of Gerry Oetelaar, Brian Vivian, Peter Shinnie, Brian Kooyman, Charles Mather, Scott Raymond, Annie Katzenberg, Dan Meyer and Geny Newlands. Among my fellow students, Mitch Hendrickson and ~edferTischer must be given special acknowledgement for their support and advice. The members of the 1996 Projet Maya Wandala field crew also require special recognition for their contributions. Maureen Reeves, Claire Bourges and Monica Webster, in particular, have been great fiendsand great influences. Dr. Arlene Miller Rosen, Dana Wickner and Eric Pavri also made instrumental contributions to the wdy of Doulo7sarchaeology. The field crew from Doulo also supplied valuable information and a great deal of very hard work. TOSecretaire, Bishay, Galdima, Tchady, Abdu, Mala, Yaaba and Michel Kaurdapai, thank you and I wish I had had the chance to get to know you all better. Aissa Harde's field crew. Moise, Bode Abba, Magdeme, Aboni, Boukar, Abba Idris, Adama, and Mamadi Fikwa, contributed enormous amounts to my personal knowledge of the area. This thesis would not have been possible without you. In addition to these individuals Mohammed Sale and Larnbert Ganava deserve special thanks for their insights on so many things. To the same end, 1 must thank all the people of Doulo and Aissa Harde, including Kristi Hall, the Peace Corp volunteer at Aissa Harde who opened her home to me on more than one occasion. I would also like to express my gratitude to TheIbrahim of Mora and Chief Umate of Doulo for their co-operation, and to Abdoulaye Taousset for his assistance in Yaounde and Mora. Finally, my most personal and heartfelt thanks go to my mother, Patricia Jones, who provided all kinds of support and never doubted that I would finish, and to Russell Gragg for his helpful comments on later versions of this thesis and his support and encouragement in the early phases. TABLE OF CONTENTS ... ABSTRACT ........................................................... 111 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................... iv TABLEOFCONTENTS ................................................. vi ListofTabies .......................................................... ix List of Figures .......................................................... x Chapter One - Introduction ............................................... 1 1.1Introduction .................................................... 1 1.2TheStudyArea ................................................. 1 1.3 Projet Maya-Wandala ............................................ 2 1.4 Research Goals and the Archaeology of Doulo ........................ -3 1.5TheSources .................................................... 3 1.5.1 Archaeological Research ................................... 3 1S.2 Historical Sources and Research ............................. 5 1.6TheThesis ..................................................... 6 Chapter Two - Environmental Context ...................................... 7 2.1Introduction .................................................... 7 2.2 Climate in The Southern Chad Basin ................................ 7 2.3 Palaeoclimate ................................................... 8 2.4ModernConditions ............................................. 10 2.4.1 Logone Plain ........................................... 10 2.4.2 The Mandara Mountains .................................. 10 2.4.3 TheMoraPlainandDoulo ................................ 11 2.5PeopIeandtheLand ........................................... 13 2.6Summary ..................................................... 14 Chapter Three - Cultural Background ..................................... 15 3.1 Introduction ................: .................................. 15 3.2. Archaeological Sequence of the Southern Chad Basin .................. 15 3.3 History of the Wandala and Doulo ................................. 18 3.3.1 The Wandala and their Neighbours at Doulo .................. 18 3.3.2 Doulo's Population ...................................... 21 3 .3.3 Doulo's Cultural Landscape ............................... 22 3.4 Discussion and Summary ......................................... 24 Chapter Four - The Archaeology of Doulo .................................. 25 4.1 Projet Maya-Wandala Excavations at Doulo ......................... 25 4.2 PMW 674: Doulo Town Site ..................................... 27 4.3 PMW 636: Doulo IgzawaI ....................................... 27 4.4 PMW 651:DouIoIgzawa2 ...................................... 31 4.5 PMW 652: Doulo Igzawa3 ...................................... 32 4.6