BACKGROUND
Archaic
period technology
,Archaic was dated from 8,000 to 2,000 years before
present. People were hunters of small game, such as deer, antelope
and rabbits, and gatherers of wild plants, moving seasonally to hunting and
gathering sites.
Late in the Archaic period, about 200-500 CE, corn was
introduced into the diet and pottery-making became an occupation for storing
and caring food. Neolithic people were skilled farmers, manufacturing a range
of tools necessary for the tending, harvesting and processing of crops such as sickle blades and grinding stones and food production example
pottery, bone implements).
They were also skilled manufacturers of a range of other types of stone tools
and ornaments, including projectile points,
beads, and statuettes.
But what allowed forest clearance on a large scale was the polished stone axe above all other
tools. Together with the adze, fashioning wood for shelter,
structures and canoes for example, this enabled them to
exploit their newly-won farmland.
Also
history of food in East Africa dated when
the Portuguese arrived in 1496 on the coast of
In east Africa, they introduced
foods from newly discovered Brazil. Maize, bananas, pineapple, chilies,
peppers, sweet potatoes, and cassava
were brought in and became local staples. The Portuguese also brought oranges,
lemons, and limes from China and India, as well as pigs. Pastoralism (cattle herding) has a long
history in East Africa . Around A.D.
1000, a clan from North Africa called the Hima introduced cattle herding.
By
the 1600s, groups like the Maasai and Turkana ate beef exclusively. Cattle
provided meat, milk, butter, and blood.
When the Europeans arrived at the shores of Kenya, they brought with
them white potatoes, cucumbers, and tomatoes. The British imported thousands of
Indians for labor, and curries spicy dishes made with curry spice, chapattis a flat, disk-shaped bread
made of wheat flour, water, and salt and
chutneys a relish made of spices, herbs, and/or fruit became a traditional
Sunday lunch for many Kenyans (Gardner,1993).
DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS
Archaic is a
word or phrase that is considered
extremely old fashioned and long out of common use (oxford 2005)
Archaic
is relating to, or characteristic of a much earlier, often more primitive
period, especially one that develops into a classical stage of civilization ( Wescott,2001).
Generally
,archaic is an old fashioned used to give
an old fashioned flavor belonging to an early period of art or culture .
Technology
, the branch
of knowledge that
deals with the
creation and use
of technical means
and their interrelation
with life, society,
and the environment, drawing upon such
subjects as industrial
arts, engineering, applied science, and
pure science ( Wescott,2001).
Archaic technology , is
the branch of knowledge that
belonging to an early period of art or culture deals with the creation and use of technical means and
their interrelation with life, society,
and the environment, drawing upon such
subjects as industrial
arts, engineering, applied science, and
pure science ( Wescott,2001).
Food
,is any nourishing substance that is
eaten, drunk, or
otherwise taken into
the body to
sustain life, provide
energy, promote growth
( Kairi,2000).
Food
is material consisting essentially of protein, carbohydrate, and fat used in
the body of an organism to sustain growth, repair, and vital processes and to
furnish energy; also :
such material together with supplementary substances (as minerals, vitamins,
and condiments) ( Kairi,2000).
FOOD
TYPES USED BY CURRENT POPULATION OF EAST AFRICA
Grains,
Carbohydrate staples vary greatly among ethnic groups in Tanzania, but almost
always make up the bulk of any traditional meal. Common grains include sorghum,
cassava and plantain, as well as corn and rice in the southwestern coastal
regions. Ugali is a cornmeal porridge eaten at most meals ( Karimbux,1998).
Meat and Dairy When meat is available, it might be goat,
beef or pork thrown into a stew, or fried and served over rice or another
grain. Chicken, mutton and ducklings are also raised for food. Indian-style
,meat samosas are common street foods, along with mishikaki, meat kebabs grilled
over a charcoal fire. Beef or goat spiced with lime juice, hot peppers and salt
is a popular pub food. A hearty rural breakfast might consist of chicken broth
or buttermilk ( Karimbux,1998).
Ugali ,The country of Tanzania is made up of more
than 120 different ethnic groups, as well as subpopulations of Asian and
European origins. These include hunter-gatherers such as the Khoisan and
herders such as the Maasai, all of whose lifestyles influence their traditional
cuisine. Their foods depend on factors like local resources, tribal customs and
the climate they inhabit ( Karimbux,1998).
Kachumbari ,in
east Africa a fresh tomato and union salad are used us a food in addition to
some kind of food example in Tanzania kachumbari is used when people eat chips
and loasted cassava not only that but also when
East African people eating
ugali they are using kachumbari to increase appetite of for
food ( Karimbux,1998).
Salad relish ,East African Salad ,This salad relish is
added to and mixed with the hot spicy food by the guest a little at a time to
"cool" the spiciness of the dish and change its texture. If the
hostess feels that her dinner is not "hot" enough, a small hot chili
pepper is added to the relish. May also
serve individually or in a bowl additional pilli-pilli or hot red pepper
dissolved in lemon or tomato sauce.Pilli-pilli Sauce and its variations.
In Kenyans dinner you might have a cruet of a white
French dressing on the table for those who might want to add it to their salad
( Karimbux,1998).
Spices, Coconut milk is a
versatile thickening agent found in a large variety of dishes, as are beans and
plantains. Peanuts and groundnuts are used to flavor dishes, as is a homegrown
curry powder. Braised cabbage, leafy greens, manioc, squash or pumpkin or sweet
potatoes make vegetable accompaniments to meat dishes. Fresh fruit is sweetened
with honey and served for dessert.
Pilau,
a platter of rice, potato and meat flavored in many different ways. Hosts at
any gathering will expect their guests to eat as much as possible and leave
full. Food courses come in a single bowl and are worked into a solid ball with
the fingers, then eaten with the right hand, which is considered the
"pure" hand. In some tribal cultures, animal sacrifice or a libation
of beer honors one's ancestors ( Kairi,2000).
Beverages,
Snacks and Desserts ,Sweet rolls and biscuits called mandazi are served at
breakfast and for snacks. Peanuts, popcorn, hard candy and dried fruit are
frequently consumed as snacks in cities, as are fried plantains, sweet potatoes
and corn on the cob. Fruit drinks called "squash" appear at most
meals, with spiced coffee and tea. Tanzania brews its own alcoholic beverages
from local produce like plantains, corn and honey, and serves them at local
bars and pubs. One specialty is konyagi, a spirit similar to gin. Dessert
consists of honey, coconut, pineapple or other in-season fruits ( Kairi,2000).
Ugali
and nyama choma, Maize
(corn) is a Kenyan staple and the main ingredient of ugali , which is thick and similar to porridge. Many Kenyans eat
this on a daily basis. It takes a lot of practice to boil the porridge without
burning it. Ugali is usually
eaten with meat, stews, or sukuma
wiki, which literally translates to "stretch the week." This
means that the food is used to stretch meals to last for the week.
Sukuma wiki is a combination of
chopped spinach or kale (a leafy green vegetable) that is fried with onions,
tomatoes, maybe a green pepper, and any leftover meat, if available. It is
seasoned with salt and some pepper. The traditional way of eating ugali is to pinch off a piece of the
dough with the right hand, and shape it into a scoop by pressing and
indentation into the dough with the thumb. The ugali is used to scoop sauces or stew ( Kairi,2000).
Nyama
choma, is
roasted or grilled meat, usually goat. The process of grilling meat in Kenya is different from the
process of barbequing meat typically used in the United States. Basting
(moistening the meat) and the use of herbs and seasonings (except salt and
pepper) are not used in most Kenyan dishes. When eating nyama choma at a restaurant, the diner chooses from a selection
of meat that is bought by the kilogram (1 kilogram equals about 2 pounds).
It
is grilled plain and brought to the table sliced into bite-sized pieces. It is
often served with mashed vegetables .Christmas in Kenya is a time for social
gatherings and food. Visitors will stop at the homes of friends and family, and
food is served to everyone. Christmas dinner is likely to be fish or nyama choma . Goat or beef is used
for nyama choma , although goat
is considered a greater delicacy. Vegetables, fruit, and chapattis are often served with
chutney ( Kairi,2000).
Fruits,
The varied climate and geographical areas in Kenya are home to many different
types of fruits. Some examples are mangoes, papaya, pineapple, watermelon,
oranges, guavas, bananas (many varieties), coconuts, and passion fruit. Passion
fruit juice is sold everywhere and is the most popular, known locally in
English simply as "passion (
Kairi,2000).
Mandazi ,
a semisweet, flat doughnut, is usually eaten at chakula cha asubuhi (breakfast) with kahawa or chai (coffee
and tea in Swahili). Chai is
served very milky and sweet. The tea, milk, and sugar are put into cold water
and brought to a boil. Kenyans also eat chapattis
at breakfast and usually dunk it into their coffee ( Kairi,2000).
Matoke ,Lunch
is the main chakula of the day.
Meat such as beef, goat, or mutton (sheep) is most commonly eaten. Other dishes
can include githeri , a mix of
beans (usually red kidney beans) and corn, and matoke , or mashed plantains (similar to a banana). Foods served
at dinner are much like what is served at lunch. Ingredients :-8 plantains (can
be found in most supermarkets),2 Tablespoons lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon butter
,2 onions, sliced ,2 teaspoons coriander ,2 cups beef stock ,Red pepper flakes,
to taste ( Eldon,1989).
Sambusas ,Street vendors are found on almost
any street corner in Kenya and offer a variety of snacks. Sambusas are deep-fried pastry
triangles stuffed with spiced minced meat and are considered the most common
snack. Corn on the cob is roasted on a wire grill over a bed of hot coals and
sold cheaply for a few Kenyan shillings . Another snack is called mkate mayai( bread eggs), a wheat
dough spread into a thin pancake, filled with minced meat and raw egg, then
folded.
Sweets such as ice cream, yogurt, and deep fried yams (eaten with a
squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkling of chili powder), are offered as well.
In rural areas, children can be seen snacking on roasted maize and sugar cane. Kenyan children like to snack
on burgers and fries as well, which are sold in fast food shops. Tanzanians,Ugandans,
and Kenyans enjoy eating in a variety of international restaurants and
fast-food chains. Fries with ketchup
are popular, along with sausages, eggs, fish, and chicken. Most fast food
restaurants are located in Nairobi, Kenya's capital city( Eldon,1989).
ARCHAIC TECHNOLOGY USED BY CURRENT
POPULATION OF EAST AFRICA.
Pottery , also refers to the
art or craft of a potter or the manufacture of pottery.The definition of pottery is "all fired ceramic
wares that contain clay when formed, except technical, structural, and refractory
products. Some archaeologists use a different understanding of this definition
by excluding ceramic objects such as figurines which are made by similar
processes and of similar materials but are not vessels.Pottery originates
during the Neolithic period.
Pottery
vessels discovered in 14,000 BC Sub-Saharan Africa and South America.Pottery is
made by forming a clay body
into objects of a required shape and heating them to high temperatures in a kiln which removes all the water from the clay, which induces reactions that lead to
permanent changes including increasing their strength and hardening and setting
their shape. A clay body can be decorated
before or after firing. Prior to some shaping processes, clay must be prepared.
Kneading
helps to ensure an even moisture content throughout the body. Air trapped
within the clay body needs to be removed. This is called de-airing and can be
accomplished by a machine called a vacuum pug
or manually by wedging.
Wedging can also help produce an even moisture content. Once a clay body has
been kneaded and wedged, it is shaped by a variety of techniques. After shaping
it is dried and then fired (Fagan,2010).
Mill
stones,
are stones used in grist mills, for grinding wheat or other grains.Millstones come in
pairs. The base or bedstone is
stationary. Above the bedstone is the turning runner stone which actually does the grinding. The runner stone
spins above the stationary bedstone creating the "scissoring" or
grinding action of the stones. A runner stone is generally slightly concave, while the bedstone is
slightly convex. This helps to channel
the ground flour to the outer edges of the stones where it can be gathered up .The
runner stone is supported by a cross-shaped metal piece fixed to a "mace
head" topping the main shaft or spindle leading to the driving mechanism
of the mill example wind and water (Fagan,2010).
Figurine
,(a diminutive form of the word figure)
is a statuette that represents a human, animal.
Figurines may be realistic or iconic, depending on the
skill and intention of the creator. The earliest were made of stone or clay.
Modern versions are made of ceramic, metal, glass, wood and plastic. Figures
with movable parts, allowing limbs to be posed, are more likely to be called dolls, mannequins,
or action figures;
or robots or automata,
if they can move on their own. Figurines and miniatures
are sometimes used in board games,such as tabletop
role playing games.
Old figurines have been used to discount some historical theories (Fagan,2010).
Salting,
is the process of producing salt from
salt mines or by the evaporation of seawater or mineral-rich spring water in
shallow pools. Its major industrial products are caustic soda
and chlorine, and it is used
in many industrial processes and in the manufacture of polyvinyl chloride,
plastics, paper pulp and many other
products. Of the annual production of around two hundred million tonnes of salt, only about 6% is used for
human consumption; other uses include water conditioning processes, de-icing highways
and agricultural use. Edible salt is sold in forms such as sea salt and table salt
example in Kigoma Uvinza which usually contains an anti caking agent
and may be iodised to prevent iodine deficiency.
As well as its use in cooking and at the table, salt is present in many
processed foods. Too much sodium in the diet raises blood pressure
and may increase the risk of heart attacks
and strokes
(Fagan,2010).
Clothing
and shelter,Other
technological advances made during the Paleolithic era were clothing and shelter and
this still used by Tanzania example the tindiga and maasai, humans still constructing temporary wood huts. especially
in rural areas of Tanzania, Clothing, adapted from the fur and hides of hunted
animals example shoes of maasai , helped humanity expand into colder regions;
humans began to migrate
out of Africa by 200,000 BC and into other continents, such as Eurasia ( Klein 2009).
Sailing technology
,mean while, humans were learning to harness other forms of energy. The
earliest known use of wind power is the sailboat.But still wind power is used
by most east African especially around
the lake region such as Mwanza ,Kigoma
and Nyasa in fishing activities .The earliest record of a ship under sail
is shown on an Egyptian pot dating back to 3200 BC. From prehistoric
times, Egyptians probably used the power of the Nile annual floods to irrigate
their lands, gradually learning to regulate much of it through purposely built
irrigation channels and 'catch' basins. Similarly, the early peoples of
Mesopotamia, the Sumerians, learned to use the Tigris and Euphrates rivers for
much the same purposes. But more extensive use of wind and water power required another invention ( Klein
2009).
Conclusion
Most East African countries face the
problem of food insecurity because some type of food dominate other type,
example in Tanzania most of people prefer to use ugali made by maize rather than
other grains such as Sorghum, Millet and wheat .Also cassava is used to some few people
such as those who are living in
coastal areas, and the Waha from kigoma
they call ugali as Udaga.So in order to reduce the problem of food security we need to have equally
opportunities to all types of food found in East Africa.
REFFERENCES
Eldon,
Kathy. More Specialities of the House. Nairobi, Kenya: Kenway
Publications, 1989.
Gardner,
Ann. Karibu: Welcome To the Cooking of Kenya . Nairobi, Kenya: Kenway
Publications, Ltd.,
1993.
Kairi,
Wambui. Kenya. Austin, TX: Raintree Steck-Vaughn Publishers, 2000.
Karimbux,
Adil. A Taste of Kenyan Cooking. Nairobi: Kenway Publications, 1998
Klein,
Richard. (2009). The Human Career: Human Biological and Cultural Origins,
Third
Edition
Fagan, Brian; Shermer, Michael; Wrangham,
Richard. (2010). Science & Humanity: From Past
to the Future. Los Angeles
Times Festival of Books.
Wescott,
David . (2001). Primitive Technology II: Ancestral Skill - From the Society
of Primitive
Technology
Written By AUSI CHIWAMBO (2014)-Teofilo Kisanji University
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