Nthabiseng Mokoena (archaeologist)

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Nthabiseng Mokoena-Mokhali
Citizenship Lesotho
Alma mater University of the Witwatersrand, University of Cape Town
OccupationArchaeologist
Employer National University of Lesotho
Known forOne of very few female archaeologists in Lesotho

Nthabiseng Mokoena-Mokhali is an archaeologist and academic who is a lecturer at the National University of Lesotho. As of 2021 she was the only woman in Lesotho to work as an archaeologist.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Career

Mokoena-Mokhali's career began when she was working as a Field Technician in Lesotho on the Metolong Cultural Resource Management project. [1] [2] [3] However, she has been interested in the past from a young age and says that it was the "powerful experience" of finding out her own family history which inspires her still. [4] After working on the Metolong research project she began to study at the University of the Witwatersrand - first for an Honours Degree then later for a Master's degree. For her PhD, she joined the University of Cape Town. [1] Her doctoral research explored the history of the Basotho nation by tracing its roots at Thaba-Bosiu, a national heritage site in Lesotho, where the nation was formed. by combining historical and scientific approaches, her research brought to light previously unknown and ignored histories of Basotho by highlighting the daily lives of people who settled on the mountain. The findings of her study provided an alternative history of Basotho that is more familiar and informed by local voices. [1] Her fieldwork at Thaba Bosiu explored the place and its role in nation-building by further analysing the four phases of community there: hunter-gatherer; Nguni 'Bafokeng' communities; Basotho communities today; alongside the European communities dating to the 1800s. [4]

Community engagement is an important aspect of Mokoena's archaeological practice and she is seen as a ground-breaking figure in the field of community archaeology, as well as archaeology in Lesotho more generally. [1] [3] She is a proponent of the decoloniality movement.[ citation needed ] Her practice includes working with local communities to examine the rock art in Matatiele in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, which in turn led to those communities producing recommendations that included their views and protected their sacred places. [5] Mokoena's community work also involves ethnographic research, which informs wider understanding of how communities connect to and understand 'heritage' and 'their heritage. [6] At Masakala there was a distinction between public heritage and material culture, which was 'national' and so belonged to the community, and a private cultural heritage of initiation practices, which was private and secretive and so also belonged to the community. [6] In Matatiele, Mokoena's research also highlights the complex relationships communities have with their local heritage. [7] She also demonstrated that official heritage management plans do not value, nor take into account, indigenous beliefs; these beliefs must be at the forefront of any strategy in order for people locally to feel valued and involved. [7] She has also noted that heritage centres are not a solution for every community, their cost can outweigh their reach and they may become 'white elephants'. [8]

Mokoena-Mokhali intends to extend the School of Archaeology at the National University of Lesotho, as well as extending its study to primary and secondary school students in the country. She is also a co-author of the Historical Dictionary of Lesotho [4]

In addition to her research, she has also held roles on the council of the Association of Southern African Professional Archaeologists (ASAPA). [9]

Publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Lesotho</span> Historical development of Lesotho

The history of people living in the area now known as Lesotho goes back as many as 400 years. Present Lesotho emerged as a single polity under King Moshoeshoe I in 1822. Under Moshoeshoe I, Basotho joined other clans in their struggle against the Lifaqane associated with famine and the reign of Shaka Zulu from 1818 to 1828.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sotho people</span> Bantu ethnic group of Southern Africa

The Sotho, also known as the Basotho, are a prominent Sotho-Tswana ethnic group native to Southern Africa. They primarily inhabit the regions of Lesotho and South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moshoeshoe I</span> First King of Lesotho

Moshoeshoe I was the first king of Lesotho. He was the first son of Mokhachane, a minor chief of the Bamokoteli lineage, a branch of the Koena (crocodile) clan. In his youth, he helped his father gain power over some other smaller clans. At the age of 34 Moshoeshoe formed his own clan and became a chief. He and his followers settled at the Butha-Buthe Mountain. He became the first and longest-serving King of Lesotho in 1822.

Feminist archaeology employs a feminist perspective in interpreting past societies. It often focuses on gender, but also considers gender in tandem with other factors, such as sexuality, race, or class. Feminist archaeology has critiqued the uncritical application of modern, Western norms and values to past societies. It is additionally concerned with increasing the representation of women in the discipline of archaeology, and reducing androcentric bias within the field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wepener</span> Town near Lesotho in Free State, SA

Wepener is a town in the Free State, South Africa, located near the border of Lesotho.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free State–Basotho Wars</span> 1858–1868 series of Boer Wars in Southern Africa

The Free State–Basotho Wars refers to a series of wars fought between King Moshoeshoe I, the ruler of the Basotho Kingdom, and white settlers, in what is now known as the Free State. These can be divided into the Senekal's War of 1858, the Seqiti War in 1865−1866 and the Third Basotho War in 1867−68.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultural heritage management</span> Vocation and practice of managing cultural heritage

Cultural heritage management (CHM) is the vocation and practice of managing cultural heritage. It is a branch of cultural resources management (CRM), although it also draws on the practices of cultural conservation, restoration, museology, archaeology, history and architecture. While the term cultural heritage is generally used in Europe, in the US the term cultural resources is in more general use specifically referring to cultural heritage resources.

Khauhelo Deborah Raditapole was a member of the Pan-African Parliament from Lesotho. Raditapole was born in Maseru on 7 August 1938. She had her earlier education in Lesotho, but obtained her Pharmacy degree from Lvov Medical School at Ukraine and completed her higher studies in the US. She worked in a teaching hospital in Tanzania for 10 years as she was denied entry to Lesotho. She returned to Lesotho in 1987 at the invitation of the then Principal Secretary for Health Tom Thabane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ntsu Mokhehle</span>

Ntsu Mokhehle was a Lesotho politician. He founded Basutoland African Congress (BAC) in 1952. He founded Basutoland Congress Party in 1957 then later in 1997 founded Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD). He served as the third prime minister of Lesotho from 2 April 1993 to 17 August 1994 and from 14 September 1994 to 29 May 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thaba Bosiu</span> Constituency and sandstone plateau in Maseru District, Lesotho

Thaba Bosiu is a constituency and sandstone plateau with an area of approximately 2 km2 (0.77 sq mi) and a height of 1,804 meters above sea level. It is located between the Orange and Caledon Rivers in the Maseru District of Lesotho, 24 km east of the country's capital Maseru. It was once the capital of Lesotho, having been King Moshoeshoe's stronghold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Gérard</span>

Joseph Gérard, OMI was a French Catholic priest and a professed member from the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate; he worked in the missions among the Basotho people in Lesotho and the Free State province of South Africa. His works in the mission are now attributed to a partial degree to a boom in Catholicism in Lesotho, where he was well-known and regarded for his extensive work; he was even working up until a month prior to his own death just before World War I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indigenous archaeology</span> Sub-discipline of western archaeological theory

Indigenous archaeology is a sub-discipline of Western archaeological theory that seeks to engage and empower indigenous people in the preservation of their heritage and to correct perceived inequalities in modern archaeology. It also attempts to incorporate non-material elements of cultures, like oral traditions, into the wider historical narrative. This methodology came out of the global anti-colonial movements of the 1970s and 1980s led by aboriginal and indigenous people in settler-colonial nations, like the United States, Canada, and Australia. Major issues the sub-discipline attempts to address include the repatriation of indigenous remains to their respective peoples, the perceived biases that western archaeology's imperialistic roots have imparted into its modern practices, and the stewardship and preservation of indigenous people's cultures and heritage sites. This has encouraged the development of more collaborative relationships between archaeologists and indigenous people and has increased the involvement of indigenous people in archaeology and its related policies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sada Mire</span> Swedish-Somali archaeologist and historian

Sada Mire is a Swedish-Somali archaeologist, art historian and presenter from the Arap clan, who is currently a professor of Heritage Studies at University College London. She is a public intellectual and heritage activist who has argued that cultural heritage is a basic human need in her 2014 TEDxEuston talk. In 2017, Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts selected Mire as one of their 30 international thinkers and writers. She became the Director of Antiquities of Somaliland in 2007. Raised in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, Mire fled the country at the start of the civil war at the age of 15. She then traveled to Sweden seeking asylum. She has since returned to the Horn of Africa as an archaeologist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mokorotlo</span> Traditional Sotho hat and national symbol of Lesotho

A mokorotlo is a type of straw hat widely used for traditional Sotho clothing, and is the national symbol of Lesotho and the national symbol of the Basotho and Lesotho peoples. An image of the Mokorotlo appears on the Lesotho flag, and on Lesotho vehicle license plates. The design is believed to have been inspired by the conical mountain Mount Qiloane. It is known as “molianyeoe”, which means "he who executes judgement in court" in Sesotho. It is manufactured from an indigenous grass known as “mosea” or “leholi”.

The Battle of Naauwpoort Nek refers to a clash between the Trekboers and Basotho warriors on 29 September 1865. Naauwpoort lies immediately to the north of the Free State town of Clarens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johan Fick</span>

General Johan Isak Jacobus Fick was the founder of Ficksburg, a town in the Free State province, South Africa. After the Basotho Wars, peace was made and the town named after Johan Fick. He was also known as Commandant Generaal Johan Fick.

Freda Nkirote M’Mbogori is a Kenyan archaeologist, who is Director of the British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA) and President of the Pan-African Archaeological Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basotho nationality law</span> Lesotho law governing nationality

Basotho nationality law is regulated by the Constitution of Lesotho, as amended; the Lesotho Citizenship Order, and its revisions; the 1983 Refugees Act; and various international agreements to which the country is a signatory. These laws determine who is, or is eligible to be, a national of Lesotho. The legal means to acquire nationality, formal legal membership in a nation, differ from the domestic relationship of rights and obligations between a national and the nation, known as citizenship. Nationality describes the relationship of an individual to the state under international law, whereas citizenship is the domestic relationship of an individual within the nation. In Britain and thus the Commonwealth of Nations, though the terms are often used synonymously outside of law, they are governed by different statutes and regulated by different authorities. Basotho nationality is typically obtained under the principle of jus soli, born in Lesotho, or jus sanguinis, i.e. by birth in Lesotho or abroad to parents with Basotho nationality. It can be granted to persons with an affiliation to the country, or to a permanent resident who has lived in the country for a given period of time through naturalisation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masopha</span> Lesotho chief

Masopha was a chief of the Basuto people. He was the third son of Basuto paramount chief Moshoeshoe I. During his youth he fought in numerous conflicts against neighboring tribes and European colonists, distinguishing himself for his bravery. Following the incorporation of Basutoland into the Cape Colony, Masopha resisted the imposition of colonial rule and emerged as one of the most powerful Basuto chiefs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">'Mantsopa</span> Basotho prophet (1793–1908)

'Mantsopa Anna Makhetha (1793–1908), often referred to as 'Mantsopa, was a Basotho prophetess, rainmaker, and storyteller. She advised King Moshoeshoe I and predicted the outcomes of several battles, including the Battle of Viervoet in 1851 and the Battle of Berea in 1852. She was exiled to Modderpoort in the late 1860s, where she converted to Christianity and was baptised in 1870. She fused Christianity with her own traditional Basotho customs.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Nthabiseng Mokoena | TrowelBlazers" . Retrieved 2021-01-25.
  2. King, Rachel; Arthur, Charles (2014-04-03). "Development-led archaeology and ethics in Lesotho". Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa. 49 (2): 166–183. doi:10.1080/0067270X.2014.904980. ISSN   0067-270X. S2CID   161928420.
  3. 1 2 Challis, Sam (2018-06-01). "Collections, Collecting and Collectives: Gathering Heritage Data with Communities in the Mountains of Matatiele and Lesotho, Southern Africa". African Archaeological Review. 35 (2): 257–268. doi:10.1007/s10437-018-9299-x. ISSN   1572-9842. S2CID   165250388.
  4. 1 2 3 "Can Archaeology achieve Social Justice? | Canon Collins Educational and Legal Assistance Trust". www.canoncollins.org.uk. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
  5. Bam-Hutchison, June; Ackermann, Rebecca; Humphreys, Robyn. "Archaeology is changing, slowly. But it's still too tied up in colonial practices". The Conversation. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
  6. 1 2 King, Rachel (2019-06-18). Outlaws, Anxiety, and Disorder in Southern Africa: Material Histories of the Maloti-Drakensberg. Springer. ISBN   978-3-030-18412-4.
  7. 1 2 Schmidt, Peter R. (2019-12-13). Participatory Archaeology and Heritage Studies: Perspectives from Africa. Routledge. ISBN   978-1-351-02088-6.
  8. Makuvaza, Simon (2017-11-23). Aspects of Management Planning for Cultural World Heritage Sites: Principles, Approaches and Practices. Springer. p. 126. ISBN   978-3-319-69856-4.
  9. "Back Matter". The South African Archaeological Bulletin. 72 (206). 2017. ISSN   0038-1969. JSTOR   26452649.