The Stone Age Period – Zimbabwean History

Characteristics

-People found in this period were mainly the San or the Khoisan
-people lived in small groups and moved from place to place in search of food
-crop cultivation was done on a small scale on river banks
-barter trade took place
-rock art was used to illustrate people’s lives
-items such as beads were decorated
-fishing equipment for example hooks were introduced
-there was domestication of livestock for example sheep

Mode of production of the San people

-Mode of production refers to various ways of making a living
-people did not have property ,so they moved from place to place
-there was division of labour among them , men doing men’s work and women doing women ‘s work

Economic activities of the Late Stone Age people

Hunting

-it was done using poisoned arrows ,snares ,grass, covered pits
-the San tracked animals until poison took effect
-they knew animal sounds ,prints ,and droppings

-they imitated animal movements
-they used sharp stone tools for skinning animals
-they conserved animals by killing one at a time
-meat was boiled ,roasted before eating

Gathering

-this was done by woman ,they gathered insects ,locusts etc
-they conserved the environment by avoiding plant destruction

Social organisation of the Late Stone Age period

-there was family planning ,few children were born
-people lived in small groups of 20-25
-there was equality of all members ,no rulers
-each group ha 5-6 adult men and women
-there was division of Iabour,men hunted ,women gathered but they were all equal
-there were dances to the new moon
-they lived in caves or shelter made out of tree branches
-moved from place to place ,they were nomadic
-sang and danced for entertainment
-observed the new moon
-made religious sacrifices
-buried their dead in formal graves
-believed in their mandis god
-god expressed himself through earthquakes ,Lightening
-believed that large pooIs, mountains were a home to sprits
-when food was plenty ,they gathered once a year
-there was communal gathering where people shared technology, chose marriage partners and changed
groups
-girls married between 7-8 years and boys married between 14-15 years
-the Sans were polygamists ,they had many wives
-after marriage the boy joined the girl’s family and hunted for them

How far was the forest the only source of food or supplies or provisions for the San hunter-qatherers

-To a larger extent it was the only source of the San hunter-gatherers
-on food they relied on fruits ,roots ,game meat ,and insects
-on medicine facilities they used roots ,leaves ,bark
-on shelter there was temporary shelters made from tree branches
-firewood was from the forest
-Their clothes were from animal skins
-tools used were arrows ,digging sticks made of wood, stone ,bones
-used tree barks for making bags
-used ostrich eggs for carrying water However, fish was obtained from the river
-the San stole from the Khoikhoi and Bantu
-they worked as herders for the Khoi khoi

Uses of stone age tools

-skinning, cutting, sharpening sticks ,making arrows, making hand axes

Food of the Stone Age people or Diet of the stone Age period

-fish ,honey, caterpillar ,berries ,roots, game meat, termites, tubers ,tortoise

Stone Age sites in Zimbabwe

Hwange Game Reserve, Zambezi Valley, Bambata ,and Chinhoyi caves

Duties of females

-gathering, looking after children, fetching firewood, pottery making, cooking

Duties of males

-building shelters, hunting ,fishing, making tools, making clothes

Weapons and tools of the stone age

-hand axes, cleavers, oldowan, knives, microliths

Changes from the Stone Age Period to Iron Age Period

Economic Changes

-more land was cleared and cultivated
-crop cultivation was done on a large scale miIIet,rapoko ,sorghum were grown for food
-more wild animals were killed using iron tools
-domestication improved drastically ,sheep ,goats cattle were kept for food ,payment of
trade,IoboIa
-mining was done for the first time ,gold, iron ,silver ,tin, were mined
-division of labour based on skills leading to specialisation
-specialisation led to high productivity
-smelting was done by blacksmiths to produce iron tools and weapons for example knives
,axes ,swords ,and hoes

• hunting became more efficient with the use of iron tools for example knives ,spears ,axes, hunted
  for food ,skins, meat ,ivory for trade
  -local trade improved ,they traded among themselves in barter trade, exchanging grains
  ,cattle ,iron tools many others
  -more fish caught using iron hooks
  -there was international trade where local trade for example gold ,ivory ,precious skins, were
  exchanged for foreign goods for example cloth ,necklaces, sea shells ,beads
  -craft work improved ,they produced ,baskets ,iron tools for home uses or trade
  -raiding become more common in order to get more grains ,cattle for food to create a strong
  economic base
  -tribute payment was introduced .It was paid using gold ,ivory labour ,grains, iron tools
  skins,goats ,beads to show loyalty and boosted rulers wealth
  -gathering was done by women for roots ,tubers, locusts for food
  -fishing was done on a larger scale using iron hooks, nets to supplement diet

Methods of gold mining and processing during the Early Iron Age in Zimbabwe

Gold mining

-looking for gold involved studying soils ,vegetation ,soil where white ants came from
-mining was not specialised
-it was done in the villages
-gold was extracted by panning
-gold mining was done by males
-reef mining also practised
-underground mining was also done .Miners dug
underground tunnels and gold was brought out using baskets on twine
-gold bearing rock was heated to separate water and gold ore

-open cast mining was also used to mine gold
-gold was simply picked on the ground
-fire was lit in tunnels during underground mining to provide light

-miners did not go deeper than 25m

Gold processing

-gold bearing rock or sand was grinded

-grounded sand or rock was put into metal or wooden dishes
-water was poured into the dish of gold ore
-mixture of gold ore and water was shaken until gold was separated from the ore
-gold would be smelted into the blasts furnace
-smelted gold would be shaped into various product for example necklaces, bangles, anklets,
bracelets, or just kept.

How effective were these methods in processing gold?

.Underground mining was dangerous.Sometimes small quantities of gold were found .Mining was seasonal ,it was done outside agricultural seasons
.People had no means to deal with underground water
.However, it was effective miners got enough gold to make gold products
.In the beginning enough gold was found
.Miners were able to extract gold

Social changes from the Late Stone Age to the Iron Age

-people now stayed in permanent shelter made out of pole and dagga
-people lived in larger groups
-village were now located in areas of good pastures ,fertile soils and water
-there was the system of Kuronzera
-cattle ownership regarded as a symbol of status
-people now stayed in bigger communities due to food availability
-people became more polygamous ,had many wives
-there was settled life
-division of labour was now based on skills rather sex
-balanced diet due to a variety of food produced and consumed
-balanced diet reduced deseases
-there was improved life expectancy due to reduced diseases
-lineages emerged as opposed the stone age clans
-chiefs become religious leaders
-many social classes emerged
-Lobola was now paid using valuables
-there was no equality of men of women since
—women were looked down upon
-there was social stratification ,a clear elite-poor division
-people continued to believe in life after death
-development of religious ideas for example worship of Mwari through ancestors ,spirit mediums
-practised rain making ceremonies and thanks giving for the harvest