Indigenous Iron smelting in Ethiopia: The role of ethoarchaeology in preserving the disappearing knowledge among the Oromo of Wollega

Arguably Africans have used metals for different purposes for thousands of
years. Various ethoarchaeological researches attest to the presence of diver
sity of technological and socio-cultural aspects of iron production among
different African societies in different geographical settings. The archaeology
of iron production in Africa has provided a wide spectrum of understanding
of the nature of the knowledge not only at continental level but also
outside of it. Ethnoarchaeological records indicative of huge variability in
technology of iron production have provided a foundation for fresh insight
favoring the fact that African societies have long accustomed to the knowledge
and experimented with it for millennia.

In contrast, the archaeology of iron production in Ethiopia is in the
backwaters. However, recent research attempts have shown that Ethiopia is
no different from the rest of sub-Saharan Africa in terms of the presence of
indigenous knowledge of iron smelting in various parts of the country. This
paper attempts to show how ethnoarchaeological reconstruction of iron
smelting activities abandoned about half a century ago can be revitalized.
Two case studies in Wollega, western Ethiopia became evident that even
closely related lineages have developed drastically different technology of
iron smelting in the region. It has in addition shown the significance of revisiting
the assumption that it is possible to follow the route of dispersion
through technological apparatus of iron smelting. Furthermore, the paper
attempts to highlight how organization of production in iron smelting and
smithing provides clues on the archaeological research of vestiges of industrial
sites.

Keywords: Ethiopia, Wollega, Oromo, tumtuu, buuftuu