Abstract:
From the 1650s and corresponding with a trade in African slaves, the livelihood,
health and life expectancy of indigenous groups were reported to decline as many
Zimbabwean settlements changed their identities due to European influence. In this
study, human skeletal remains from three archaeological sites from northern Zimbabwe
were investigated to compare the health status of the people that it represents, pre-and
post-European contact, to ascertain whether this was indeed the case. The Monk’s Kop
(A.D. 1270-1285) and Ashford Farms sites (A.D. 1330-1440) date back to a period prior
to European contact, whereas the Dambarare site (A.D. 1630-1693) represents a
population consisting of both Africans and the Europeans they were in contact with.
This study led to the re-discovery of the Monk’s Kop archaeological site and in
particular indicated that the remains most probably resemble the high social status
members of the society. In the Monk’s Kop’s skeletal collection (n =43), 14% of
individuals presented with signs of skeletal pathology while the corresponding figure
was 43% in the Ashford Farms individuals (n=7). The Dambarare sample comprised a
total of 40 individuals (both African and European ancestry) of which 43% of the
Africans had visible signs of skeletal pathology and included the southernmost case
reported for trephination in Africa.
Although the pre-European contact populations of Monk’s Kop and Ashford
Farms therefore seemed to have suffered less (28% combined average) from
pathological conditions in comparison to that of the Dambarare individuals of African
ancestry (43%), the difference was not statistically significant. Although most preversus
post-contact investigations report that the biological and cultural effects on the
native population was catastrophic to their health, it seems that the first Europeans
(particularly the Portuguese) that came into contact with the previously isolated
indigenous northern Zimbabwean population, had a minor effect on the people that
they interacted with during the 17th century. The Europeans from Dambarare, in
contrast, showed many skeletal signs that reflect a less healthy population which, most
probably, was due to both the poor socio-economic conditions in their home country
and the impact of a long voyage to Africa. It should be kept in mind that the skeletons
may not have represented all of the once living populations.
