Community Perceptions of Archaeological Landscapes among Pan (Kofyar) Hilltop Communities on the Jos Plateau, central Nigeria.

Kwapnoe-Dakup, Na'Ankwat (2025) Community Perceptions of Archaeological Landscapes among Pan (Kofyar) Hilltop Communities on the Jos Plateau, central Nigeria. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

This research examines the archaeology and notions of landscape of a little-understood part of West Africa, the Pan (Kofyar) cultural landscape, a group of hilltop communities, on the Jos Plateau in central Nigeria. Since the 1940s till date, the prehistory and settlement history of the Jos Plateau has been relatively well explored. However, the perceptions of indigenous communities of the archaeological remains and the landscape within which they sit have not been examined. This doctoral research has, accordingly, conducted extensive survey using classical archaeological techniques involving systematic ground survey combined with investigations of local knowledge to map over 200 sites of archaeological, historical and heritage significance. Ethnoarchaeological data as well as oral history and memory were explored to understand the value of sites and the relationship between people and their physical environment, and how they have shaped each other over time. The ethnographic use of space and material culture were also documented, to understand the relationship between archaeological materials, their local understandings and the landscape.

This thesis reveals that a relative continuity between the archaeology and ethnographic settlements albeit notable differences exist. The Kofyar have expressed through their settlement system and intangible activities that their landscape is viewed in both physical and social terms and this perception shapes the archaeological landscape. Kofyar communal narratives connect physically built spaces and the landscape to domestic and ritual significance which are also defined by intangible heritage practices, and memories. This work also highlights the central role played by sacred places in the relationship between the Kofyar and their landscape. Therefore, in mapping and interpreting archaeology among indigenous communities, communal narratives and indigenous knowledge system remain key tools. Parallels in West Africa and the wider region are also discussed, with specific reference to other African hill communities, and implications for global archaeological heritage considered

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of History
Depositing User:	Chris White
Date Deposited:	05 Jan 2026 13:38
Last Modified:	05 Jan 2026 13:38
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/101513
DOI:

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