Neema C. Munisi

Archaeology, Material Culture and Slavery in the 19th Century Eastern Africa

My current research draws on archaeology, ethnography and oral history to examine the roles of glass beads in the 19th century slave trade in East Africa. I chose glass beads over other cultural materials because historical sources relating to the 19th century East Africa suggest that they (glass beads) were significant trade goods, exchanged for enslaved people and ivory. In historical documents, the uses and rates of exchange of glass beads are often very specific. For instance, archival sources inform that in the southern highlands of Tanzania, kidnapped people were sold for four to six fundo of beads. Fundo is a standard measurement consisting of ten strings of 20 glass beads each. Similarly, ivory was sold for between 35 and 70 fundo of glass beads, which could be yellow or of other colours, per frasilah (a historical unit of weight, equivalent to about 16 kg). My research seeks to add a further dimension to these accounts, contextualising glass beads through material-based perspective in depth framework. I propose to investigate three localities in present-day Tanzania: Bagamoyo, Tabora and Ujiji. These three case studies lie along a key early caravan route between the Indian Ocean and inland regions. My research operates at the intersection of historical archaeology, Indigenous knowledge and technology, and material culture studies to examine the symbolism, meaning, production, technology and consumption of glass beads. I consider the agency of glass beads in the slave trade, dealing with themes such as exoticism and local valuation, and fluctuations in the social, political and economic spheres on the India ocean coast and the hinterland of East Africa. Additionally, my research involves digitization of places related to the memory of slavery, which in combination with my ethnographic work will preserve the memory and heritage of slavery for future generations. 

2019–2022
MA in Archaeology, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

2015–2018
BA in Archaeology, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Since 2023
Assistant Lecturer, University of Dodoma, Tanzania

Since 2018
Research Assistant, Urithi Wetu Research Group, University of Dar es Salaam

2019–2022
Tutorial Assistant, University of Dar es Salaam

2025. With E. Pollard, R. Bates, J. Comte, E. Graham, C. Lubao, and E. Ichumbaki. "Climate change, coastal heritage digitization, and local community engagement at the ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani World Heritage Site, Tanzania." In Journal of Field Archaeology 50(1): 6–21. DOI: 10.1080/00934690.2024.2439219 

2024. With T. Biginagwa, E. Pollard, and E. Ichumbaki. "Archaeological and ethnographic perspectives on the meaning and consumption of glass beads in Ancient Kilwa Kisiwani, Southern Tanzania." In Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa 59(4): 553–581. Access 

2024. With E. B. Ichumbaki. "Kilwa and its Environs." In Oxford Research Encyclopaedia of African History. Oxford University Press. Access