TRADITIONAL INSTRUMENT AMONG THE KAMBA

THE CULTURE AND ECONOMIC ACTIVITY OF EARLY MAN.

Early human cultural and economic activities can be looked at under various Stone Age periods. The type of tools used at every period describe the various stages of human cultural development. Initially the tools were made of stone hence the term stone age. The early human cultural and economic practices have been divided into three Stone Age periods. These are:

1. The Early Stone Age
2. The Middle Stone Age
3. The Late Stone Age

Early Stone Age dates from approximately 2.5 million years ago until about 200,000 years ago. It includes the earliest record of human tool making and documents much of the evolutionary history of the genus Homo. The Early Stone Age has been divided into three main technological phases. These are the Pre-Oldowan, the Oldowan and the Acheulean.

Eerly stone age period.

Early Stone Age existed 2.5 million years ago. It was the longest of the stone ages.

Some of the earliest archaeological finds of early stone age

Pre Oldowan culture

This is the earliest tool making technology. The tools used during this period were crude and not standardized. It is likely that early Homo was responsible for the Pre-Oldowan cultures. They have been found at sites such as Lokalelei in west Turkana in Kenya and at Koda Gona in Ethiopia

Pre oldowan tools

The beginning of Early stone age period is known as Pre Oldowan culture. The tools used during this period were crude and not standardized. This period is characterized by Homo Rudolfensis. The tools they made may have been used to skin dead animals and scrapping animal hides, and also to crack nuts. They may also have been used to break animal bones to get marrow. The tools can best be described as haphazardly shaped for chopping, cutting and scrapping implements fashioned from pebbles. It is important to note that The Early Stone Age was the longest of the Stone Age periods.

The Oldowan comprised of haphazardly shaped chopping, cutting, and scraping implements made from pebbles. They are found in sites that date between 2.5 million years and 1.5 million years old. Oldowan tools were first found at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. The characteristic tool was the chopper. It is likely that Homo habilis was responsible for the Oldowan cultures.

Acheulean culture

The Acheulean technology was made and used by Homo ergaster in Africa between 1.8 million and 200,000 years ago, Homo erectus in Asia between 1.6 million to 30,000 years ago and early Neanderthals in Europe between 800,000 to 100,000 years ago. Common tools were Hand axes and cleavers. It was the dominant technology for the vast majority of human history, having lasted for more than one million years. The Acheulean culture also marks the beginning of language and use of fire.

The Middle Stone Age

The Middle Stone Age lasted between 400,000 and 50,000 years ago. This period is associated with the archaic Homo sapiens. The stage is characterized by Levallois (prepared platforms, pre shaped) tools.

Some of the middle stone age tools 
The tools prepared through levallois technology are known as Mousterian tools. During this period man discovered better ways of shaping stone. They include levallois points, lanceolates (long stone pangas). Lanceolates were used for getting food from forests. Early Homo sapiens, who are associated with the Middle Stone Age cultures, lived in rock shelters and sometimes in caves. They may have hunted small and docile animals, for example rabbits.

Mousterian Culture

The tools prepared through levallois technology are known as Mousterian tools. They include levallois points, lanceolates (long stone panga). Lanceolates were used for getting food from forests. During this period man discovered better ways of shaping stone. This period is associated with the Homo sapiens (Rhodesian man). This man lived in rock shelters and sometimes in caves. They may have hunted small and docile animals, for example rabbits.

Mousterian tools

Lupemban and the Sangoan tools.
These represent examples of some of the Middle Stone Age traditions in East Africa. The characteristic tools were a range of multi purposes heavy-duty picks and axes known as Lanceolates. They were used for

1. digging
2. cracking
3. scrapping
4. cutting

Their remains have been found at Kabwe (Broken Hill), in Zambia.

Sangoan

This Middle stone Age tradition was characterized by picks and axes made on bifacially flaked cores, the tranchet type of axe, hand axes of developed Acheulean form, massive side scrapers, and many elongated, bifacially flaked points that probably served as lances or spearheads. The Sangoan seems to represent a response to the environmental conditions of a tropical rain-forest.

Lupemban

Industry was derived from and replaced the Sangoan industry, found in forested areas of sub-Saharan Africa. The Lupemban industry is characterized by fairly small, well-shaped tools: chisels, adzes, planes (probably demonstrating intensive woodworking), sidescrapers, and blades. The most characteristic Lupemban tool is an elongated, lanceolate bifacial point often very finely and beautifully flaked

Archaeological sites of Middle Stone Age include;

1. Muguruk near Kisumu
2. Ntuka in Narok
3. Lukenya Hill
4. Sango Bay in Lake Victoria
5. Lantian in China
6. Middle Awash in Ethiopia
7. Border cave in South Africa

The following are archeological sites of middle stone age

Late Stone Age The 3rd stage is the late Stone Age which existed between 70,000 years and 6000 years ago. It is associated with Homo sapien sapiens. It is characterized by use of small stone tools known as Microlithic technology.

Late Stone Age people were effective hunters with capability to kill both large and dangerous animals. They made arrows heads that made hunting easy. Other important characteristics include use of bone as raw material for tools, use of material for body decorations and made painting and art.

Microlithic period This late stone age is associated with tool technology called microlithic which were small, more refined and efficient. These were mainly pebbles hafted on wooden handles. They used wood and stone as materials for making tools.

The Homo sapiens associated with this age were effective hunters (killed both large and dangerous animals).They made arrows that made hunting easy. Hafting (putting handle to a tool) is a major characteristic of the Late stone age. They were abstract in thought (could think beyond immediate needs and plan future activities). Their other characteristics were that they;

1. used bone as raw material for making tools
2. made the fashioning harpoon, an important fishing tool made of bone
3. made necklaces for decoration using beads from ostrich egg shells
4. applied ochre on themselves as body decoration
5. may have roasted meat products
6. made paintings and art on rock faces.
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   this are some of the tools used by early man.