 TEMESGEN BURKA, AAU, Department of History and Heritage Management, Archaeology Unit, POBOX, 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, e-mail:te.falu60@gmail.com
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Temesgen Burka is an Iron Age Archaeologist at Addis Ababa University, Department of History and Heritage Management. Before receiving his first MA degree in Cultural Heritage Management/Museum studies related archaeology, he taught history over a decade in different parts of Ethiopia.
In 2004, he wrote his MA thesis on The Role of Museums and Galleries in Ethiopia: the major focus of the thesis being pinpointing the major obstacles that strangled Ethiopian museums not to play their destined goals. Consequently, he has devoted a chapter, long one on what type of museums are for Ethiopia. In this chapter, he argued for decentralization of all museums including the national museum in order to be able to document and reflect the highly diversified Ethiopian cultural developments in different parts of the country. His major argument basis on the assumption that for the multi-national and ethnic societies such as of Ethiopia, it is impractical to solely depend only on one area of study and institution such as the National Museum of Ethiopia, which has always been under capacity since its foundation.
Then Temesgen decided to widen his archaeological research so as to address particularly craft technology, which for most part is one of the neglected topic of study in Ethiopian academic inquiry. This brought him to the attempt of documentation of indigenous iron smelting technology and its socio-cultural significances among Oromo traditional communities.
This led to his second MA at the University of Bergen (UiB), which he completed in 2006 on the Ethnoarchaeological Study of Iron Smelting in Wollega, West Ethiopia. This was the first attempt by an indeginous Ethiopian archaeologist to record a wealth of indigenous knowledge related to iron production.
After being integrated into university system in 2006, the researcher has carried out additional research activities in West Wollega Zone of Aira-Gulliso district thanks to the fund he could obtain on competitive basis from research grant by SIDA/SAREC/AAU project. Accordingly, in autumn 2007, another ethnoarchaeological research that commissioned old smelters to demonstrate their knowledge for documentation and education of the young has been carried out and is waiting publication. Video and audio were recorded and will be published soon.
Currently, the researcher is preparing a PhD project proposal that would aim at integrating ethnoarchaeology and archaeometallurgy study of Iron Age Archeology in Wollega, Ethiopia.
Temesgen Burka's site is meant to address such issues as those which were not regarded and given space in the Ethiopian archaeological study.
Since this page is new as well as ambitious in order to dessiminate knwledge in areas such as craft technology, it acknowledged if comments and suggestions are sent to the owner at te.falu60@gmail.com
Thanks
In 2004, he wrote his MA thesis on The Role of Museums and Galleries in Ethiopia: the major focus of the thesis being pinpointing the major obstacles that strangled Ethiopian museums not to play their destined goals. Consequently, he has devoted a chapter, long one on what type of museums are for Ethiopia. In this chapter, he argued for decentralization of all museums including the national museum in order to be able to document and reflect the highly diversified Ethiopian cultural developments in different parts of the country. His major argument basis on the assumption that for the multi-national and ethnic societies such as of Ethiopia, it is impractical to solely depend only on one area of study and institution such as the National Museum of Ethiopia, which has always been under capacity since its foundation.
Then Temesgen decided to widen his archaeological research so as to address particularly craft technology, which for most part is one of the neglected topic of study in Ethiopian academic inquiry. This brought him to the attempt of documentation of indigenous iron smelting technology and its socio-cultural significances among Oromo traditional communities.
This led to his second MA at the University of Bergen (UiB), which he completed in 2006 on the Ethnoarchaeological Study of Iron Smelting in Wollega, West Ethiopia. This was the first attempt by an indeginous Ethiopian archaeologist to record a wealth of indigenous knowledge related to iron production.
After being integrated into university system in 2006, the researcher has carried out additional research activities in West Wollega Zone of Aira-Gulliso district thanks to the fund he could obtain on competitive basis from research grant by SIDA/SAREC/AAU project. Accordingly, in autumn 2007, another ethnoarchaeological research that commissioned old smelters to demonstrate their knowledge for documentation and education of the young has been carried out and is waiting publication. Video and audio were recorded and will be published soon.
Currently, the researcher is preparing a PhD project proposal that would aim at integrating ethnoarchaeology and archaeometallurgy study of Iron Age Archeology in Wollega, Ethiopia.
Temesgen Burka's site is meant to address such issues as those which were not regarded and given space in the Ethiopian archaeological study.
Since this page is new as well as ambitious in order to dessiminate knwledge in areas such as craft technology, it acknowledged if comments and suggestions are sent to the owner at te.falu60@gmail.com
Thanks
