AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECONNAISSANCE OF PAUWA SETTLEMENT SITES IN KANKARA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF KATSINA STATE, NIGERIA.

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Department of Arts

ABSTRACT
The focus of this research is archaeological reconnaissance of settlement sites at Pauwa, one of the numerous hill settlements occupied by the early inhabitants of Pauwa. The aim is to use archaeology to reconstruct the settlement history of the sites. The research presents the preliminary survey carried out on four identified sites; these include Barebari, Malikawa, Falale and Kurkutawa. The survey was achieved through field walking with a hand-held Global Positioning System. Surface finds and features identified were defensive walls, circular house foundations, dye pits, grinding stones, iron slag and potsherds. Potsherds were collected from the hilltop and on the plain, and were analyzed based on paste characteristics, vessel parts, vessel forms, decorative motif and surface finish. The research adopted historical archaeology as a theoretical framework. Through this, a comprehensive study of historic sites can be achieved. The study is incomplete in some important respects; we have not yet established the relationship of the sites within the hills and the present settlements. This is due to complexities in the oral tradition collected and the limited survey that was done in the sites. Systematic excavation and ethno-archaeological study of the sites need to be carried out in order to understand the settlement history of the area. Despite this limitation, the study find out that the sites serve as important centers of habitation and crafts. This observation however is tentative and more research is needed in explaining the settlement history in Pauwa and Katsina in general.