Lives of Stone Tools: Crafting the Status, Skill, and Identity of Flintknappers

The Lives of Stone Tools by Kathryn Weedman Arthur offers insights into the Indigenous Gamo lithic practitioners of southern Ethiopia, challenging Western perspectives on gender, skill, and the lifeless status of nonorganic matter. It presents a world where stone tools are living beings with a life course and lithic technology is a reproductive process that should ideally include both male and female participation. The book is a work of vital importance, as it may be one of the last contemporaneous books about a population that engages with the craft daily.

Format: Hardback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 30 April 2018
Publisher: University of Arizona Press

The Lives of Stone Tools: Indigenous Lithic Practitioners of Southern Ethiopia
Anthropologist Kathryn Weedman Arthur's book, The Lives of Stone Tools, provides a unique and insightful perspective on the lives of stone tools and the Indigenous Gamo lithic practitioners of southern Ethiopia. Through her more than twenty years of work with the Gamo, Arthur offers a rich and detailed look into the world of lithic technology, challenging Western perspectives on gender, skill, and the lifeless status of nonorganic matter.
One of the key themes of the book is that stone tools are living beings with a life course. According to Arthur, lithic technology is a reproductive process that should ideally include both male and female participation. Status as a skilled knapper is acquired through incremental guided instruction parallel with one's own maturation in life. Only individuals of particular lineages knowledgeable in the lives of stones may work with the stone technology whose lives parallel those of their human knappers from birth (procurement), circumcision (knapping), maturation (use), seclusion (storage), and death (discardment).
Given current expectations that the Gamo's lithic technology may disappear with the next generation, The Lives of Stone Tools is a work of vital importance and possibly one of the last contemporaneous books about a population that engages with the craft daily.
The book begins with a brief overview of the Gamo's history and culture, including their traditional practices of stone tool use and their relationship with the land. Arthur then delves into the technical aspects of stone tool production, including the different types of stone used, the techniques used to shape and refine the stone, and the tools used to work with the stone.
One of the most interesting aspects of the book is Arthur's exploration of the Gamo's theories of material culture. She argues that the Gamo's theories of material culture are valid alternatives to academic theories and that they offer a more holistic and nuanced understanding of the world. Arthur provides numerous examples of how the Gamo's theories have been applied in practical situations, such as in the design of tools and the management of natural resources.
Throughout the book, Arthur emphasizes the importance of respecting the Gamo's cultural heritage and the importance of working with the Gamo to preserve their lithic technology. She provides numerous examples of how the Gamo's lithic technology has been threatened by development, pollution, and other factors, and she calls for action to be taken to protect it.
One of the challenges that Arthur faces in her work is the fact that the Gamo's lithic technology is highly specialized and requires a great deal of training and expertise. Many of the Gamo's tools are unique and cannot be found anywhere else in the world, and they are often passed down from generation to generation. This makes it difficult for outsiders to learn about the Gamo's lithic technology and to work with it.
Despite these challenges, Arthur has been successful in her work with the Gamo. She has trained many Gamo lithic practitioners and has helped to preserve their lithic technology. She has also published numerous articles and books about the Gamo's lithic technology, and she has worked with international organizations to promote the preservation of lithic technology worldwide.
In conclusion, The Lives of Stone Tools is a fascinating and important book that provides a unique and insightful perspective on the lives of stone tools and the Indigenous Gamo lithic practitioners of southern Ethiopia. Through her more than twenty years of work with the Gamo, Arthur offers a rich and detailed look into the world of lithic technology, challenging Western perspectives on gender, skill, and the lifeless status of nonorganic matter. The book is a work of vital importance and possibly one of the last contemporaneous books about a population that engages with the craft daily.

Weight: 588g
Dimension: 162 x 237 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780816537136