Page 86 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 13(1) (2025)

independence placed a huge responsibility on form of archaeological practice in the coun-
the new government to bring development to the try. For instance, more than 200 contracts have
country, especially to parts that were previously been completed by one firm, Quaternary Re-
disadvantaged by the apartheid policy of Sepa- search Services (QRS) to date (Kinahan 2013,
rate Development, which was adopted for Na- 2). The National Heritage Council of Namibia
mibia as a result of the Commission of Enquiry maintains a database of individuals and compa-
into South West Africa Affairs 1962–1963, collo- nies who are approved and can be contracted to
1
quially known as the ‘Odendaal Plan’. This poli- conduct archaeological and heritage impact as-
cy resulted in gross inequalities related to the de- sessment. This database includes staff from the
velopment of the Bantustans compared to that University of Namibia. Given the prominence
of the police zone area (Frayne 2000, 54). The of contract archaeology in Namibia and the rap-
adoption of market capitalism by the post-inde- id growth of the industry, as demonstrated by
86 pendence government facilitated the growth of the plethora of individuals and institutions who
a small industry of archaeological service provi- have entered the commercial archaeology space
sions. Private individuals could supply services in the last decade, it is critical to evaluate the his-
studia universitatis hereditati, letnik 13 (2025), številka 1 / volume 13 (2025), number 1
in response to the demand that was initiated by tory of contract archaeology in Namibia. This
the requirements of large-scale development pro- paper, therefore, critically examines how con-
jects such as dam construction for power gener- tract archaeology is organised, administered and
ation and uranium mining during the uranium practiced in Namibia.
rush of the 1990s, where specialist reports were
required as part of the environmental impact Methodology
assessment. This study employed a qualitative and interpre-
Since the mid-1990s, contract archaeolo- tive approach, drawing upon historical analysis
gy has been one of the most consistently prac- and policy review to examine the evolution of
ticed forms of archaeology in Namibia, in part contract archaeology in Namibia. The method-
because Namibian society has not substantial- ology is structured around three core research
ly cultivated the conditions for valorisation of strategies: document analysis, policy review, and
archaeology as a scholarly practice. The conse- thematic interpretation.
quence of this is that scholars conduct research The first approach involved the systemat-
in the service of commerce. Under these circum- ic analysis of primary and secondary historical
stances, the practice of archaeology is subordi- documents. These included colonial and post-in-
nated to a commercial interest whereby it pre- dependence archival materials, government re-
pares the ground for commercial development. ports, archaeological consultancy reports, and
Contract archaeology was extensively prac- academic publications. The documents were
ticed in the mining sector such that it became sourced from the National Archives, National
a very prominent and distinct approach to gain- Museum of Namibia, National Heritage Coun-
ing knowledge in archaeology. The high preva- cil, online repositories, and publicly accessible
lence of contract archaeology projects has gener- consultancy reports. Emphasis was placed on
ated a huge body of grey literature that will one identifying key moments that influenced the in-
day be useful for analysing and understanding stitutionalisation and professionalisation of con-
the environmental and cultural past of Namib- tract archaeology, particularly after the attain-
ia. Contract archaeology has been comprehen- ment of Namibia’s independence in 1990.
sively and consistently practiced to the extent This was followed by an in-depth analy-
that it can be regarded as the most conspicuous sis of key Namibian legislation and national
1 The Commission of Enquiry into South West Africa Affairs 1962–1963, colloquially known as the ‘Odendaal Plan, Government
of the Republic of South Africa (1963).