AWARD
11.29.23
| Photo: Tom Daly |
Dr. Olanrewaju Lasisi, a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Race, Place, and Equity at the University of Virginia School of Architecture was recently awarded a prestigious Field Discovery Award by the Shanghai Archaeology Forum (SAF) in recognition of his doctoral research, Landscapes of Power: Architecture, Ritual, and Astronomy in the Making of the Yoruba World. Focused on the cultural landscape of the Yoruba people in Nigeria’s Ijebu region, Dr. Lasisi delves into how space organization embodies power dynamics, particularly within the Ijebu palace, where architecture, ritual, and astronomy intersect to represent various forms of power.
The Field Discovery Award recognizes archaeological excavations or surveys that have yielded major discoveries significantly furthering or even altering our knowledge of the human past, locally and/or globally. Dr. Lasisi and nine other finalists, selected from a pool of 131 nominated scholars, will formally receive their award and give a research presentation at the 5th Shanghai Archaeology Forum held in December 2023 in Shanghai, China. This year’s event, titled “Archaeology of Climate Change and Cultural Sustainability,” will highlight the SAF Awards program, recognizing individuals and organizations that have achieved distinction through innovative, creative, and rigorous works relating to our human past, and have generated new knowledge that has relevance to the contemporary world and our common future.
| Discovered at a ceremonial site within the Ijebu palace, this is Africa’s first known carved potsherd pavement. Comprising intricately arranged pottery fragments, the pavement serves as both art and functional surface. Dated to the early 15th century, this discovery expands our understanding of pavements beyond household floors, revealing their role as naturalistic art effigies and cartographic maps. Courtesy of Olanrewaju Lasisi. |
| Different pottery decorative motifs from pottery sequence of the Ijebu palatial excavation. Courtesy of Olanrewaju Lasisi. |
In Dr. Lasisi’s investigation of precolonial Yoruba kingdoms in West Africa, he employs indigenous knowledge systems like ritual dramas and oral traditions, and contextualizes material evidence to unveil how ancient societies integrated celestial observations into their terrestrial designs. His discoveries, including the first sundial and intricately carved potsherd pavements in sub-Saharan Africa, challenge conventional interpretations by revealing the multifaceted functions of these pavements as calendrical tools, art pieces, and maps. Departing from traditional archaeological methods, he embraces indigenous hermeneutics, using observations of ritual movements to uncover hidden insights, leading to the creation of the term “architecture of ritual movements.” Additionally, Dr. Lasisi’s efforts in museum curation and ethical considerations for artifact collections has contributed to preserving cultural heritage and fostering sustainability within the Ijebu museum.
The Shanghai Archaeology Forum is organized and administrated by the Research Center for World Archaeology (RCWA) at Shanghai Academy which is under the auspices of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and the Shanghai Municipal Government.
Read more from the University of Virginia News
OLANREWAJU LASISI 