What the study found
The study found that marine subsistence in Mfumbwi was shaped by both seasonality and gendered patterns of behavior. Seasonal changes linked to Zanzibar’s wet-dry monsoonal climate affected men and women differently, and the species harvested also differed by gender.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors conclude that these patterns matter for current conservation and cultural heritage management efforts. The study also suggests the findings are relevant for archaeological interpretation of maritime subsistence on the Swahili coast and in other parts of the Indian Ocean World.
What the researchers tested
The researchers examined how seasonality and gender influenced the marine subsistence record of Mfumbwi, a village in Jambiani, Zanzibar Island. They used an ethnographic maritime subsistence dataset called MS-1819, collected between June 2018 and June 2019.
What worked and what didn't
The study reports that seasonality intersected with local gender ideologies in ways that affected men and women differently. It also reports that the roster of marine species harvested varied between men and women, likely reflecting different ecozones frequented by each gender. The authors add that the seasonal availability or accessibility of some taxa may also have been influenced by the behavior of individual species, and that biological and cultural variables may have skewed the data as it was collected.
What to keep in mind
The abstract notes that several biological and cultural variables may have affected the dataset. It also says the study is based on one community and one year of ethnographic data, so its scope is limited to that context.
Key points
- Seasonal monsoonal change affected marine subsistence patterns in Mfumbwi.
- Men and women harvested different marine species, likely because they frequented different ecozones.
- The availability or accessibility of some taxa may also have depended on species behavior.
- The study is based on an ethnographic dataset collected from June 2018 to June 2019.
- The authors link the findings to archaeology, conservation, and cultural heritage management.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Seasonal and gendered patterns shaped marine subsistence in Mfumbwi
- Authors:
- Akshay Sarathi, Patrick Faulkner, Benjamin J. Linzmeier, Abdallah K. Ali, H. Othman, Ally Ussi
- Institutions:
- American University of Sharjah, Arkansas Museum of Discovery, Arkansas Museum of Discovery, Arkansas Museum of Discovery, Department of Archaeology, University of South Alabama
- Publication date:
- 2026-01-29
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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