Nicholas David

Abstract

In 1953 René Gardi photographed, sketched and briefly described the functioning of bloomery furnaces of the Teleki, a small ethno-linguistic group in the Mandara mountains in North Cameroon. Internal evidence and new data on smelting practices in this region suggest that Gardi’s sketch and description are inaccurate. Using Gardi’s diary, it is argued here that the circumstances of his visit precluded a well-grounded assessment of bloomery techniques, and that Teleki furnaces could not have worked in the way he suggests. Comparative data is presented, gathered among the Bana, who live 20km from the Teleki. These indicate that a previously unrecognized slag-releasing type of furnace was common to both groups. Of the three known montagnard furnace types the Teleki-Banan is the most sophisticated—both specialized in the production and export of iron.

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Keywords
References
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How to Cite
Identification of a slag-draining bloomery furnace in the Mandara Mountains (Cameroon). (2021). Historical Metallurgy, 44(1), 36-47. https://hmsjournal.org/index.php/home/article/view/160
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