Somaliland:Buried Histories, Living Peace: The Intellectual Legacy in the Horn of Africa
Dr. Sada Mire’s *Archaeology of Peace* framework, developed over two decades of research in Somaliland and Ethiopia, argues that sustainable peace is a materially inscribed and ritually reinforced system with deep historical roots. The National Geographic Society-funded *NAGI project* (2023–present) applies two original methodologies—the *Knowledge-Centered Approach* and *Ritual Set*—to study ancient peace practices, challenging conventional conflict-focused archaeology and offering insights for post-colonial heritage management and modern peace-building policies.
Dr. Sada Mire, a Somali-Swedish scholar, has pioneered the *Archaeology of Peace*, a field that examines sustainable peace as a material and ritualized system rooted in the Horn of Africa. Her work, spanning two decades of fieldwork in Somaliland and Ethiopia, challenges the dominant focus on conflict archaeology by demonstrating that peace—defined as sacred fertility and social cohesion—was maintained through specific landscapes, rituals, and governance structures for centuries before recent conflicts. Mire’s personal history, including displacement during Somalia’s civil war, informs her approach, which integrates indigenous knowledge with Western academic traditions. The *Knowledge-Centered Approach*, introduced in Mire’s 2007 research, shifts focus from physical artifacts to the knowledge, skills, and memories embedded in landscapes, addressing past failures of colonial-era archaeology that ignored local perspectives. The *Ritual Set methodology* complements this by analyzing how rituals and material practices reinforced peace, such as through sacred landscapes and medieval settlements. Both frameworks aim to decolonize heritage studies by centering indigenous governance systems and oral traditions. The *NAGI project*, funded by the National Geographic Society since 2023, is the first global initiative to systematically document ancient peace practices. It builds on Mire’s earlier work, which identified rock art, sacred sites, and governance structures as evidence of long-term peace in the region. Case studies from Somaliland and Ethiopia reveal how these systems functioned, offering lessons for contemporary conflict resolution and post-colonial archaeology. Critically, Mire’s research highlights how the Horn of Africa maintained stability for 400 years before descending into conflict, attributing this shift to the erosion of traditional governance and ritual practices. The *Archaeology of Peace* provides a counter-narrative to the assumption that conflict is the default state, instead framing peace as an actively constructed and sustained system. Policy implications include integrating indigenous heritage management into modern peace-building efforts and re-evaluating how archaeology can support sustainable governance. By bridging academic theory and local knowledge, Mire’s work redefines heritage preservation and peace studies. The *NAGI project* continues this mission, documenting sites across Africa and beyond to preserve the material and intangible legacies of ancient peace systems. This approach not only challenges colonial-era archaeological methods but also offers practical tools for communities seeking to rebuild stability through cultural continuity.
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