Paper short abstract:

This paper examines the political ontology of heritage conservation at the Tsodilo Hills, Botswana: a state ontology of nation-building and national unity, an international heritagization ontology, an international ontology of development, and Indigenous ontologies of cultural preservation.

Paper long abstract:

Like the “fortress model” of nature conservation that arose during the colonial period of Southern Africa, certain archaeological sites and landscapes in this region were also depopulated to protect cultural heritage. One case is the Tsodilo Hills in Botswana, which was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. In preparation for this designation, the government relocated two small communities and fenced off the hills, in which hundreds of rock art panels and numerous archaeological sites dating back to the Middle Stone Age are located. This paper examines the political ontology of heritage conservation at Tsodilo, specifically a state ontology of nation-building and national unity, an international heritagization ontology, an international ontology of development, and Indigenous ontologies of cultural preservation. It addresses the participation of the communities in tourism development programs during increasingly restrictive conservation measures, and it highlights the potential of integrating their Indigenous ontologies into future conservation policies and practices.