Serengeti General Management Plan
Serengeti General Management Plan
Serengeti General Management Plan
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Cultural<br />
National and World Heritage status<br />
B. Park Values & Purpose<br />
The <strong>Serengeti</strong> National Park was one of the first areas to be gazetted as a World Heritage<br />
Site by UNESCO in 1972, based on the range of Exceptional Resource Values described in<br />
this section. In 1981 SENAPA, together with the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, became a<br />
UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1981; one of the world’s largest.<br />
Traditional cultural sites<br />
The <strong>Serengeti</strong> is home to a diversity of cultures, as reflected in the existence of four major<br />
language groups within the ecosystem: Bantu (Sukuma farmers), Nilotic (Maasai and Kuria<br />
pastoralists), Cushitic (Iraqw agriculturalists) and Khoisan (Hadzabe hunter-gatherers). Although<br />
the Maasai are no longer allowed to graze their cattle in the <strong>Serengeti</strong> National Park,<br />
they have inhabited the area since the 17th Century. Evidence of this can be seen at the<br />
Moru Kopjes with their well-preserved Maasai rock paintings. The Moru Kopjes are also the<br />
site of the famous Gong Rock, which makes a deep sound when struck and was used by<br />
Maasai to summon tribal members for ceremonies (see Figure B.4 below). To the west of the<br />
Park at Handajega there are also a number of reported traditional worship sites.<br />
Figure B.4: Gong Rock and Maasai rock paintings at Moru Kopjes<br />
Stone Age heritage<br />
The <strong>Serengeti</strong> Plains have been critical to the unravelling of human origins, with notable discoveries<br />
such as the unearthing of the hominoid skull Australopithecus ("Zinjanthropus")<br />
boisei in the Olduvai Gorge and the early hominid footprints at Laetoli on the SE border of<br />
the Park.<br />
Within the Park itself, there are important Middle Stone Age sites at Seronera and Ichumbe<br />
Kopje near the Nyamara River. Current archaeological research in the Park is focusing on<br />
Middle Stone Age artefacts and faunal remains in the alluvial deposits of the Loiyangalani<br />
River. Archaeological samples recovered through test excavations have indicated a high potential<br />
for shedding light on key issues in human evolution. For example, the stone tools can<br />
reveal the technological and predatory competence of the humans who made them.<br />
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