West African hunter-gatherers

West African hunter-gatherers,^[1] West African foragers,^[2] or West African pygmies^[3] dwelled in western Central Africa earlier than 32,000 BP^[4] and dwelled in West Africa between 16,000 BP and 12,000 BP^[5] until as late as 1000 BP^[1] or some period of time after 1500 CE.^[6] West African hunter-gatherers are archaeologically associated with the West African Microlithic Technocomplex.^[4] Despite its significance in the prehistory of West Africa, the peopling of various parts of Western Africa from the Sub-Saharan regions of coastal West Africa and the forests of western Central Africa often goes overlooked.^[7]

Prior to West African hunter-gatherers, there may have been various peoples (e.g., Iwo Eleru people, possibly Aterians) who continuously occupied West Africa amid the Middle Stone Age.^[8] Macrolith-using late Middle Stone Age peoples (e.g., the possibly archaic human admixed^[9] or late-persisting early modern human^[10] Iwo Eleru fossils of the late Middle Stone Age), who dwelled in Central Africa, western Central Africa, and West Africa, were displaced by microlith-using Late Stone Age Africans (e.g., non-archaic human admixed Late Stone Age Shum Laka fossils dated between 7000 BP and 3000 BP) as they migrated from Central Africa, to western Central Africa, into West Africa.^[9] Earlier than 32,000 BP,^[4] or by 30,000 BP,^[5][7] Late Stone Age West African hunter-gatherers were dwelling in the forests of western Central Africa^[7][5] (e.g., earlier than 32,000 BP at de Maret in Shum Laka,^[4] 12,000 BP at Mbi Crater).^[7] Between 16,000 BP and 12,000 BP, Late Stone Age West Africans began dwelling in the eastern and central forested regions (e.g., Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria;^[5] between 18,000 BP and 13,000 BP at Temet West and Asokrochona in the southern region of Ghana, 13,050 ± 230 BP at Bingerville in the southern region of Ivory Coast, 11,200 ± 200 BP at Iwo Eleru in Nigeria)^[7] of West Africa.^[5] West African hunter-gatherers resided at the Nigerian sites of Iwo Eleru and Rop, at the Ivorian site of Bingerville, at the Cameroonian site of Shum Laka, at the Malian site of Ounjougou,^[11] and at the Senegalese sites of Fatandi and Toumboura.^[12]

Prior to the Holocene era, interaction between West Africans migrating from the Sahara and West African hunter-gatherers of the savanna and forest regions were limited, as evidenced by West African hunter-gatherer microlithic cultural continuity.^[13] West African hunter-gatherers likely were the sole occupants of the savanna and forest regions of West Africa.^[13] Unlike Central African hunter-gatherers, who dwell in more secluded areas in the forests of Central Africa, West African hunter-gatherers likely dwelt in more open areas of West Africa.^[13] Migration of Saharan peoples south of the Sahelian region resulted in seasonal interaction and gradual absorption of West African hunter-gatherers, who primarily dwelt in the savannas and forests of West Africa.^[1] After having persisted as late as 1000 BP,^[1] or some period of time after 1500 CE,^[6] remaining West African hunter-gatherers, many of whom dwelt in the forest-savanna region, were ultimately acculturated and admixed into larger groups of West African agriculturalists, akin to the migratory Bantu-speaking agriculturalists and their encounters with Central African hunter-gatherers.^[1]