THE KWAZULU-NATAL MUSEUM WELCOMES A VISITING RESEARCHER FROM YALE UNIVERSITY

Kefilwe Rammutloa, a PhD candidate at Yale University, joined the Department of Human Sciences in mid-April, 2021. Kefilwe completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Pretoria before undertaking a Masters degree in Archaeology at Yale University; her dissertation focused on the clay tobacco pipes from Djenné-Djenno, the world-famous UNESCO World Heritage site in Mali. Kefilwe has also been an exchange student at Uppsala University in Sweden. She has extensive archaeological field experience and loves hiking. For her PhD, she will be investigating the Early Iron Age of KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa and she will be based at the museum for a period of six to twelve months over the course of 2021 and 2022.

Hamba Kahle Ndabezitha

Today, as we say farewell to King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu, we remember him and the line of Zulu Kings who came before him. We remember the great deeds of uShaka kaSenzangakhona and the civil strife between his half-brothers, Dingane kaSenzangakhona and Mpande kaSenzangakhona. We remember the poignant defiance of British Imperialism by Cetshwayo kaMpande. We remember the Bambatha Rebellion and the unjust treatment of Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo. We remember the role of Solomon Nkayishana ka Dinuzulu in the founding of Inkatha kaZulu as an organization to fight against the Native Affairs Bill of 1920. We remember Nyangayezizwe Cyprian Bhekuzulu kaNkayishana, the father of King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu. We remember King Zwelithini for his unwavering support of the KwaZulu-Natal Museum, his efforts in developing the youth, and his emphasis on the importance of tradition and heritage. The throne is empty for now. Hambe Kahle Ndabezitha!

Image: The chair of King Cetshwayo in the History Collection of the KwaZulu-Natal Museum Human Science Department. Photo taken by Chiara Singh 2021

Fieldwork in the Groot Winterhoek Mountains, Eastern Cape Province

Dr Ghilraen Laue of the Human Sciences Department at the KZN Museum recently conducted a two-week field trip to the Groot Winterhoek mountains and surrounding areas in the southern Cape where she is working, expanding on her PhD research. A total of 17 rock art sites were recorded, 16 of which were previously undocumented. Sites were photographed and sketched and selected images from four sites were traced. Some of the sites were small, little more than an overhang with fewer than twenty images while other larger sites had images numbering over a hundred.

The rugged and steep terrain, oftentimes with no paths, makes walking hard but any difficulties encountered are eclipsed by the excitement of seeing a new site. Some of the more inaccessible sites require overnight stays in the shelters, which has the added benefit of allowing the art to be viewed in varying light conditions.

Among the many exciting discoveries made, were therianthropic (part-human/part- animal figures) images, that were modelled on swifts (Apus sp.). The furthermost eastern extent of these images was documented by Jeremy Hollmann, formerly of the KZN Museum, as being close to the town of Joubertina. Laue’s work extends this limit over 150 km eastwards. The image on the right has been enhanced using Decorrelation Stretch, a software algorithm, developed by NASA to separate bands of the spectrum to highlight and/or supress certain bands, allowing for clarity of form to be seen in rock art.