The Matabele Village Which Eluded History (Part One)

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Periodical article

Title:	The Matabele Village Which Eluded History (Part One)
Author:	Pistorius, Julius C.C.
Year:	1997
Periodical:	South African Journal of Ethnology
Volume:	20
Issue:	1
Period:	March
Pages:	26-38
Language:	English
Geographic term:	South Africa
Subjects:	Ndebele (South Africa) archaeology villages Anthropology and Archaeology Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups) History and Exploration
Abstract:	Expeditions travelling along the Magaliesberg in the Bankeveld, South Africa, in the early 19th century mentioned seeing a Matabele town north of the Cashan Mountains, near Rustenburg. This town, of which the existence has until now eluded historians, was discovered during a recent archaeological survey. The first of the two articles devoted to this town outlines the historical and archaeological evidence for Tswana spheres of influence in the Bankeveld before the arrival of the Matabele in August 1827 and evaluates the accounts of various 19th-century travellers who journeyed in the area. The second article demonstrates the Nguni/Matabele identity of the town and explains its settlement pattern, spatial features, and social composition by comparing the archaeological data with historical and ethnographic evidence of other Nguni/Matabele settlements in Natal, the Bankeveld and Zimbabwe. The evidence shows that the Matabele village consisted of residential units, military kraals, guard posts, and iron working sites and that it fulfilled a strategic function. Bibliogr., sum. in Afrikaans and English.