Faculty of Science
School of Geography,Archaeolgy and Enviromental Studies
9408209v
brandoornum@nmsa.org.za / While the Iron Age sequence of the Shashe-Limpopo region of Limpopo Province
has been the subject of much research in the past, little is known about the huntergatherer
sequence of the area. I begin to address this lack through the description of
three new hunter-gatherer sites: Tshisiku Shelter, Balerno Main Shelter and Balerno
Shelter 2. I examine how hunter-gatherer spaces, places and identity changed with
the movement of different groups of farmers (including Zhizo, K2 and Mapungubwe
period farmers) into the Shashe-Limpopo region over the last 2000 years. I also
investigate how hunter-gatherer / farmer proximity impacted on interaction, and
what social structures, boundaries, and constructed identities underlie interaction in
the region.
The pre-contact and contact periods are compared in order to determine whether
changes in the hunter-gatherer sequence were due to the arrival, and continued
presence, of farmers. Ethnographic and archaeological interaction case studies are
used to construct a model of interaction for the Shashe-Limpopo.
Based on data from Tshisiku Shelter, Balerno Main Shelter, Balerno Shelters 2 and
3, and Little Muck Shelter, a new sequence is proposed for hunter-gatherer
occupation in the Shashe-Limpopo region:
· An early pre-contact phase (11 120 – 10 890 BC; 6000 – 1220 BC)
· A late pre-contact phase (1220 BC - AD 100)
· An early contact phase (AD 100 – AD 900)
· A late contact phase divided into two periods:
- The Zhizo period (AD 900 – AD 1000 / 1200)
- The K2 / Mapungubwe period (AD 1000 – AD 1300)
Finally, a late second millennium phase of Late Iron Age farmer utilisation of
hunter- gatherer sites occurs in the recent past (AD 1600 – AD 1900).
iv
My research suggests that:
· A hunter-gatherer presence occurs significantly earlier in the region than
initially hypothesised.
· Differences in farmer social structure and identity play a role in how farmers
interact with hunter-gatherers, and vice versa.
· Finally, due to the differences between farmer groups and decreasing space
on the landscape, a range of hunter-gatherer reactions to the presence of
farmers occurred throughout the last two millennia in the Shashe-Limpopo
region.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/1801 |
| Date | 16 November 2006 |
| Creators | Van Doornum, Bronwen Louelle |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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