The significance of Domboshaba ruins to Bakalanga pre-history

ABEL ABEDNICO MABUSE
Correspondent | Wednesday October 3, 2012 00:00

Even though thousands of Bakalanga congregate near this prehistoric ruin annually, many do not know the exact location, significance and even relevance of this important monument in our understanding of the diverse heritage of Bakalanga. Comprehension of the heritage of Bakalanga requires appreciation of the evolution of the Bakalanga culture that led to the development of Domboshaba and similar stone walled ruins found in parts of Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Mozambique. A large body of archaeological, historic and linguistic data from research conducted in Botswana and adjacent parts of Zimbabwe in the last 100 years elaborates this cultural development.

The origins and development of the Bakalanga people has been subjected to various interpretations in the public realm. The most common understanding is based on oral traditions collected by 20th century missionary writings.

As such, many people do not know, for example, that the origins of the culture of the Bakalanga people can be traced back to AD 1000. More interestingly, this unique culture developed in the same area in which present day Bakalanga people are found. To provide a better understanding of the origins of the culture that resulted in the development of Domboshaba Ruins, I fuse new archaeological evidence and analysis of oral traditions of Bakalanga to provide a holistic picture of the evolution of the Bakalanga culture.

Detailed archaeological study of the so called Iron Age period of Botswana demonstrates that the original Bakalanga population developed from Leopards Kopje farmers around AD 1000 in the Shashe - Limpopo valley.

These people reared cattle and goats and grew crops such as millet, melons and beans. They traded in ivory, furs and feathers with the Indian Ocean coastal region for goods such as glass beads, cotton garments and other ornaments that originated as far as Asia. The majority of these prehistoric Bakalanga villages have been discovered in Botswana in areas close to major rivers such as the Shashe, Motloutse and Tati.

Closer inspection of these villages shows that they were built on terraced hilltops such as the ones found at Nyangabwe Hill and Selolwe Hill in Francistown and Ridinpitwe Hills to the south west of Tobane. A dry stone wall built without the use of mortar was usually built around the dwelling areas.

Within these stone walls, round houses were built using red hardened clay, wooden poles and thatch. The settlement organisation of these homesteads followed a Central Cattle Kraal pattern in which houses formed a circle around a centralised cattle kraal. The majority of these prehistoric cattle kraals are identified by Cenchrus ciliaris grass, mosekangwetsi which grows in them. The villages usually had large granaries which are now visible from stone platforms on which clay, pole and thatch granaries were built for storage of food supplies. By the year AD 1000 some of these people had become quite rich in cattle and had more political control in the area. This led to the formation of small chiefdoms that began to control trade in the Shashe - Limpopo region.

This early Bakalanga chiefdom monopolised trade until around AD 1220 when a new and more powerful kingdom developed around Mapungubwe Hill to the east. There is general consensus that some of the early Bakalanga people living in the lower Shashe Limpopo valley moved towards or became part of this newly formed kingdom.

This led to the sudden demise of Shashe - Limpopo Bakalanga chiefdoms.Mapungubwe KingdomMapungubwe Kingdom is instrumental in our understanding of Domboshaba Ruins. Its development did not only outclass the early Bakalanga chiefdoms in political organisation. It usurped control of trade to the hinterlands linked with the Shashe - Limpopo Rivers from the Leopards Kopje chiefdoms due to two reasons. First of all, its strategic location on the confluence of the Shashe and Limpopo Rivers gave it a direct link with the east coast and the hinterlands from where gold from the Vumba schist near Francistown was obtained.

From this opportune location, copper which was probably exploited from around Thakadu Mine; iron from the Tswapong Hills and ivory, furs and salt from the Makgadikgadi Pans were now brought to a more centralised and therefore more convenient trading centre at Mapungubwe. The second reason revolves around centralised political organisation of Mapungubwe Kingdom itself. This made trading much more convenient at Mapungubwe than at early Bakalanga chiefdoms which were independent from each other. Leading archaeologists on state formation in Southern Africa believe that Mapungubwe was a stratified society in which the ruler lived on top of Mapungubwe Hill. About 5,000 elites surrounded his ruling class while a further 4,000 commoners occupied the valley to form a large and obviously powerful capital.

Due to its cetralised location offering it direct link with the east coast, Mapungubwe flourished quickly. This allowed the development of profitable trade by the ruling families.

This obviously created inequality in political power and indeed wealth between the ruling class and commoners in Mapungubwe. Within a short period of time of about 10 years, Mapungubwe had gained control over an area measuring over 30, 000 kilometres?. Unfortunately, Mapungubwe's supremacy was shortened by loss of trade control to a competing centre on which Great Zimbabwe was finally established.

Studies of climatic data from the area also suggest that a disastrous drought struck Mapungubwe and forced the ordinary population to scatter in pursuit of wetter areas to grow crops and graze their livestock. Although it is not very clear what happened to the ruling class of this kingdom, we know from detailed archaeological research at the centre that Mapungubwe had become a ghost town by AD 1290. Its golden era lasted no more than 50 years.