Thulamela - the name means “giving birth” in Shona - was the political capital of an Iron Age kingdom, and the place evokes a powerful sense of ancient Africa.
Ancient Beginnings
People first started settling along the banks of the Limpopo River, further north, from as early as 200 AD. It would have been hotter then, and wetter. The tsetse fly was in abeyance; and the Limpopo flowed constantly. These favourable conditions attracted Bantu-speaking Nguni people who moved down from Zimbabwe and settled along rivers like the Limpopo, Shashe, Shingwedzi, Letaba and Luvuvhu.
The major settlement along the Limpopo was Mapungubwe, centre of the largest Iron Age kingdom in the sub-continent, where a highly sophisticated people traded gold and ivory with China, India and Egypt. Today you can walk among the almost untouched remains of palace sites, as well as a settlement site and 2 earlier capital sites, each offering an extraordinary picture of social development over 400 years. When Thulamela was built some 200 years later, it was allied to Mapungubwe.
Elephant Highway
Thulamela overlooks an elephant highway that ran from the Indian Ocean in the east, westwards towards the Okavango. The rulers here at Thulamela controlled a far-reaching trade network between Mozambique and the South African interior. The people of Thulamela were skilled goldsmiths and they traded gold and ivory for glass beads, cloths, ceramics and corn, with traders who came from north of the Limpopo - what is today Mozambique. There is also evidence they had contact with people from West Africa.
African Architecture
The architecture here is purely African, and the people who lived here were evidently disciplined. There is a central royal enclosure that would have accommodated a 1000 people or so, amongst them the chief or king and his family. Beyond the walled citadel, the hillsides are peppered with ancient stone walls and houses that show that as many as 2 000 people may have lived here.
Storytelling Tours
There are guided tours of Thulamela available twice a day (with a maximum of 15 persons per tour). Skilled storytellers bring to life the workings and lore of this fascinating ancient culture. Bookings and payment may be made at Sirheni bushveld camp, Shingwedzi and Punda Maria rest camps, and Pafuri gate. The Pafuri picnic site is en route to Thulamela. Shaded by tall and majestic anna trees, this picnic site is a popular stop over for visitors, and has a display on the history and archaeology of Thulamela.
Losha and the Leopard
Thulamela was “discovered” by a park ranger in 1991 and much of the original site has been restored. Some years ago archaeologists excavated the tombs of an African king and queen who ruled here during the sixteenth century. According to one account:
‘Analysis of the king’s skeleton indicate that he was probably murdered – stabbed through the stomach in approximately 1640 – and that Thulamela was abandoned shortly afterwards’.
The king was dubbed King Ingwe – meaning leopard, because on the day his grave was found, the excavators returned to their vehicle to find a male leopard walking along the road. The queen was named Queen Losha - because she was buried with her hands placed under her cheeks in a position of great respect known as losha. On the day her grave was found, the excavators returned to their vehicle, which was parked in the same place, and they saw the same male leopard walking along the road, this time with his female companion.
Human Greatness
The spirit behind the reconstruction and preservation of Thulamela has been a very important one. Although the ruins are set on state-owned land within the Kruger National Park, extensive community consultation occurred in the course of the reconstruction of the site. These negotiations were unique because they involved the reburial of human skeletal remains, and because they resulted in an innovative open-air museum that is a tribute to historical human greatness. Few people who visit Thulamela remain unmoved by the power and history of what they have seen.
Links: