Thulamela
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Thulamela | |
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Type | Cultural |
Location | Kruger National Park |
Coordinates | 22°26′00″S 31°11′51″E / 22.43333°S 31.19750°E |
Thulamela is the most dramatic of around 300 archaeological sites identified in Kruger National Park. It is located on heights south of the Levubu River offering a panoramic view. Sidney Miller led excavations from December 1993 to July 1995,[1] and the site has also been partially reconstructed.
The opening of the rebuilt Thulamela was attended by a hundred guests, including then
The Makahane, a subtribe of the Vhalembeth branch of the
The graves of a 16th-century king and queen were unearthed in the 1990s excavations. Archaeologists named them King Ingwe and Queen Losha, and their castle was estimated to house 1,000 people.[1] Dwellings along the ruined walls on the hillsides beyond could regularly have housed 2,000.
Similar village ruins can be found in the Mateke Hills on the other side of the Limpopo River in Zimbabwe. The Makahane Cliffs can be found in the same area of Kruger National Park, northeast of the Punda Maria Gate near the Levubu, and was also a Vhalembethu settlement.
The families of the Kingdom Thulamela:
- Makahane — also known as Shagala, Nephawe, Mataji (Matandze)
- Pafuri — known as Makushu (Makush)
- Maphaha Xikumbu (Xikumbu) — son of Thonga Tshilimandila in Phalaborwa.
- Shilowa or Selowa — also known as Machete, Mmopa, Mushiana, Vudogwe, Mbwashishi, Senyolo or Vhadau Vha Damani
Visitors to the park can book tours from Punda Maria Camp up to Thulamela.
See also
- Great Zimbabwe
- Kingdom of Mapungubwe
- Makuleke tribe
- Shingwedzi
Sources
- Miller, Sidney Mears (2018). Thulamela: The Lost Gold of the Vha Venda.
References
- ^ JSTOR 3889182.
- ^ "Thulamela". Luonde, VhaVenda history.
- ^ "Thulamela". Kruger National Park.
External links
- Site by Thulamela , at SAHRA