Masungulo ya Mabaku ya Sterkfontein

Palaeontological Icon

©Jacques Marais

Loko yinga seva Palaeontological icon leyi tivekaka misava hinkwayo, mabaku yale Sterkfontein aya tshamile ya funengetiwile naswona yanga tiviwi hi munhu, ya tumberile ehansi ka misava e purasini ra Swartkrans e nambyeni wa Bloukrans endzhawini ya Cradle of Humankind. Hinkarhi walowo, akungari na nchumu xaku unga byela vanhu hi xona hi ndzhawu leyi ehandle ka van’wamapurasi na mintlhambi ya vona. Kambe swilo aswi lava ku cincela makumu hikuva akuri na nsuku eka swintshabyani swalekusuhi.
Swiviko swotshembheka swosungula swa nsuku e Witwatersrand swive kona hi lembe ra 1852 loko mutivi wa timinerali wale Britain loyi a tivekaka tani hi John Henry Davis atava a vike leswi aswikumeke e purasini ra Paardekraal (leyinga hetelela yive Krugersdorp kutani yi cinciwa kuva Mogale City). Lembe leri tlhandlamaka, Pieter Jacob Marais (mulavi wosungula wa ximfumo wa nsuku e tikweni ra Afrika Dzonga) nayena u kume nsuku emilambyeni ya Jukskei na Crocodile leyinga en’walungwini wa Joburg. Kambe akuna loyi anga kuma nsuku lowu awuri ehansi swinene ka misava, hikuva vutivi bya manguva lawa abyi vula leswaku nsuku wukumeka emilambyeni.
Hi 1874, Henry Lewis nayena u kumile nsuku etibuweni ta nambu wa Blaaubank kusuhi nalaha sweswi kunga doroba ra Magaliesberg kutani khamphani ya Nil Desperandum Co-operative Quartz Company yivuye yi vonaka – khamphani yosungula yo cela mugodi wa mayini kuva yitirha e Witwatersrand. Kutani hi, 1881, ku kumekile muhocho wuntsongo lowunga kumeka e Kromdraai eka Cradle, kutani endzhaku ka malembe nyana, kusimekiwile Kromdraai Gold Mining Company naswona xiphemu xa purasi xi endliwa ndzhawu leyi kungata ceriwa mugodi hi vaaki.

Main Reef

©David Fleminger

Hi 1886, se aku kumekile muhocho wa Main Reef had naswona nhlayo ya nsuku lowu humaka e Blaaubank nale Kromdraai awunga languteki wu hakeleka naswona, hi 1912, ku cela nsuku e mugodini eka Cradle se aswi yimisiwile hi 1912. Namuntlha, hinkwayo migodi ya nsuku ya Blaaubank na Kromdraai yipfuleriwe ntshungu naswona yinga vhakeriwa.
Kambe ku cela mugodi swiyile emahlweni kuva na xiave eka Cradle hikuva, hambi maribye ayangari na nsuku, ayari na swin’wana leswi aswi laviwa hi tikhamphani letikulu ta mayini e Witwatersrand: lime.
Misava yotiyela swinene ya alkaline, lime ayi tirhisiwa eka ku endla semende, naswona eka ma endlelo yo humesa nsuku ya MacArthur-Forrest gold extraction, laha avakota ku hunguta matimba ya cyanide acid yotiya leyi ayi tirhisiwa ku humesa swiribyani swohlawuleka swa nsuku eka maribye lawa ayari na nsuku ya conglomerate.
Hinkateko, mabaku yotala eka ndzhawu liya ya Cradle aayi na nhlayo yotala swinene ya limestone, leyi ayita hisiwa eka ti kilns kuva tihumesa lime leyinga endliwangiki nchumu ya timayini. Leswi swinyike ndzhawu liya nkarhi wa vumbhirhi waku humelela, naswona siku rin’we hi 1896, mutirhi wa lime loyi vange i Guglielmo Martinaglia u bulusile ku pfuleka nyangwa lowu awufana na baku leri ari vitaniwa Kromdraai.

Mabaku ya Kromdraai

©Roger de la Harpe

Eka malembe lawa yotala yanga landzela, mabaku ya Kromdraai (lawa yanga cinca yava Sterkfontein) xikan’we na yanwana mabaku endzhawini liya aya ceriwa kulaviwa limestone. Swiphemu swikulu swa maribye aswi fayeleriwa ehandle ka mabaku kutani swihisiwa eka ti lime kilns, leswi aswi herisa ti fossils totala ta nkoka eka ntirho walowo. Munhu wosungula ku alela maendlelo lawa akuri geologist ya matimba David Draper, loyi anga vula leswaku mabaku ya Kromdraai ayari na nkoka eka swa geology naswona ya fanele ku sirheleriwa eka vaceli va mugodi.
Hi khensa kuva swinga welangi eka tindleve letinga fa naswona ku bulusiwa ka maribye swiyimisiwile eka chamber leyikulu ya Sterkfontein ku sirhelela mabaku lawa na tiva leringa ehansi ka misava. Hambiswiritano, migingiriko ya mayini yiyile emahlweni eka tindzhawu tinwana ku ringana malembe lawotala. Namuntlha, loko u vhakela mabaku lawa, uta vona maribye yati stalactites lawa yanga handza handziwa hi vaceri va lime va malembe lawa hundzeke.

Ku Ceriwa koka Kungari e Nawini ka Archaeology

Hambi loko migingiriko ya mayini yahaya emahlweni, vanhu ava sungule kuvona ti fossils leti ati huma eka mabaku lawa naswona n’wini wa ndzhawu leyi, Mr. Cooper, a pfule na xivhengelani xintsongo laha a xavisa ti crumpets, guano nati fossils eka vapfhumba. Hi 1935, Trevor Jones ukume ti fossils leti tsakisaka ta nkawa e bakwini naswona a pfuke ntsakelo wa GWH Scheepers na H le Riche, lavanga tivisa muhloti wa ndhuma wati fossil Robert Broom. Loko Broom a vhakela mabaku lawaya hi 1936, u hatlise a vona nkoka wa Palaeontology wa ndzhawu liya kutani a kombela nkulukumba wa quarry ku languta loko kuri na ti fossils tin’wana leti tsakisaka. Leswi swi endle leswaku kukumeka ti hominid fossils tohlaya ta nkoka naswona, hi 1947, kukumeka Mrs. Ples.
Kambe, ehandle ta nhlayo yati fossils letingariki na nkoka letinga kumeka eka ndzhawu liya, Sterkfontein ayahari ndzhawu leyi ceriwaka swa archaeology swingari enawini, naswona ku hundza e misaveni ka Robert Broom hi swivange khombo rikulu e mabakwini. Hinkarhi walowo, akungari na nseketelo wa timali naswona mfumo wa le xikarhi awu kombetile kupfumala ntsakelo kumbe kuka wunga yimi na nddzhundzhuluko lowu. Emakumu, mabaku lawa ya hetelele yava eka xiyimo xa ku fa. Akuri hikwalaho ka migingiriko ya Philip Tobias wa University of Witwatersrand loyi anga tiyisisa leswaku mabaku lawa ya tshama ya pfulekile, naswona hi 1966, ndyangu waka Stegmann wu nyikerile ndzhawu leyi eka University of the Witwatersrand leswaku vata endla migingiriko yavona swiri e nawini.

Ndzhawu ya Ndhuma Misava Hinkwayo ya Hominid

Wits University, leyi na sweswi yinga nwinyi wa misava, yi pfule museum wuntsongo kutani wu thola Alun Hughes tani hi mulanguteri wosungula wa ndzhawu liya (kutani a landzeriwa hi Ron Clarke hi 1992). Kutani se kusungula kuceriwa loku ko leha ka archaeology eka ndzhawu ya hominid. Ku fikela sweswi, Sterkfontein yi humelerise kutlula 700 hominid fossils eka mavoko yati Palaeo-anthropologists leti atiri na torha, leswi kufikela sweswi swi endlaka leswaku yiva ndzhawu yofuma swinene yati hominid emisaveni hinkwayo. Kufikela sweswi, ti fossils letinga kumiwa hi Broom na Robinson tivekiwile e Transvaal Museum, loko ti fossils letinga kumiwa hi Tobias, Hughes na Clarke tihlayisiwile e Wits. Munhu utshemba leswaku siku rin’wana tita kota ku tlhelela e Sterkfontein laha tinga hlayisiwaka no kombisiwa eka vanhu va hinkwavo.

Translated by Ike Ngobeni