Ingxubevange yeMapungubwe

Ingxenye Yomnotho

©Roger de la Harpe
IYunivesithi yasePitoli inesibalo esikhulu sezinto ezitholakala eMapungubwe naseK2, ngeqoqo elincane eliphethwe yiyunivesithi yeWits. Ngokudabukisayo, le ngxubevange engenakulondolozwa cishe imelela ingxenye encane yomnotho wokuqala waseMapungubwe. Njengoba intaba inkulu kakhulu, kwakunzima ukuphoyisa futhi izinto eziningi zaphangwa esakhiweni kule minyaka. Amahemuhemu ahlala ehlaselwa ngegolide elantshontshwa ngabagubhi abazimele. Ukukhethwa kwezinto ezivela eMapungubwe manje kuboniswa okungenakushintha eMyuziyamu yeMapungubwe eseYunivesithi yase Pitoli, evulekile emphakathini.
Izinto ezikhangayo emyuziyamu yeMapungubwe uBhejane wegolide owaziwayo, intonga yegolide nesitsha segolide. Lezi zintathu yizona uSian Tiley azibhekisela kuzo ngokuthi 'Amagugu eNingizimu Afrika'. Kodwa iqoqo liqukethe okuningi kunalokho. Njengoba igolide ithambile, ingenakulinganiswa nezinye insimbi, abantu baseMapungubwe bangayishisa bese bebumba izinhlobo ezihlukahlukene ezibucayi. Ukukhishwa kwegolide kwakuqoshwe ukwakha imihlobiso emihle. Amashidi amancane egolide aqoshwe ngokucophelela ezungeze izinsika ezenziwe ngamapulangwe ukwenza izinto ezimangalisayo ezicwebezelayo elangeni. Ubuhlalu budalwe ngokushaya imbobo encane engxenyeni yegolide. Ucingo begolide bathungisa ubusenga. Igolide ibumbe amabhengele amahle ahlukahlukene ukwenza ubucwebe obufiselekayo. Zonke lezi zinto zinemvelaphi yendawo futhi abukho ubufakazi bokuthi noma iyiphi yalezi zinto zabunjwa.

Ukuthandeka Kobuhlalu

©Roger de la Harpe
Njengobufakazi bezohwebo lwegolide e-Afrika, iqoqo liqukethe obhejane ababili abangaphelele begolide, Ingxenye yomzimba wangaphansi obunjiwe ngegolide, izipikili zegolide ezincane, izinsalela zokokufaka ikhanda zegolide njalo nezinye izinto zokuhlobisa zegolide. Izinkulungwane zobuhlalu begolide zatholakala emathuneni, kodwa zazibunjwe ngokubekwa ezinkomeni noma ezitshalweni ukuze zenze ubusenga obuhle bomhlobiso, onezintambo eziningi namacici. Ukunikeza izivakashi umqondo wokuthi umgexo bubukeke kanjani, lo myuziyamu uye wacabanga ukuthunga nokubumba kakusha lezi zinto.
Ngaphandle kwegolide, Abantu beMapungube bebethanda ubuhlalu kakhulu! Iqoqo liqukethe izinkulungwane zobuhlalu bezingilazi ezivela kuwo wonke umhlaba; ubuhlalu obuningi beglasi osuka eK2; ubuhlalu bamatshe olwenziwa u-calcite nogcaki; ubuhlalu obenziwe ngamaqanda entshe; ubuhlalu obenziwe ngamagobolondo ahlukahlukene ahlanganisela olwandle. Kukholelwa ukuthi ubuhlalu buwuphawu lwesimo, futhi izincazelo ezahlukene zanikezwa umbala ngamunye. Kucatshangwa ukuthi umhlophe umelela ukuhlanzeka, amnyama amelela okhokho, okuluhlaza-ukuzala, njalo njalo. Kukhona ubuhlalu obumbalwa bekhabhali eluhlaza,okwakubaluleke kakhulu kuso sonke isifunda. Ngasekupheleni kuka-1900, isisebenzi sepulazi sathi enye yale mikhiqizo yayingama-£5 noma inkomo eyodwa.

Igolide Nezinye Izitsha

©Roger de la Harpe
Izinyo lendlovu yayingenye into enkulu yokuhweba. Iningi lamabhengele abunjwe ngezinyo lendlovu, amabhande ezandla, neminye imihlobiso zatholakala e-K2, futhi zimbalwa. Kubonakala sengathi abasebukhosini bebengenandaba nezinyo lendlovu futhi amazinyo amaningi athunyelwa ogwini.
Nakuba igolide litholakala kuphela entabeni yeMapungubwe amathala azungezile akhiqiza izinto eziningi ezensimbi engabalulekile. Kwakunamageja ensimbi, amakhanda emikhonto, umcibisholo, amabhengele, izipikili, kanye nobukhali obujwayelekile emiphakathini eminingi yesikhathi sensimbi. Izigaxa zensimbi ziqoshiwe ezenziwe ngethusi, Ziyaziwa ngamaVenda njenge-musuku, zitholakale futhi kucatshangwa ukuthi zibaluleke okomoya nokohwebo. Izinto eziningana zenhlanganela yezinsimbi zaqoqwa, kodwa kucatshangwa ukuthi zavela phandle kwezwe. Kungenzeka ukuthi kukhona okuningi okwashiywa ngemuva kokuthi iMapungubwe ishiywe, kepha insimbi nethusi kuvame ukuguguleka ngokushesha kakhulu kunegolide.

Okuhle Futhi Kusebenza

©Roger de la Harpe
Ezinye izinto eziqoqweni zihlanganisa: izinaliti zethambo zokuthunga; uphini wezinwele wamathambo; izithombe zobumba zabantu nezilwane (ezitholakala ikakhulukazi e-K2); iziqephu zezitsha zesilungu zobumba; izitsha ze-ceramic, izinkezo, amacilongo, ujeke, izimbiza, inkomishi kanye nezinto zokuthunga. I-ceramic ye-K2 ne-Mapungubwe yayivame ukusetshenziswa ukupheka, ukuphuza noma ukugcina. Ngaphezu kwenhloso yazo esebenzayo, lezi zinto zivame ukubunjwa ngobuhle wezinhlobonhlobo ezikhangayo nezinklamo eziyinkimbinkimbi ezakhelwe phezulu. Ngisho namanje zingafanela indawo enezinto ezibizayo kuphela.

Amaqoqo Ayigugu Abuyiselwe

©Roger de la Harpe
Esikhathini esidlule, kwakungekho ukuboniswa okungapheli kwamagugu aseMapungubwe. Kule minyaka edlule, iYunivesithi yasePitoli yayinezinhlangano ezingaphezulu kweziyishumi nambili ezithuthukiswa kahle zomphakathi ezazihamba ezweni lonke, kodwa umphakathi awukwazi ukufinyelela lula kuqoqo. Ukufunwa kwemyuziyamu kwabonakala ngokwengeziwe emva kuka-1994. Intshisekelo yomphakathi ekuqoqweni yakhula ngokukhululeka ngokusungulwa okusha, futhi sinesifiso sokubuyisela umlando wethu kusukela kubandlululo. Kwafunwa izimpawu ezintsha ezikhuluma ngomdabuko wethu Afrika. Abantu bebafuna ukubona ubhejane wegolide!
Ngesikhathi esifanayo, izinto eziningana zegolide ezibaluleke kakhulu (kufaka phakathi ubhejane) zithunyelwe eMyuziyamu yeBritain ukuze zibuyiselwe. Le nqubo yayibiza futhi idla isikhathi, kodwa imiphumela yayimangalisa. Kwakungaba yihlazo ukuyikhipha kuphela emibonisweni yesikhashana. Ngokuthakazelisayo, emva kokulungiselela okucophelela, iMyuziyamu yeMapungubwe yavula iminyango yayo ngo-2000. Itholakala esakhiweni esindala sobuciko eYunivesithi yasePitoli. 'Amaqoqo ayigugu' ayebuyiselwe kubantu baseNingizimu Afrika.

Translated by Nsika Khoza