Tshimbupfe

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Tshimbupfe
Etymology: "Iron Mountains"
Coordinates: 23°20′33.13″S30°29′6.99″E / 23.3425361°S 30.4852750°E / -23.3425361; 30.4852750
Country South Africa
Province Limpopo
Area
  Total16.76 km2 (6.47 sq mi)
Elevation
823.8 m (2,702.8 ft)
Population
 (2011)
  Total14,653
Time zone UTC+2 (SAST)

Tshimbupfe is a region in South Africa's Limpopo province encompassing Tshimbupfe village and the nearby area south of the Soutpansberg mountain range.

Contents

People

The area is home to members of the Vhavenda people, a Bantu-language speaking group composed of multiple subgroups with distinct origins and cultural heritage. [1] [2] Mining and iron smelting have long been important to the economic, commercial, and ritual lives of the Vhavenda people. [3] Today, Tshimbupfe is in the Makhado Local Municipality within the Vhembe District Municipality; according to the 2011 South African National Census, Tshimbupfe has a population of 14,653 and an area of 16.76 km2. [4] Most residents speak Venda (also known as Tshivenda) or Xitsonga [4]

Geography and Geology

The settlement area lies 823.8 m above sea level [3] and the province is bordered by Botswana to the west and Zimbabwe to the north. The word “Tshimbupfe” translates to “Iron Mountains” in the Venda language. [5] The settlement area sits at the foot of Manobi Mountain, [3] part of the Schiel Alkaline Complex, a carbonatite complex. [5] The nearby mountain is rich in iron ore (hematite), [3] [6] which was mined for bartering, profit, the creation of domestic utensils, and smelting until the mid-20th century. [3] [5] The complex is part of the Kaapvaal Craton, [7] part of Earth's original crust (3.6 - 2.5 Ga).

Archaeological Significance

The tradition of bloomery iron smelting in this region extends back to the Early Iron Age (AD 200–900). [6] This long tradition is reflected in the numerous remnants of this practice that dot the landscape. The mountains of Tshimbupfe, to which Venda people would travel from the surrounding lowlands for iron ore, [8] are lined with shallow trenches from pre-European mining that remained visible until the 1990s. [5] The mining and transportation of this ore was documented in the late 1800s by E.D. Gieseke, the wife of a missionary based in the region [6]

The iron smelteries used in this region were clay cylinders measuring approximately one meter in diameter and height built into the ground. Each smelter had three vertical slits at even intervals around its circumference, into which tuyères were inserted to facilitate airflow. These furnaces were reused to produce additional blooms, and the vertical slits may have allowed each bloom to be removed from the smelter without destroying it. Schuynshoogte, a farm to the north of Tshimbupfe village, was the location of an iron production center with a smelter that remained in good condition until being vandalized in the 1990s. [5] [6]

Related Research Articles

Limonite Hydrated iron oxide mineral

Limonite is an iron ore consisting of a mixture of hydrated iron(III) oxide-hydroxides in varying composition. The generic formula is frequently written as FeO(OH)·nH2O, although this is not entirely accurate as the ratio of oxide to hydroxide can vary quite widely. Limonite is one of the three principal iron ores, the others being hematite and magnetite, and has been mined for the production of iron since at least 2500 BP.

Iron ore Ore rich in iron or the element Fe

Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the form of magnetite (Fe
3
O
4
, 72.4% Fe), hematite (Fe
2
O
3
, 69.9% Fe), goethite (FeO(OH), 62.9% Fe), limonite (FeO(OH)·n(H2O), 55% Fe) or siderite (FeCO3, 48.2% Fe).

Mpumalanga Province of South Africa

Mpumalanga is a province of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It constitutes 6.5% of South Africa's land area. It shares borders with the South African provinces of Limpopo to the north, Gauteng to the west, the Free State to the southwest, and KwaZulu-Natal to the south. The capital is Mbombela. Mpumalanga was formed in 1994, when the Eastern Transvaal was merged with KaNgwane. Although the contemporary borders of the province were only formed at the end of apartheid, the region and its surroundings has a history that extends back thousands of years. Much of its history, and current significance is as a region of trade.

Limpopo Northernmost province of South Africa

Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while the provincial legislature is situated in Lebowakgomo.

Venda Former Bantustan in South Africa

Venda was a Bantustan in northern South Africa, which is fairly close to the South African border with Zimbabwe to the north, while to the south and east, it shared a long border with another black homeland, Gazankulu. It is now part of the Limpopo province. Venda was founded as a homeland by the South African government for the Venda people, speakers of the Venda language. The United Nations and international community refused to recognise Venda as an independent state.

Bog iron Form of iron ore deposited in bogs

Bog iron is a form of impure iron deposit that develops in bogs or swamps by the chemical or biochemical oxidation of iron carried in solution. In general, bog ores consist primarily of iron oxyhydroxides, commonly goethite.

Bloomery Type of furnace once used widely for smelting iron from its oxides

A bloomery is a type of metallurgical furnace once used widely for smelting iron from its oxides. The bloomery was the earliest form of smelter capable of smelting iron. Bloomeries produce a porous mass of iron and slag called a bloom. The mix of slag and iron in the bloom, termed sponge iron, is usually consolidated and further forged into wrought iron. Blast furnaces, which produce pig iron, have largely superseded bloomeries.

Musina is the northernmost town in the Limpopo province of South Africa. It is located near the confluence of the Limpopo River with the Sand River and the border to Zimbabwe. It has a population of between 20,000 and 40,000. Iron ore, coal, magnetite, graphite, asbestos, diamonds, semi-precious stones and copper are mined in the region.

Bushveld Igneous Complex Large early layered igneous intrusion

The Bushveld Igneous Complex (BIC) is the largest layered igneous intrusion within the Earth's crust. It has been tilted and eroded forming the outcrops around what appears to be the edge of a great geological basin: the Transvaal Basin. It is approximately 2 billion years old and is divided into four different limbs: the northern, southern, eastern, and western limbs. The Bushveld Complex comprises the Rustenburg Layered suite, the Lebowa Granites and the Rooiberg Felsics, that are overlain by the Karoo sediments. The site was first discovered around 1897 by Gustaaf Molengraaff.

Vhembe District Municipality District municipality in Limpopo, South Africa

Vhembe is one of the 5 districts of Limpopo province of South Africa. It is the northernmost district of the country and shares its northern border with Beitbridge district in Zimbabwe and on the east with Gaza Province in Mozambique. Vhembe consist of all territories that were part of the former Venda Bantustan, however, two large densely populated districts of the former Tsonga homeland of Gazankulu, in particular, Hlanganani and Malamulele were also incorporated into Vhembe, hence the ethnic diversity of the District. The seat of Vhembe is Thohoyandou, the capital of the former Venda Bantustan. According to 2011 census, the majority of Vhembe residents, about 800,000, speak TshiVenda as their mother language, while 400,000 speak Xitsonga as their home language. However, the Tsonga people are in majority south of Levubu River and they constitute more than 85% of the population in the south of the historic river Levubu, while the Venda are the minority south of Levubu, at 15%. The Northern Sotho speakers number 27,000. The district code is DC34.

Venda people Ethnic group in South Africa and Zimbabwe

The Venda are a Southern African Bantu people living mostly near the South African-Zimbabwean border.

Ironsand A type of sand with heavy concentrations of iron

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Hanglip

Hanglip, thavha ya VhaDzanani is a prominent mountain peak near Louis Trichardt, South Africa. It is situated in the Vhembe District of Limpopo in the central Soutpansberg range. The peak with radar station, at 1,719 meters a.s.l., forms a conspicuous landmark visible from the town and the N1 national road.

Iron metallurgy in Africa Ancient metallurgy in Africa

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The Limpopo Division of the High Court of South Africa is a superior court of law with general jurisdiction over the Limpopo province of South Africa. The main seat of the court in Polokwane opened on 25 January 2016. The court also has local seats at Thohoyandou and Lephalale. Before the opening of the division, the Gauteng Division at Pretoria had jurisdiction over Limpopo and circuit courts sat at Polokwane.

Steelpoort is a mining town on the R555 road in Sekhukhune District Municipality in the Limpopo province of South Africa. It is located on the border with Mpumalanga province.

William Bleloch

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References

  1. Mabogo, Dowelani Edward Ndivhudzannyi (July 1990). "The ethnobotany of the Vhavenda". University of Pretoria. hdl:2263/28881 . Retrieved 30 January 2021.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. Mesthrie, Rajend (1995). Language and social history: Studies in South African sociolinguistics. New Africa Books. ISBN   0-86486-280-6.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Munzhedzi, Mudzunga (January 2013). "An evaluation of the conservation status of the Vuu and Tshimbupfe Iron-Smelting sites in Vuwani, Limpopo Province" . Retrieved 27 January 2021.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. 1 2 Frith, Adrian. "Tshimbupfe". Census 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Killick, David; Miller, Duncan (March 2014). "Smelting of magnetite and magnetite–ilmenite iron ores in the northern Lowveld, South Africa, ca. 1000 CE to ca. 1880 CE". Journal of Archaeological Science. 43: 239–255. doi:10.1016/j.jas.2013.12.016. ISSN   0305-4403 . Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Mathoho, Eric Ndivhuwo; Bandama, Foreman; Moffett, Abigail J.; Chirikure, Shadreck (2 April 2016). "A technological and anthropological study of iron production in Venda, Limpopo Province, South Africa". Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa. 51 (2): 234–256. doi:10.1080/0067270X.2016.1177937. ISSN   0067-270X. S2CID   163473838 . Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  7. Walraven, F.; Frick, C.; Lubala, R. T. (July 1992). "Pb-isotope geochronology of the Schiel complex, northern Transvaal, South Africa". Journal of African Earth Sciences (and the Middle East). Elsevier. 15 (1): 103–110. Bibcode:1992JAfES..15..103W. doi:10.1016/0899-5362(92)90011-Z.
  8. Friede, H.M. (April 1980). "Iron Age mining in the Transvaal" (PDF). Journal of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Sabinet. 80 (4): 156–165. Retrieved 27 January 2021.