HUMAN HISTORY BROUGHT TO LIFE
facts that we have uncovered are fragments of Tswana pottery which was found mixed in with European glassware and other goods.
“Carbon dating indicates that the items date back to the new rush of 1860 while the fact that they were found together proves that various racial and cultural groups were living and working side-by-side when diamonds were initially discovered in the area.”
A graduate student from the University of Toronto, Amy Fox, said that it had been a fruitful week of research, adding that the site visit allowed for theory to be put into practice.
“Earlier I gave lectures on the excavation process at Canteen Kopje and it was great to see the students applying what they learnt in the classroom,” she said.
“This is my second visit to this site as I was able to make a short stop here last year. Getting this type of first-hand experience is crucial and to be able to gain this at such a significant site is a fantastic opportunity.”
SPU student Simone Venter said: “By seeing the remains at this site we are able to get an idea of how people lived in the past and where we come from.
“It’s really interesting to see that various cultural groups coexisted and interacted so closely more than a century ago.”
Venter’s classmates, Curtis Jeaven, Kamohelo Thaisi and Thabita Nqiqhi, agreed, adding that the site visit had given them a new appreciation of where people come from as well as a greater understanding of where they were going.
“I grew up in Kimberley but never really noticed that the history and heritage of the city can be seen all around us,” said Jeaven. “Canteen Kopje is right around the corner but I don’t think most people in Kimberley even know that this site exists.
“Heritage tells us a lot about ourselves,” said Thaisi. “These days, people often overlook the traces of where we come from but by gaining this type of background into our past we get a greater understanding and appreciation of who we are.”
Nqiqhi emphasised the importance of preserving Canteen Kopje and other heritage sites, both local and international.