Khoisan skeleton finds final resting place
The skeletal remains of a Khoisan woman believed to have died between 397 and 583 years ago were reburied in the Tankwa National Park (TKNP) near Calvinia on Saturday, 12 years after she was first discovered in the Perdekloof gorge.
Now known as “Madawas”, meaning mother was there, TKNP manager Kenneth Makondo said in a statement the reburial was done in accordance with a traditional Khoisan ceremony led by the Northern Cape San and Nama leaders Petrus Vaalbooi and Willem Damarah.
“This marked the beginning of an era in which visitors can pay their respects and learn more about their ancestors of the region,” Makondo said.
Madawas’ remains were discovered in 2007 by park ranger Letsie Coetzee near the Perdekloof campsite.
At the time of discovery, the local police were notified as it was thought the remains were fresh.
Dr Wendy Annecke, then general manager for South African National Parks (SANParks) Cape Research Centre, expressed concern over the remains and requested assistance.
Not only were the remains deteriorating, but visitors had moved them before reporting their presence to park officials.
“At the request of SANParks, Dr Ryan Gibbon and Dr Victoria Gibbon from the department of human biology at the University of Cape Town, applied for and were granted a permit from Heritage Western Cape to investigate, rescue, and excavate the remains.
SANParks made it clear from the outset that reburial in the park was the priority,” said Makondo.
Following the retrieval and analysis of the remains, it was discovered that the woman had a respectful burial with the individual lying in a tightly flexed position on her back, with her knees to her chin.
“This flexed position is a burial practice known among Khoisan people. The burial had several large rocks placed on top, which were kept and remain with the person for inclusion in the reburial,” Makondo said.
Dr Victoria Gibbon completed the biological report and Professor Judith Sealy, from the department of archaeology at the University of Cape Town, conducted the radiocarbon date and isotope analysis, which concluded that the date from a small portion of the humerus showed Madawas to have lived between 1436 and 1622.
The skeleton also represented a person estimated to have been 1.52m tall, middle-aged (35-55 years old at death) and a female of Khoisan ancestry.