May 2013 Phone 044-620-3338 Fax 044-620-3176 Email: [email protected] Web: ourheritage.org.za Volume 2013, Issue 5 Dear Friends of the Museum, Editor; Rene’ de Kock March month is the end of our makes the situation potentially as The GBR Museum is open financial year and during May bad for our indigenous vegetation Monday to Friday between we arrange our AGM’s. as it is with black wattles. 9.00 am and 4.00 pm. Please diarize the event and We have a special program for To make certain of re- come and join us on the 8th May Museum Day. ceiving your full email for the Heritage newsletter, please en- AGM. 6.00 pm at the Granary Program for Museum Day, Saturday sure that your museum th and 9th May for the Great Brak 18 May. Meet at the museum at 9.30 membership is up to River Museum Association am. Ample parking. Single Registration date. fee R 10.00 includes tea/coffee. Lec- Family members only AGM. 4.00 pm at the GBR Mu- tures/Tours are free. R50.oo per annum. seum.

For the news letter to be Although attractive Pampas Two Programs of creative ideas sent by post, please add grass (see page 15) causes many in the village of Great Brak and R50.oo. health problems. Pierre Villain surroundings that have brought If you are short of a (0)44 0500 255 who is a member about a major change in one way Book to read? we have of BotSac is very keen to see or another. a large collection of pre- them eliminated and has offered owned books on sale in Continued on page 5 to come to your property and the museum. proceed with the appropriate Below 22 Kilometers from Special Points of In- cutting and poisoning of the on the N12 to De terest this month. mass of Cortaderia. Seeds are Rust is this beautifully restored Great Estuary ….... Page 9 blown daily away by all air move- Feather Palace which now has Heritage and Cultural Tourism .. Page 6 ments, spreading again and which self catering cottages. Historical Document Collection Page 16

Ina’s Tourism Snippets …….... Page 3

Khoekhoe Pots ...... Page 12

New Age Dirigible ...... Page 11

Not Our Nature Corner ...... Page 15

What is on, in Great Brak…..... Page 2

All communication prob- lems are because We don’t listen to under- stand; We listen to reply…!!!

May 2013 Museum News Letter Page Number 1 Robins Hair Salon [email protected]

What is on, in and around the Museum in Great Brak River this Styles for the ‘Cat Screamed at Midnight and in the coming months. Show’ 22 Mossienes Avenue Month & pro- Description Contact person Great Brak River visional date Phone 044-620-2826 New Enlarged Display of pre-owned books on sale in the Museum. May The museum Island Lodge Both English and books available [email protected] from R2.oo each (specials) 044-620-3338

New batch of Children's Books available. Exhibition The Mobile Medicinal Plant Panels The museum May are still on display. 044-620-3338 For This Month Only th The museum 9 May Great Brak River Museum Self catering, located in 044-620-3338 Association AGM a delightful garden in the middle of the Island 18th May Museum Day….Special Program The museum 044-620-3338 Great Brak River st Our Museum is 35 years old. The museum Phone 044-620-2934 21 June 044-620-3338 Watson Shoes FURTHER AFIELD [email protected] 8th May Heritage Mossel Bay The Treasurer 082 475 7500 or Association AGM 044 606 7142 Tourism Meeting at 5.00 pm Contact Ina at the Info Office th At the De Dekke Restaurant. 15 May Come and discuss your Ideas for 044-620-3338 Tourism in Great Brak Great Brak River The Home of Great Shoes NATIONAL CONGRESS OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN SOCIETY FOR 24 – 25 May CULTURAL HISTORY 2013– GEORGE 1 Charles Street Arrangements for the national congress are running smoothly. Phone 044-620-2111 We would like to remind you of the following particulars regard- ing the congress:

VENUE: Langgebou, DR Church (Moederkerk), c/o Courtenay and Church Street [email protected] THEME: Cultural history of Churches and churches: any as- We have the lowest rental pect of religion, church history or church architecture. There prices in the area will also be a number of OPEN sessions where other themes will be addressed. WE MAKE FAMILY ENTERTAIN- MENT AFFORDABLE FOR EVE-

© Compiled & Distributed by the Great Brak River Museum. The content of this news- RYONE! letter is copyright and it may only be reprinted by request in writing from the Great Brak River Museum Association. 63 Long Street The Museum Association cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies, editorial comment or omissions in the text. Great Brak River If you no longer wish to receive this e-newsletter, please reply to our email address 074-155-1870 /with the word ‘unsubscribe’ or ’Stop’ in the subject box.

May 2013 Great Brak River Museum News Letter Page Number 2

Leani Kwekery & Tuin Mainly Tourism Restaurant Information by Ina Stofberg

What is happening, in and around The and .

TOURISM NEWS travel trends predicted for this [email protected] year, according to Hotels.com's A free bicycle taxi service is Trendspotting Spring Report. Old Mossel Bay Road (R 102) available to visitors in Her- Consumers are being increasingly Opposite Tergniet turn off manus. The service will be con- drawn to the idea of unique and ducted as a pilot project for exclusive accommodations such Phone 044-620-2565 three months, after which it will as mobile, pop-up hotel experi- be evaluated and a decision will ences that can't be replicated by be taken on making it perma- brick and mortar properties. In- Groot Brak nent. Drank stead of checking into a hotel winkel room, travellers now have a Initially three bicycle taxis will range of options that include traverse the business district camping tents, mobile shipping from 09h00 to 17h00 from Mon- containers and pods,” said the day to Saturday on a hop-on, report. [email protected] hop-off basis, with designated The report cited Belgium-based 12 Charles Street stop points along the route that Great Brak River company, Sleeping Around, as will not only cover the main Phone 044-620-2931 area but also include hidden & an example. The company con- narrow lanes and side streets. verts six-metre-long sea con- tainers into self-contained lux- Pine Creek Holiday Resort The cost of the service will be ury hotel rooms complete with a carried by businesses, which box-spring bed, rain shower, can participate in the project by iPod docking station and air- taking a listing or an advertise- conditioning. ment on a map of Hermanus, which is given free of charge to [email protected] visitors. Garden Route Game Lodge For more information: Email: expands Camping sites for both Garden Route Game Lodge has Caravans and Tents at Pine hermanusbicycle- Creek Holiday Resort in [email protected]. further expanded its borders Great Brak River with the acquisition of more Reservations at 044-620 2434 land. Grootbrak Harde- Since its inception in 1999, the Did you know Botswana is home ware size of the game reserve has to the world’s second-longest expanded ten times. zebra migration? Every year, up to 25 000 zebra move in herds The first hippos have arrived in across the plains, from the the reserve and were off-loaded Okavango to the Makgadikgadi, into a nearby dam earlier this a journey of more than 242km. month. [email protected] Charles Street Thanks and acknowledgement to news touris- mupdate.co.za Village Centre Great Brak River Pop-up hotels are one of the Phone 044-620-2591

May 2013 Great Brak River Museum News Letter Page Number 3 Klank in geskiedenis Reeks 1-12 Een van ons Raadslede, Jan Nieuwoudt, het Wat kan meer opwindend wees as ‘n onlangs vir die Museum ‘n hele stel ou plate na Herfs Tuinskou in die hartjie van die CD oorgedra. Die plate was redelik beskadig en Tuinroete? hy moes bontstaan om die klank te verbeter so- dat hierdie interessante geskiedenis vir ons na- Verkwik jou siel met ‘n wandeling gelsag behoue bly. deur ‘n mini-botaniese tuin wat jou Ons sê baie, baie dankie aan Jannie. verras deur skielik te verander in ‘n Karootuin. Neem deel aan Tuinkletse met kundi- ges, besoek die tuin-georiënteerde

stalletjies terwyl jy luister na musiek en smul aan heerlike spys en drank. Die kinders kan deelneem aan skatte- jag in die speelpark.

Spesiale aanbiedinge om van te

droom!

Wanneer: 4 Mei 1. Onder andere was daar die volgende titels: Waar: Leani Kwekery–Op die Simon v d Stel & die Hugenote / Vryburg- ou Mosselbaaipad (R102) ers, W A van der Stel Tussen Groot – en 2. Ondergang v d Kompanjie/ Broitse verow- ering van die Kaap 1806 Kleinbrakrivier, Suidkaap. 3. Lord Somerset & Slagtersnek / Koms van Navrae: Kontak vir Lea, Ettie Britse Settelaars of Johanna (044)6202565 4. Sir Harry Smit / Groot Trek / Louis Of Trichard 5. Groot Trek/ Moord op Piet Retief [email protected]. 6. Britse verwowering v Natal; Hysing van vierkleur 7. Louw Wepener & Slag van Thaba Bosigo /

Cecil Rhodes - Ontdekking van diamante

8. Paardekraal & Majuba / Ontdekking van Goud 9. Jameson Inval / Konferensie van Paul Kruger en Milner 10. Klank in geskiedenis 1910 You can now follow us on Twitter at 11. Hysing van unievlag / Republiek van SA. Rene’ de Kock @HERITAGEMOSBAY

May 2013 Great Brak River Museum News Letter Page Number 4 At the ‘Homestead’ the home of Hazel Jonker near , we discovered a fine detailed photograph of the houses on the Great Brak River Island taken in 1966. The museum is looking for similar photos (from Vishoek) but photographed during the late 1950’s. Continued from page 1 At the museum, ‘The story of Power in Great Brak River’, a slide show on the 1916 Searle Furrow in Great Brak River followed by a visit to the Hydro Power Station. Be seated in the museum at 10.00 am, leave for the Hydro at 11.30. Back at 12.45 for a light lunch.

Visit to historic Mossienes. Starts at the Museum at 10.15 am , the historic cottages of Long Street, Searle Graveyard, visit the remains of the Moodie Bridge, the Pepper tree, talk on the Mossienes story and the fur‐ row through Mossienes, return to the museum to be seated by 11.45. Slide show on ‘The story of Power in Great Brak River’ until 12.45.

12.45 pm, A Light Lunch R25.oo, (R15.oo to members) Booking Essential as space is limited Phone 044‐620‐3338 Car Boot Sale Garden Route Botanical Garden will be holding a Car Boot Sale on Saturday 11 May from 09h00 – 13h00 at 49 Caledon Street in George. R50.00 per car / stall Contact Kristen at 044 – 874 1558 to book a spot Plant Nursery The Plant Nursery at the Garden Route Botanical Garden will be open on Saturday 4th May from 09h00 – 13h00. 49 Caledon Street – George. Contact Kristen for more information at 044 – 874 1558 May 2013 Great Brak River Museum News Letter Page Number 5 Heritage and Cultural Tourism By Wendy Welch

Wendy who recently joined our museum as a trainee contact and stories and histories that form

and who’s brief is ‘Heritage Tourism’ writes as fol- the core and quality of the village. Heritage lows: tourism engages a considerable quantity of the ‘cultural tourism’ range and while it fre- What is ‘Heritage’ and ‘Cultural’ Tourism? quently overlaps by means of and connec- Heritage and Culture have turned out to be related tions to other tourism produce. as well as flexible words. In the perspective of Great Brak River for instance, the application of the word A short history of the heritage and culture of culture relates to how the village’s past (e.g. the the people living in Great Brak River and Searle’s, beliefs, customs, ethics and icons) are their ancestors. manifested in the village. San/Khoe-Khoe The word regularly embraces Indigenous (e.g. Khoe The term San came into use alongside with the and San, the Searle’s, Afrikaners and Coloured peo- word Khoisan in the late 1920s and 1930s. The ple) and the local environment. terms were invented by Leonhard Schulze and supported in the English speaking world by Within tourism development, the following definitions Isaac Schapera. Archaeologists are likely to be are frequently in use: in agreement that the original Homo sapiens (modern day man) that lived in South Africa for Heritage Tourism is sustainable tourism activity as- no less than 150 000 years are the ancestors of sociated to physical or intangible heritage. the San. Geneticists declare that the oldest gene outline among modern humans is that of the Physical Heritage is the built structures and sur- Khoe-San. It goes back to about 80 000 years roundings, cultural landscapes, historic sites ago. Every person alive today is a descendant (e.g. 's Wreck of the Floating Dock), from this original gene form. Since about 25 000 areas and boundaries, relics, archaeological and years ago, there is indication of cultural ways nautical sites, sites related with industrial, scien- that were still being followed until lately by south- tific and rural heritage, or sites of essential ern African hunter-gatherers – such as the crea- events and remembrance. tion of the bow and arrow, ostrich eggshell beads, shell curios and rock art. The movement Intangible Heritage includes word of mouth customs, of homo-sapiens away from Africa took place as languages, rites and values, communal training, of 60 000 years ago, matching with the likely in- knowledge, individual conducts, multicultural crease of our language abilities. All crowds of people who left Africa took with them new lan- guage relatives. By that time all humans were hunters and gatherers.

Your Editor comments: The information that we have to- day is generally accurate, however, with improved sam- pling some of the material dating has come into question and we now believe that the ‘Out of Africa’ movement took place some what earlier. There may have been an exodus across the upper portion of the Red Sea as far back as 90,000 years ago.

Throughout history, climate has been cyclic occurring in complex patterns, not moving in one direction but fluctu- ating between warmth and cold.

About 130,000 years ago, a warm phase moister than the present began, and this lasted until about 115,000 years ago, with greater rainforest extent and the deserts in- Professor Isaac Schapera (23 June 1905 cluding the Sahara almost completely covered with vege- Garies, South Africa – 26 June 2003 London, tation. England), was a social anthropologist.

May 2013 Great Brak River Museum News Letter Page Number 6

came to be called, and the Xhosa. The Khoekhoe recognizes a variety of people who speak languages from the western division of Coloured the Khoe language relatives. Khoekhoe were cattle Coloured, previously Cape Coloured, a person of and sheep herders. The term KhoiSan was invented mixed European and African or Asian descent, as by Schulze to show the crowd of people in the re- officially defined by the South African government gion all of whom spoke aboriginal languages with from 1950 to 1991. People given to this categori- clicks in them. Hunter-gatherers spoke languages zation started off mainly from the eighteenth and from all three families, while herding just became a nineteenth century unions among men of higher financial custom with Khoekhoe speakers. The and women of lower social crowds: for example, Khoekhoe appear to have migrated into South Af- among white men and slave women or among rica about 2000 or more years ago from Namibia or slave men and Khoekhoe or San women. The Botswana, bringing with them sheep herding culture slaves were from India, Madagascar, Sri Lanka and a different social establishment than that famil- and the Malayan archipelago. Near the beginning iar between hunter-gatherers. of the twentieth century, the word “Coloured” was a public grouping rather than an authorized de- The San and Khoekhoe are descendants of the first scription and in general showed a rank in-between people who ever lived in South Africa. those who were recognized as “White” and those who were recognized as “Black.” The categoriza- Afrikaners tion was mainly subjective, founded on family con- Many of the earlier settlers moved away from Cape ditions, cultural ways and physical characteristics. Town, in part because of their resistance to Dutch and British rule, but also because of their attraction Until World War Two there was extensive inter- to their new environment. Their relations with the marriage among lighter-skinned and indigenous populations were mixed. They had gen- whites and various individuals were immersed into erally good relations with the Khoe-khoe and the the white society. San, but there was a mutual distrust and fear be- tween the "Voortrekkers," as the inland settlers The Searle’s The village of Great Brak River was founded by Charles Searle, an English paper-mill hand who, Your Editor comments: together with his wife and four children, moved abroad to the Cape in 1859 from England. Charles As time goes by our Coloured or Brown people have was the Keeper of the Toll Bridge at Great Brak changed their individualism. Those of San or part River. He began creating boots as part-time work San origin now wish to be called Bushmen. Originally but, the travellers passing through the toll used to derogatory the name is derived from the word buy the boots he made and soon he employed his Bossiesman or Herb men. first permanent boot-maker. In 1864 he bought land at the back of the toll-house and built an all- At present those of Khoi, Khoe or Strandlooper purpose shop. In 1865 he became the village's origin are perhaps still best referred to as Khoe. postmaster. The Searle family continued to do well and extended their business interests by building "The deepest divergence of all living people oc- a boarding house identified as the Temperance curred some 100,000 years ago, well before modern Hotel. In 1886 a new boot factory was built and humans migrated out of Africa and about twice as the next year a tannery was built. old as the divergences of central African Pygmies and East African hunter-gatherers and from other Great Brak River African groups," says lead author Dr Carina Schle- The tranquil village of Great Brak River is located busch, a Wits University PhD-graduate now con- between George and Mossel Bay and is a popular ducting post-doctoral research at Uppsala Univer- holiday choice with its stunning, unspoilt beaches sity in Sweden. in the region, a lagoon that is secure to swim in and sea views. The quietness experienced beside This 2012 study also found surprising stratification the Great Brak River, which includes picnic spots, has led this village to being much required by among Khoe-San groups. For example, the re- those wanting a place for relaxation. The Island searchers estimate that the San populations from has become a sanctuary for many looking for se- northern Namibia and Angola separated from the clusion and has a variety of holiday cottages and Khoe and San populations living in South Africa as homes. early as 25,000 -- 40,000 years ago. Science News Sept 2012

May 2013 Great Brak River Museum News Letter Page Number 7

Why do tourists come to Great Brak River? If one is looking for excellent quality shoes they Tourists come to Great Brak River for a variety of can shop at the Searle’s Shoe Factory, which is reasons including visiting family and friends, envi- now known as the Watson Shoe Shop. ronmental tours such as visiting Zorgfontein Eco & Wildlife Reserve, now part of Botliers Kop or other The village was first established in 1859 and is a environmental reasons such as coming to watch the very popular tourist attraction. Historical activities Southern Right and other whales from July till No- include visiting the Searle Family Cemetery which vember, to see the marine life or do bird watching is reserved for members of the Searle family and and also view the biggest known Pepper Tree in loyal employees. South Africa which is 11,2 m in diameter or just to enjoy the beaches, sun and sand.

Health reasons such as fresh air and water, a safe place to exercise in nature and a sense of tranquil- lity. Sport enthu- siasts and tour- ists that have an interest in certain recreational ac- tivities also enjoy coming to Great Brak River be- cause there is a lot of sport activi- ties one can do such as aerobics, bowling, bridge, cricket, cycling, dancing, flying a kite, golf at Dolphins Creek golf estate and at De Kaap driving Religious attractions include the Searle Memorial range, horseriding, rugby, squash and tennis. Church that was built in 1930. The Searle family Bible, which is kept up to date, is on show in the Water sports that tourists come and do include body church porch. In the village you will find the his- boarding, canoeing, fin swimming, fishing, kayaking, toric Mission Hall that was built by Charles Searle kite surfing ,parasailing, rowing, skim boarding, Senior as a tribute to his Christianity and a place snorkelling, spear fishing (which is not allowed in of worship. the estuary), surfing, swimming, wakeboarding, wake surfing, waterskiing and windsurfing. Sightseeing attractions include the ancient cot- tages along Long Street which housed the Tan- Tourists also come to the village flea market that is nery workers ,the restored 1924 hydro-power sta- held on a Saturday usually near the beginning of tion and one can also walk to the last remains of each month. Glentana's Wreck of the Floating Dock. Full details of the this disastrous event can be Annual events include the Great Brak Grabadoo found in the museum. which is usually held at the end of each December which is an outdoor/sporting event which people can We welcome tourists to our village and invite them walk, run and cycle at different kilometres. The to come to the Great Brak River Museum and In- Rebel 4x4 Challenge is also an entertaining formation Bureau where they can obtain more in- outdoor/sporting event. formation about activities that they are interested in and they can also have a tour which will tell you Tourists that are interested in art can visit about the Searle’s and their descendants and Art39@Long, Chris Spies Gallery behind Spar in Khoe-San Room which tells you about you the Mossienes, the art school of Spies Venter in origin of ‘modern man’ in Africa. Charles Street or the Pinkhaus.

May 2013 Great Brak River Museum News Letter Page Number 8

THE GREAT BRAK RIVER ESTUARY By Your Editor

On the 12th April, the third Estuary Management The museum has undertaken to prepare and meeting took place at the museum. Held by Barry hold a copy of the various regulations pertaining Clark from Anchor Environmental, this was the to the day to day responsibilities necessary for third such meeting and the final objectives are good governances of the estuary. Whilst spear falling into place. Over the years the Estuary has fishing is allowed (with appropriate licence) off fallen under different controls, however, from this shore, it is prohibited in the estuary. month, the Municipality of Mossel Bay becomes If you are over 12 years of age, you are required the major management partner and in conjunc- by law to have in your possession a valid fishing tion with local Non Government Organisations will license on any saltwater fishing trip. This in- format and draft the new management plan. In cludes the estuary. You only require a standard doing so it is anticipated that it will become fishing licence which must be in your name and is available at any South African Post Office. clearer who's responsibility it is for the various operational and safety requirements. Strategies required to meet the management ob- Figure 1 below outlines the various management jectives identified have been summarised and objectives that need to be resolved. can be found in the complete document at Funding for the managing and administering the www.anchorenvironmental.co.za under the tab plan will be provided for in the IDP. on the left hand side: ‘Document download’

The zonation of the estuary will support biodiver- The next management meeting will take place on sity conservation objectives as well as assisting in the 18th July 2013. the management of increasing access to recrea-

May 2013 Great Brak River Museum News Letter Page Number 9

tional users. Since then bait over-exploitation has taken place which not only creates a risk to health, but which Economic objectives and opportunities for ecot- also has severely reduced the prawn population. It ourism growth will have to be subject to develop- is vital that the prawn population in the sediments ment setback lines and guidelines that safeguard be conserved through controlled harvesting to en- the sense of place of the estuary. These guide- sure that organic matter is worked through in the lines will need to be integrated into regional and sediments in the estuary. local development plans. It has since been found that the removal of the

restricted area is unconstitutional and should The municipality is in the process of drawing up a never have been allowed. The restriction will be new five year SDF for Mossel Bay and many of re-instated as soon as possible as a matter of ur- these projects require to be formally included. gency, as the present situation is hazardous and is

a risk especially to children visiting this area. Ecotourism growth will require attractive visitor facilities that draw people to the area and will New regulations now in operation require a com- also depend on future developments being sensi- plete banning of bait collection in the river when tive to biodiversity and the sense of place. the river mouth is closed which can be as much as three quarters of the year. Whilst the building set back line has been deter- mined, the exact details of built restrictions is still It is felt that the reestablishment of the previous to be clarified. New and extended building will restriction would be easier to control. The bait re- require a ‘water use licence.’ A license application striction shown in the present download is incor- to discharge waste water. rect and requires correction. Numerous issues were discussed including Despite the 2010 drought, conditions in the estu- Prawning. ary has been steadily improving and the number of birds visiting have doubled. The estuary has a Until 1998, the area between the river mouth and rating of D+ however we hope to see an improve- two beacons to the North West of the Island ment to a C rating during the next few years. bridge was a no-go area for pawning (extracting prawns for bait) (see figure in yellow) and so es- Further improvement of the estuary will depend tablished by Municipal Regulation and also en- on establishing a regular river cleaning process. forced by the then, Department of Nature Con- servation. Today there is a much better understanding of the amount of water that Great Brak River’s Wolwedans dam is able to provide and what water quantity the estuary requires. It is understood that the municipality will not draw water for use in Mossel Bay whilst the Hartebeestkuil Dam is more than 70% full.

Please contact Barry Clark at Anchor Environ- mental if you consider yourself a stake holder and would like to be considered a part of the Manage- ment committee.

May 2013 Great Brak River Museum News Letter Page Number 10 The New Age Dirigible Correlated by your editor

They were hailed as the future of transportation, the only can the technology alter the future of avia- height of long-distance luxury travel. Forget boats, tion, but it has the potential to improve the entire trains, or planes even the latest Boeing. Airships were planet in a hugely significant way – it’s the reason the new gold standard – “lighter-than-air” – an in- Pasternak, whose curly mop and European de- credible convergence of human industry and science scent fit the description of a Bond movie charac- fiction. Eyes widened, mouths gaped – the world ter, is excited to realize the Aeroscraft’s potential stood captivated. After years of development, a uto- pian vision of aviation was suddenly realized. The fu- ture looked bright.

Then on May 6 in 1937, the era of airships came to a terrible end as the German-made Hindenburg horrifi- cally perished on attempting to land during a storm on American soil.

It took years to perfect, but only moments to come crashing down. To this day, the legacy of an engulfed Hindenburg still haunts the aviation world, an ever- lasting reminder of unimaginable tragedy.

It doesn’t sound like a particularly magnetic history worth re-exploring, yet a company called WorldWide Aeros is toiling away on a completely new prototype airship that has the potential to change flight forever. The 1783 Montgolfier brothers Airship.

In 1900, Zeppelin constructed a 128 meter long rigid airship, the Luftschiff Zeppelin 1, or LZ1, and success- fully launched it in front of a 12,000 strong crowd. For all intents and purposes, the rigid airship was born, and the lighter-than-air craze took hold. The era of ‘Lighter than Air’ transportation was suddenly a world- wide sensation.

Why did the Hindenburg fail. It was filled with Hydrogen not helium which is a nonflammable gas. During 1937 and due to sanctions, Ger- many, did not have the technology to produce low cost commercial helium.

You can trace evidence of airships back hundreds of years, beginning with the simple balloon. As early as 1783, legends tell a fantastic story of the Montgolfier brothers, who launched a sheep, a duck and a rooster on a two mile, eight minute journey across the royal palace of Versailles in a hot air balloon concocted of alum-varnished taffeta.

It may seem like something of another age, a flying saucer, but the company’s new dirigible prototype is being considered a game changer, an innovation of the highest order. Thanks to today’s computer ability to generate accurate low cost structures and if exe- cuted correctly, the Aeroscraft may be what our chil- dren see filling the skies in the years to come. Not The WorldWide Aeros new Aeroscraft.

May 2013 Great Brak River Museum News Letter Page Number 11 KHOEKHOE POTS DISCOVERED NEAR PRINCE A reprint from ALBERT Judy Maguire

This article, of real interest to our selves, Scholtzkloof for further information. I was thrilled comes from The Olive Branch, the Prince to see the pots, because in 45 years of association Albert Tourism newsletter. with caves and cave deposits, archaeology, ar- chaeologists, digs and museums I have never be-

fore experienced the discovery of an intact Khoe Two pots of typical Khoekhoe (Hottentot) pot, let alone one with special contents. type, one intact and containing a dark glisten-

ing substance, the other broken into a number Enquiries at the Iziko Museum in Cape Town re- of large and small fire-blackened sherds, were vealed that despite being the oldest museum in discovered in late December by Gareth Wil- South Africa, with a history of collection going liams of Prince Albert, eroding out of a natural back almost 200 years, the collection of Khoe pots drainage channel on the Waterkop smallhold- numbers only 34, and of these, only 4 are re- ings adjacent to the town. corded as being complete.

The Prince Albert Khoe pot is very special! A day or two before Christmas, it had rained heavily in Prince Albert, and the run-off and rain between them had further exposed and washed the dust off the pots, a process proba- bly on-going since the pots were first cached there by a Khoe man or woman many long years ago, in pre-Colonial times, judging from the available evidence.

The intact pot was found lying on its side and buried, with just its opening and part of the short neck protruding above the soil level and with the closed end facing upstream. Only a small amount of the paler surrounding sedi- ment could therefore be washed into the pot, slightly mixing with the dark heavy contents. The protruding portion of the pot retains the original reddish colour of its outer surface, but any colour on the buried part of the pot has been leached away by groundwater and damp soil. Pot No 1 The second pot was found immediately adja- This is a medium-sized squat pot measuring cent to the intact pot, with most of the sherds, 15.8cm from rim to bottom with the pointed base some of them quite small, lying nearby, show- typical of Khoekhoe pottery. Only one of the Iziko ing that little disturbance has taken place since Khoe pots is recorded as having a flat base. The the pot was placed there. Any strong current pointed base meant that the pot would have had of water or trampling by sheep would disperse to be twisted into loose soil or into hot coals and small pottery fragments down slope, suggest- ashes in order to stand upright. Left to its own ing that the sherds have not been exposed for devices, it simply tips to one side. It has one any length of time. Neither pot is decorated. rounded and one pointed angular shoulder, a shape very unusual amongst Khoi pots, measuring Gareth carefully removed the pots from the 18.3cm across the widest part of the shoulder. It soft sandy soil, taking care not to spill or con- does not have the reinforced pierced lugs - taminate the contents of the intact pot. He and through which ropes or thongs were threaded and his friend, Willem Mathee, a student at Nelson knotted, to facilitate hanging and transport – so Mandela Metropolitan University, and formerly typical of most Khoe pots. The body is of thin also of Sue Dean, brought the pots to me at pottery, tempered with what appears to be finely

May 2013 Great Brak River Museum News Letter Page Number 12 crushed quartz grit to prevent cracking, and substances are known to have been used as has been fired. body decorants, as trade goods and for mark- ing the body for ritual purposes. My geologist husband John Begg took one look at the glistening contents and said: “Magnetite”. Wikar in 1778 noted the trading of this com- A quick test with a small horseshoe-shaped modity by the Briqua up and down the Gariep magnet proved him correct: the dark mineral with various groups of Khoe, who used to jumped spectacularly onto the magnet exactly grind the rock to powder and then use it in this as in the classic magnetic field demonstration way. The practice was also independently using iron filings. Magnetite is a naturally occur- noted by Somerville (in 1799-1802) and ring ore of iron (Fe2O4, 72.4% iron) and long Burchell (in 1811). crystals of magnetite floated on water were used in olden times as compasses. Small grains A study of the available literature revealed that of magnetite occur in almost all igneous and magnetite has been found cached and buried metamorphic rocks. It is black or brownish- in clay pots as well as in ostrich eggshell flasks black with a metallic luster. from Namibia to the , along the southern Cape coast and at several localities inland.

Only Two of the 34 Iziko pots are recorded as having had specularite contents, one of them having come from Fraserburg. Specularite and magnetite- filled pots have also been recorded from pre-Christian cairn-marked Khoe burial

sites (where the bodies were typically buried in a crouching or squatting position, sitting up rather than prone), and where such pots form part of the grave goods. This attests to the ritual and social importance of the substance.

The intact Waterkop pot contained 1.4kg of magnetite, mixed with small amounts of the surrounding soil. Samples have been taken for further testing and analysis, and also of the find site soils because the source of the mag- netite is still something of a mystery. It is more typical of igneous and metamorphic rocks, which are not present in the vicinity of Unusual octahedral magnetite & chal- Prince Albert, but granular magnetite may also copyrite association, Aggeneys, Northern be collected from river sands draining such ar- . eas.

The Khoi obviously did not use it in this way, The use of pigment minerals such as ochre, but what then is a cache of magnetite doing specularite and magnetite for body decorant here in Prince Albert? For what reason did the and rituals has an extremely long history; the Khoe person or people cache it? latest South African Digging Stick journal (Dec 2012) describes perelemoen shell pigment pal- Early travellers have recorded the Khoekhoe ettes containing ochre and animal fat residues custom of “besmearing themselves” with glis- dating from around 100 000 years before pre- tening mineral substances mixed with animal sent from the Blombos Cave near Stillbay. fat, and sprinkling and rubbing it into their hair to make it shine. In particular, this practice re- The oldest known pigment mine (for specu- ferred to specularite, an even shinier form of larite and haematite or red ochre – not for iron, known by the Tswana as ‘sebilo’. Both metal) in the world, can be dated to around 120 000 years.

May 2013 Great Brak River Museum News Letter Page Number 13 Pottery in the Western Cape, however, does not sources Act. Spatial relationships between have such an extended history, being associated with artefacts and between artefacts and the land- the Khoekhoe people who reached the southern scape on which they occur are extremely im- Cape coast only about 2000 years ago, and most portant and are very easily destroyed by dated pottery from archaeological sites is nowhere careless disruption or by collecting, thus neart as old as this. causing information extinction. The Khoe pots probably date from a century or two immediately preceding local European settlement. Congratulations Gareth on this very interest- ing find! Pot No 2. Enough of the fragments survive to be able to say that this pot too had a pointed base and that it was of similar size. It, however, shows evidence of frequent use in a fire, perhaps for cooking or render- ing fat, as it is very blackened on the outside to a level about half way up the pot, which is consistent with a pot standing in the hot coals and ash of a cooking fire. Perhaps there is enough carbon adher- ing to the outside to enable the pot to be dated – or at least to say when it was last used for cooking.

The pots will become part of the Fransie Pienaar Mu- seum Collection (Prince Albert).

The area surrounding the find site was inspected for other occupational debris but apart from a few os- trich eggshell fragments, there was little to be found either upstream or down, and no artefacts dating from the colonial period. On the lookout hilltop above the find locality there is an exposure of dolomite lenses with several engravings but these are quite apparently of widely differing ages and there is no way of knowing whether or not even the oldest of Gareth Williams removing the Khoekhoe them are associated with or the same age as the ‘pot pots from the loose soil on Waterkop. people’.

The pots and engravings are part of a broader pic- ture of pre-colonial occupation of Prince Albert and environs: there is a well-preserved Khoekhoe camp site with its associated stone tools and manuports and landscape scars of a sheep-kraal on adjacent Wolwekraal as well as a second even older campsite used by San people who left behind some amazing microliths (extremely small finely-flaked stone tools, often less than 2cm long) a campsite probably also used by the Khoe more recently. These campsites can be seen on the guided walks offered by Sue and Richard Dean.

The pot discovery emphasises the need for proper Although the South African government ap- Heritage Impact Assessments and Environmental Im- pears to have neglected the languages and cul- pact Assessments to be done before development tures of the Khoe and San people, they have takes place. Artefacts should not be disturbed or re- moved but reported to the nearest museum. To- included a Khoe pot on the South African gether with meteorites and all gravesites, they carry coat of arms. legal protection in terms of the National Heritage Re-

May 2013 Great Brak River Museum News Letter Page Number 14 PHOTO’S AND TEXT FROM; NOT OUR NATURE CORNER Pierre VILLAIN

Our lagoon fields are full of plumes… and the spread is very fast all over our village! Pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana and C. jubata) soft, silvery, or pink or golden over high arched foliage gracefully waving in the autumn wind, frequently put many a novice gar- dener under its spell. No matter how enchanted, please resist the temptation to plant one of these in any garden. Apart from its Category One status, this is not a plant one wants to tangle with. Coping with hundreds of fine burning slash wounds caused by the very abrasive serrated foliage when handling the plants (planting, trimming) with bare arms and legs, is one. In a nutshell, despite its alluring ap- pearance Cortaderia selloana and C. jubata have nothing to offer – they are tough and robust inva- Weeds invasion in GREAT BRAK! sive plants that overrun unattended open space, displace indigenous vegetation and hamper roadside Category One Invader that displaces indigenous vegeta- maintenance. Besides, we have many magnificent tion and transforms landscapes. indigenous reeds and grasses that are really user- friendly to handle and use as alternatives. Control: Remove flower-heads (plumes) and where pos- sible burn these. By removing the plumes one will prevent Pampas certainly deserves a revisit. This vigorous a fresh crop of seed maturing. A simple and practical so- Category One weed persists throughout the region lution is to spray the whole plant with a glyphosate based despite being targeted for focussed eradication/ herbicide such as Roundup mixed at 3%. This method is control campaigns on specific species by the George effective for small and isolated infestations where the and Eden District Municipalities in collaboration with plants are relatively young. Large mature clumps can be Working for Water in recent years. These cam- cut back by hand or brush-cutter and allowed to re-grow paigns have had a positive impact in our road re- to about 50cm and then sprayed as above (allowing serves - with definitely fewer Pampas plants around. some re-growth before spraying a plant that has What is evident is the urgent need for ongoing, ef- been cut down is critical to successful eradication). fective follow-up action to any eradication/control programmes. Development projects in progress This method is the most cost effective but the timing of have denuded huge tracts of land. Regrettably, the herbicide application has to be reasonably accurate to other than the rare exceptions, alien vegetation be completely effective. Persistent monitoring and timely control as an integral component of project man- follow-up as standard practice is the key to control or agement, is still way down on the scale of project eradication programmes and brings about significant cost priorities. These unchecked areas perpetuate the savings. proliferation of undesirable plants that reach matur- ity, set seed and infest previously uncontaminated Scientific information supplied by Bob and Ena McIntyre, Botani- areas. cal Society of S.A. – Garden Route Region.

Identification: Pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana) Substitutes: Restios, Thamnochortus, and Rhodocoma is easily identified by the silver-white to pink or species. mauve (C. jubata) feathery flower stalks, which per- sist for months on the plant. The plants are robust References: “ALIEN WEEDS AND INVASIVE PLANTS”: and form huge clumps characterised by long stiff Lesley Henderson. Copyright © 2001 Agricultural Re- strap-like grey-green leaves with sharp serrated search Council. Problem Plants of South Africa: Clive edges that are very abrasive. The flowers are respi- Bromilow. www.agis.agric.za. A-Z of Gardening in SA: W ratory tract and eye irritants. G Sheat Botanical Society (BotSoc) Contacts in your area: Invasive Status: Pampas invades any seasonally wet areas, riverbanks, disturbed land and with- George/Wilderness: McIntyre’s 044 877 1360. stands exceptionally harsh conditions. It was intro- : Chris Gow 044 387 1978. Mossel Bay: Lu- duced from South America as an ornamental and cretia van der Walt 044 691 3230. subsequently extensively used for stabilising and (Bitou): Jean Sparg 044 533 2625, Maaike Murphy vegetating unsightly mine dumps. It is a declared 044 531 6857. : Janet Naude 028 754 1106.

May 2013 Great Brak River Museum News Letter Page Number 15 SCAN AND TEXT; OUR HISTORICAL DOCUMENT COLLECTION INA STOFBERG

One of our muse- ums historical docu- ments signed in 1856 by the then Governor and Com- mander-in-Chief of the Cape, Sir George Grey.

Sir George Grey founded Grey College, Bloemfontein in 1855 and Grey High School in Port Elizabeth in 1856. In South Africa Grey dealt firmly with the natives, but endeavoured by setting apart tracts of land for their exclusive use to protect them from the white colo- nists. He more than once acted as arbitrator between the government of the Or- ange Free State and the na- tives, and eventually came to the conclusion that a fed- erated South Africa would be a good thing for everyone. The Orange Free State would have been willing to join the federation, and it is probable that the Transvaal would also have agreed. However, Grey was 50 years before his time and the colonial office would not agree to his pro- posals.

May 2013 Great Brak River Museum News Letter Page Number 16