FACES WITHOUT NAMES: UNNAMED AFRICAN PHOTOGRAPHS, COLONIAL DOCUMENTATION AND ARCHIVAL SILENCE
A Reflection from the DITSONG: National Museum of Cultural History By: Nthabiseng Mokwena (Nzuza), Junior Curator, DITSONG: National Museum of Cultural History DNMCH Accession Number: HKF 1687 Photograph found in the Collection with no Provenance The South African Museum Archives has a large catalogue
FREEMASON OBJECTS IN THE COLLECTION OF DITSONG: NATIONAL MUSEUM OF CULTURAL HISTORY, PRETORIA
By: Jan van den Bos, Curator: DITSONG: National Museum of Cultural History Freemasonry is among the world’s oldest and most powerful fraternal societies with a global membership exceeding six million. Freemasonry traces its origin to the stonemason guilds of the Middle
90th Anniversary of the first discovery of an adult Australopithecus cranium, TM 1511, at Sterkfontein Caves, South Africa
R.J. Clarke1 and Lazarus Kgasi2 1 Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2 DITSONG: National Museum of Natural History, Pretoria Introduction The Transvaal Museum, now named the DITSONG: Museum of Natural History, Pretoria, is internationally renowned as the custodian of one of
STS 52 AND THE EVOLUTIONARY CONTEXT OF AUSTRALOPITHECUS AFRICANUS: INSIGHTS INTO HOMININ DIVERSITY, ADAPTATION, AND THE ORIGINS OF MODERN HUMAN TRAITS
By: Lazarus Kgasi, Junior Curator, DITSONG: National Museum of Natural History Figure A. Maxilla of Sts 52 (@L Kgasi). The hominin fossil Sts 52 (see figure 1), a partial cranium of Australopithecus africanus from Sterkfontein, South Africa, provides valuable insights into a
A NEW BAT SPECIES NAMED IN HONOUR OF I.L. ‘NAAS’ RAUTENBACH (1942-2024)
By: Teresa Kearney - Curator: Vertebrate Department, Small Mammals, DITSONG: National Museum of Natural History (DNMNH) Ignatius Lourens ‘Naas’ Rautenbach (Image by Annalene Rautenbach) The introduction of DNA sequencing has provided information indicating that patterns of relatedness previously based on morphology did
MILITARY REGIMENTS
By: Michael Tobolo, junior curator, DITSONG: National Museum of Military History Introduction When people are organised primarily for the purposes of regulation, control, order, and uniformity, they become regimented. In the medical field, a ‘regimen’ refers to a structured or regulated plan
SOUTH AFRICAN PEACEKEEPING (2000-2008)
By: David Rilley-Harris, Curator, DITSONG: National Museum of Military History (DNMMH) Between 2000 and 2008 South Africa was functioning as a more substantial peacekeeping force and was probably the most significant African peacekeeping force. This period largely aligns with the presidency
THE MILITARY ROLE OF A NEW SOUTH AFRICA (1998-2000)
By: David Rilley-Harris, Curator, DITSONG: National Museum of Military History (DNMMH) Following the 1994 elections, South Africa entered a new era in which its military capabilities were required to operate within a new context. Military power was no longer needed to
THE PRIDE OF THE ZULU: A LEGACY OF STRENGTH AND CULTURE
By: Elias Mampheko, Junior Curator, DITSONG: National Museum of Cultural History The History of the Zulus Before emerging as a powerful nation, the Zulu people were largely organised into small clans practicing subsistence farming, similar to other communities in South Africa. Their
THE NEWSPAPER PRESS IN SOUTH AFRICA: EVOLUTION, PURPOSE, AND PRODUCTION
By: Nthabiseng Nzuza, Junior Curator, assisted by Refilwe Kgomo (Volunteer) and Pordon Nxumalo (Intern): DITSONG: National Museum of Cultural History Introduction and Origin The history of journalism in South Africa can be traced back to the early 19th century with the establishment