Kambako Living Museum of Bushcraft

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The purpose of the Kambako living museum is to showcase the bushcraft skills that for centuries have enabled the local Shangaan people to make a living from their natural environment. A tour through the museum takes the visitor on a journey through time.

In the recent past, the Shangaan people were hunter gatherers, and this historic lifestyle is described through a presentation of the practical knowledge and skills that were used to make fire; gather caloric staples; weave baskets to carry collected food materials; and trap and hunt game to provide a source of protein. The necessity of an intimate knowledge of the natural resources available and an in depth understanding of animal behaviour is emphasised. The methods used by the Shangaans are compared with other cultures around the world and the link between primitive skills and modern technological development is discussed.

With the advent of the Iron Age, metal tools could be fashioned to hoe and till the soil and the Shangaan people made the transition to their current agro-pastoral lifestyle. This change required a new set of skills such as the construction of a primitive forge; the manufacture of a whip for use in ploughing; pounding, winnowing and grinding seed from cereal crops; the construction of clay pottery; and the production of salt and potash for cooking. These skills are presented in turn, and the knowledge associated with each is discussed.

The adaptability and ingenuity of the human spirit is emphasised throughout the tour and the pros and cons of the Shangaan way of life are discussed in relation to a modern first world existence.