Domboshaba

Domboshabaruins is aculturalandheritage siteinBotswanaoriginally occupied towards the end of theGreat Zimbabweperiod (1250–1450 AD). The site is a respected place for the people living in the region and it is believed that the chief lived on the top of the hill together with his helpers or assistants.
The phraseDombomeans hill and the wordShabameans red (translated from the Ikalanga language means "red" or eland Hill).Domboshaba is also called theLuswingoused to be the settlement of the Great chief of that time. The ruins are similar to theMwenemotapa. The chief's wife settled below the hill. Domboshaba has other ranges of hills along it, a natural water well located inMantengehill,calledMantenge Wellwhich never dries up: the well is 7 metres deep and is situated in the rock.
Domboshaba is an open site of more than 8 hectares. On the hilltop there are dry stone walls which form private enclosures. Most of these stone walls have an average height of 1.8 metres. The stone wall structures are mostly free standing with a few platforms which mainly form part of the entrances. There are 15 visibledakha floorsrepresenting the presence of huts. The site has been revered by local people and has been protected by localtaboosuntil the advent ofcolonialism, from that point onwards there was a lot of treasure hunting, the site was excavated by treasure hunters and archaeologists.
RulesDomboshaba is a national monument administered by theBotswana National Museumand protected by therevised Monuments and Relics Act (2001).
The milling stone was used to grind food-stuffs such as tobacco and groundnuts.
The Domboshabagate housewas constructed and opened by theKalakamatiCommunity through theIpelegengprogramme (Self reliance) in collaboration with the department ofnational museum and monuments.
The dry stone walling is a building method by which structures are constructed from stones without anymortarto bind them together. The hill top was the residence of the chief, his religious advisor and closer attendants. The hilltop has six stone wall enclosures while the lower part has one main enclosure divided into several enclosures where the chief's wives and family lived.
This is a milling stone which was used at Domboshaba to grind tobacco, ground nuts and sorghum. Reaffirming the notion that the site was a very prominent trading centre occupied byIron Agefarmers.Quernstones work in pairs. The lower stationary stone is called theQuern, while the upper mobile is called a hand-stone. The original former stone has been vandalized by unknown persons.
There are remains of several dakha floors found at the Domboshaba monument made of soil mixed withcow dungspread across the monument. The older dakha house floors were exposed by amateur archaeologists and soil erosion over time. These floors were made with soils that have high ratio of clay to gravel. It is believed that the house floors were fired to strengthen them for longer periods.
Domboshaba Cultural festival started in 2000 when Mukani Action Campaign (MAC) and the Balumbidzi be iKalanga (The Society for the Promotion of iKalanga Language (SPIL) embarked on a search for ways to promote and celebrate the culture and history of the Kalanga people.Domboshaba monument hosts an annual festival event at the heritage site every year.The event comprises distinguished guests from different backgrounds to come and witness the culture and tradition ofKalanga people. This event is respected and sponsored by theBotswana tourism organisationto openly create awareness about the event and the monument site, this will also be the time to share Kalanga tradition experience and have a taste of the different traditional foods ranging fromDelele,Nyembah,Topii,Morogo wa dinawa,Zengwe,Lebelebeleand others. Domboshaba cultural festival does not only attract the audience from the Botswana and Zimbabwe, rather the events done there exposes the culture of Kalanga people.
Domboshaba festival is scheduled to take place every year in September 26–28.
Domboshaba cultural trust or DTC is one of the sponsors of Domboshaba cultural festival and since its formation in the year 2007 it has become an annual event to bring together youth from Kalanga tradition and other groups to learn about the culture and tradition of Kalanga people.