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Type:
Articles
Place:
South Africa
Northern Province
Date:
1989
Notes:
The discovery and excavations of one pit-burial and two pot-burials, all containing human remains have revealed a burial custom not frequently recorded for Bantu-speakers. The dismembering of the bodies in order to fit them into the pots and between the rocks of the pit-grave, the methods of containing the 'spirit' in the graves, as well as information from aged Africans and others, strongly suggest that the remains were of human sacrifices used in rain-making ceremonies customary to some north-eastern Transvaal tribes before the arrival of whites in the area. -- original abstract.
