Lesedi Village - Cultural Center     

We went with a group of senior missionaries on a Saturday morning to visit the Lesedi Cultural Village to learn more about the five major tribes that make up most of South Africa.  There we learned about the Nbede, the Xhosa, the Zulu, the Besoto, and the Pedi tribes.  The Center is about 50 minutes out of Johannesburg and is popular with many tourists wanting to learn more about the cultures here in South Africa.  Located there are small villages representing the five different tribes.  As you walk to the various locations you learn about their culture, history and traditions.  

At the Nbede village we learned that only the men were allowed around the council fires because that is where they would discuss major issues and any plans for war.   If the women were there, then they would tell everyone and there would be no element of surprise when they went to battle.  I also learned to eat toasted caterpillars there.  Not particularly my favorite snack item!

We learned that the Zulu used to use long spears but once they threw them, they had nothing left to fight with so they would flee.  Shaka Zulu made them all switch to short spears so they had to engage the enemy at close range and as a result they became a very feared group.  They used to keep their cattle in a krall (corral) in the center of the village because the cattle were very valuable and they wanted to protect them.  The Besoto on the other hand, put their krall and cattle outside of the village walls so that if the Zulu attacked they would steal the cows and leave without killing all of them to get the cows.

The Pedi (pronounced "Pee dee") were once attacked by the British.  The British put all the Scotsman on the front lines in their kilts.  When their chief saw them coming in the distance and he said do not hurt the beautiful women in the front, wait and kill all of the ugly men behind them.  They did not believe in fighting women, and they realized too late that the Scots were not women. They then wore the red plaid kilts after that to remind them of what they considered British trickery.

After we visited the five villages we watched some of their traditional dances.

Deamers, Whytes, Scotts, Johnsons, Blakes, and Broadbents at Lesedi.

Elder Deamer learning to be a Zulu Warrior

Elder Broadbent, Sister Broadbent  & Elder Whyte with a mother and daughter who work at Lesedi Village.

Our Zulu tour guide.

One of the villages showing the thatched huts.

At the Besoto Village, notice the outdoor cooking area.  It has four cooking areas so you could choose whichever side was sheltered from the wind.  The Besoto live in the more mountainous area. They wear pointed hats and usually a blanket over their shoulders.