Into Venda Land: Ancient Trees, Living Art & Spirit of Northern Limpopo
Post Author: Adele
What do giant trees, red clay mermaids and granny artists have in common?
They are all found in the magical land of the Venda people in Northern Limpopo, a place seldom found on the traditional traveller’s map, yet one that has sparked my imagination for as long as I can remember with stories of African Rain Queens, mystical mountains and ancient kingdoms.
I am finally setting out on an adventure to find out more.
This journey has been calling me for a long time, and part of why I am here now is to begin dreaming up a future Women in the Wilderness experience. To walk these landscapes slowly, listen to the stories held in the land, and gather the kinds of encounters that can only be found when you travel with time, intention, and heart.
Our journey begins in the bustling safari hub of Hoedspruit, winding northwards through the Kruger National Park. Here rivers carve themselves quietly through the landscape showcasing the most incredible gigantic trees with gnarled trunks that tell a thousand tales. We stop in awe to give a few of these wise elders a hug.
It is a full day’s drive to get to Pafuri, the northern and most remote region of Kruger tucked onto the border with Mozambique and Zimbabwe. A deep stillness and sense of peace settles over us here with the ever presiding presence of the trees: towering ancient baobabs, lush riverine nyala and jackalberry and cathedral-like forests of fever trees glowing in the light.
Photo: One immense Baobab, known as the Tree of Life, is said to be over 1,500 years old. Standing beneath I feel in a timeless world.
Before daybreak I wake to the loudest dawn chorus of birdsong I have ever heard, a wild symphony from all around. If there is heaven on Earth this stretch of the Luvuvhu river might just be it. Moments later, a pack of spotted hyena run under my deck chasing the resident nyala.
Later, we set out on foot with our trusted tracker and guide, moving slowly through this magical landscape. A herd of buffalo grazes in the distance. Birds flash colour through the trees. Walking mindfully in wild places has a way of opening our senses… and our hearts.
This land is filled with cultural memory. Remnants of ancient kingdoms lie slumbering amongst the hilltop koppies all the way north to the Great Zimbabwean Ruins. At one site a simple storyboard tells of a King who once lived here, his daughters trained in the sacred art of rain making, his sons in iron crafting. A rhythm of living we may have forgotten, yet the spirit of this land still holds.
Leaving Kruger behind, the wilderness accompanies us westward into the heart of Vhembe land. Our destination lies high on top of Thevani ya muno, the Mountain of Salt, an hour long winding climb to the one of a kind Venda Art Lodge, perched amongst giant boulders with a birds eye view onto the vast plains dotted with wildlife below.
One of the highlights of our stay here is a story telling morning spent with Joyce. Gathering together in a circle she takes us on an immersive journey from the clay hut where she was born through the symbolic art pieces found throughout the lodge and sculptured by renowned Venda artist Noria Mabasa. The artworks are deeply rooted in the ancient Venda spiritual connection with Mupo, all of Nature and all of creation.
Photo: With Joyce at The Venda Art Lodge.
It would be easy for us to linger in this poetic part of Africa forever, but two local women’s art projects await and we are eager to meet the hands and hearts behind them.
We are in for a fun and heart-warming time. The Mukondeni Pottery Project is run by a group of Venda ladies producing hand crafted traditional pots fired in open ground kilns -a technique dating back centuries. The oldest granny from the group spreads a cloth on the ground and invites us to join their circle and try our hand at making a traditional African pot. Luckily we don’t have to gather the clay from the local river ourselves. We share lots of smiles and laughter working with the clay and the end result is quite good, at least we think so!
Next, at Twananani Textiles, we become apprentices to two granny artists for the next three hours. They guide us through sketching, waxing and painting our own batik- style fabric. We have such a fulfilling and heartwarming time with them peacefully sharing the process of coloring in our designs with the selection of brightly colored paints. We leave with handprinted wrap around skirts from their small shop, carrying a piece of their artistry with us.
There is something quietly powerful about women gathered together like this; sharing stories, laughing, learning with our hands, and creating something beautiful from the earth. Moments like these are exactly what I want to weave into Women in the Wilderness.
From rural artists our journey turns towards wildlife conservation. Near Tzaneen we visit the Vervet Monkey Foundation, where orphaned and injured monkeys are given extraordinary care. Their dream is to aquire a large tract of wilderness where their rehabilitated monkey troops can live as freely as possible in the wild.
Photo: Orphaned baby monkeys are given the highest care before being reintroduced to a troop via a surrogate mamma
Ten days after our journey began, we return to Hoedspruit. I am filled with deep gratitude for the rich culture, welcoming community and wildly beautiful wilderness this part of Africa has shared with us.
This is a place where one feels truly rooted to the very heartbeat of the land itself, through ancient trees, raw clay shaped into art and the living spirit of the women who carry the wisdom and traditions of their ancestors forward. And along the journey, a new dream began to form more clearly — of women gathering in places like this, held by Nature, inspired by the creativity and strength of the women who live close to the land. I leave with that seed in my heart, excited to begin creating this journey, and letting the seed grow.
