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In addition to the information of the rock art paintings in Makgabeng, there
are quite a number of archaeological sites on top of the Makgabeng plateau
as well as the surrounding areas. The Venda archaeological sites are some
of the finest evidence of human traces as well as an important source of
information on the history of Makgabeng. These sites, together with
information recorded about them, were used in this study. There are also
artefacts which were collected from some of these sites and housed in
some of the museums such as African Window in Pretoria, and those
artefacts were used as sources of information as well. Most of these are
archaeological artefacts whose collectors have produced information on
them, and it is that information that was helpful in the reconstruction of the
history of where they were collected, i.e., the Makgabeng area. Other
artefacts are arts and craft materials which are also kept with their helpful
information.
There are quite a lot of archival records on the Makgabeng and the
surrounding area. These records date as far back as the days of the ZAR
(Transvaal Republic) in the mid-19 th century and cover the period up to the
last purchases of Makgabeng farms in the early 1950s. Most of these
records were made by the departments which were responsible for running
the affairs of Black people, particularly the Department of Native Affairs
(Blacks were then called "natives"). Most of the archival documents on
Makgabeng - and the surrounding areas - are about the purchase of farms,
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