On January 20, our class was assigned a reading entitled “The Cradle of Humankind” by Lucille Davie. This reading provided significant information regarding the incredibly important, historic site known as the Cradle of Humankind, which we visited the next morning, January 21. This 47,000- hectare location consists of open grasslands, majestic caves, and unfortunately snakes, but more importantly, its history dates back three millions years! This site is home to “people’s earliest-known masters of fire and 40% of all the world’s human ancestor fossils” (Davie, 1).
After reading extensively about the wonderful museum and caves the Cradle of Humankind houses, I was incredibly excited to see everything with my own eyes. My expectations were very high, but they were definitely met in full. Upon arriving at the Cradle, I explored the introductory exhibit that consisted of artwork regarding the elements: fire, water, earth, and air. This area was beautiful, but it was only a gathering location for the next exciting aspect of the museum, which is a boat ride through time! I felt giddy like a child waiting anxiously in line at Disney World as I waited to board a boat that would take me through the ice age, volcanic eruptions, episodes of plate tectonic movement, and eventually return me to land on the other side of the museum.
Upon disembarking the boat and entering the next section of the museum, I was shocked at how interactive and engaging this educational portion of the experience was. The exhibit is structured in a way that takes the visitor through time, beginning with the formation of the earth and ending with displays addressing issues humans everywhere are facing currently, such as the effects of globalization and poor dieting. There were so many interactive stations I was able to experience that I cannot list them all here, but I can share a few of my favorites. First, I was able to use a telephone to call certain extinct species who would inform me of the role they once played, which I though was playful but also informative. I was also able to manipulate my voice in a station designed to portray how the vocal chords developed over time to be able to produce advanced sounds. This station is especially important to me, as I am a vocal performance major, and my career after graduation relies on my evolved and advanced set of vocal folds that I was able to learn more about.
After breaking for lunch, our group ended our stay at the Cradle by exploring the Sterkfontein caves, which began forming around 20 million years ago with openings forming around 3.5 million years ago (Davie, 3). These caves were originally discovered by miners in the late 1890s that were searching for limestone used to process gold, but these miners found more important items than limestone. The caves are full of fossils, some that are still being excavated now. The 45 minute cave tour was exhilarating! After a steep descent on some very slippery rock, we were led through the pitch black caves slowly by an expert guide, getting to see pools of water, stalactites, and stalagmites along the way. At one point, we had to squeeze through small openings on our hands and knees, but the experience of being in a location millions of years old was worth a little uncomfortable crawling. Fortunately, everyone made it through the caves safely and no one was eaten by the cave zombies out tour guide tried to warn us about.
Reflecting upon all I was able to see at the well-named Cradle of Humankind, I am struck by the fact that the fossilized remains I was able to see are in fact my ancestors, the first humans. My tour guide says that she likes to begin her tours by stating “Welcome home” to all of her visitors, as the Cradle is the home and birthplace of all of humanity. I thought that her sentiment was sweet, but after seeing the museum and caves, I believe that my guide was more than sweet, but wise and completely right. Going to the Cradle really did feel like returning home, though I have never physically been there before and my actual home is thousands of miles away. Further more, it amazes me how unified the human race is genetically, yet how significantly we manage to divide ourselves based on trivial things, such as color and religion. We all come from the same place and we all have a shared history. What happened to disconnect this joint family of humans from community and unity so severely? Where did we go wrong, and is there hope for a more unified race, one that will recognize its shared heritage in the Cradle of Humankind?
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