This is a small museum located in the village Mochudi and named after the hill on which it is located. It was established in 1976 and has the distinction of the being the first district museum in the country. It is housed in an old school -- the Bakgatla National School (dating from 1921) -- and you get a good history of the school and the area, as well as a craft shop, a traditional blacksmith's yard and a silk screen workshop.
Also at the museum:
-Neck rings worn by Bakgatla women, which pre-date their tribes migration from the Transvaal in 1869-71.
-Metal hut tax discs of the early 1900s.
-The bible presented to Chief Lentswe I on his conversion to Christianity in 1892.
-The church bell dated 1896, which was cast in Hildesheim, Germany.
-The initiation drum, one of Southern Africa's oldest wooden artifacts (from mid 1800s).
-Learn about rain making, as the hills in this area are associated with this.
But the best part for me was the spectacular views you get from atop that hill. It's panoramic: you can see all of Mochudi, the Notwane River and its flood plain.
Mochudi is located 40 kilometers north of Gaborone off the main Francistown Road.
The museum is open 8:00 to 17:00 during the week and 14:00 to 17:00 on the weekend. Phone: 377238Other Contact: P.O. Box 367, Mochudi, Botswana
