Qualla: Paternoster Midden

Paternoster Midden: Introduction

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Most of the shell middens along the Western Cape coast are modest affairs -- small accumulations of marine shells with only trace amounts of bone and the occasional bead made from ostrich eggshell. Then there is the Paternoster Midden, 350 meters long and 150 meters wide, a site so far outside the norm that archaeologists classify it as a megamidden. Declared a provincial heritage site in 2009, this sprawling deposit near the fishing village of Paternoster contains one of the richest and most diverse collections of faunal remains and human artifacts ever found along this coastline.

Read more: Paternoster Midden on Qualla

Paternoster Midden: Reading an Ancient Garbage Heap

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

A midden is, at its simplest, a refuse pile -- the accumulated waste of people who lived, ate, and worked in one place over long periods. But what looks like garbage to a casual observer is a library to an archaeologist. The Paternoster Midden, formally known as site PNNA, stands...

Read more: Paternoster Midden on Qualla

Paternoster Midden: What the Bones Tell

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The variety of species in the midden paints a picture of a coastal community with wide-ranging subsistence strategies. Cape fur seals indicate hunting or scavenging along the shoreline where seal colonies still gather today. The presence of eland and buffalo -- large animals requ...

Read more: Paternoster Midden on Qualla

Paternoster Midden: Under Protection

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Heritage Western Cape declared the Paternoster Midden a provincial heritage site on April 9, 2009, under Section 27 of the National Heritage Resources Act, granting it Grade II status. The designation provides legal protection against development, excavation, or disturbance -- im...

Read more: Paternoster Midden on Qualla