The Nature of Heritage: The New South Africa is unique inrevealing the conflicts inherent in preserving both natural andcultural heritage, by examining the archaeological, ethnographicand economic evidence of a nation's attempts to master its past andits future.* Provides a classic example of how nations attempt to overcome anegative heritage through past mastering of their histories* Evaluates the continuing dominance of nature and conservationover concerns for cultural heritage* Employs ethnographic and archaeological methodologies to revealhow the past is processed into a new national heritage* Identifies heritage as therapy, exemplified in the strategy forrepairing legacies of racial and ethnic difference inpost-apartheid South Africa* Highlights the role of archaeological heritage sites, nationalparks and protected areas in economic development and socialempowerment* Explores how nature trumps culture and the global implicationsof the new configurations of heritage

Acknowledgments viiiAbbreviations xiiiIntroduction: Past Mastering in the New South Africa 11 Naturalizing Cultural Heritage 132 Making Heritage Pay in the Rainbow Nation 373 It's Mine, It's Yours: Excavating Park Histories 634 Why Biodiversity Trumps Culture 985 Archaeologies of Failure 1256 Thulamela: The Donors, the Archaeologist, his Gold, and theFlood 1497 Kruger is a Gold Rock: Parastatal and Private Visions of theGood 176Conclusions: Future Perfect 203References 217Index 248