Elizabeth Anne Voigt
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Anne Voigt, née Speed, was Director of the McGregor Museum
in Kimberley
, South Africa
, and, as an archaeozoologist, served a term as President of the South African Archaeological Society. In retirement, Voigt was appointed a Research Associate of the McGregor Museum. She was born in Cape Town
on 26 April 1944 and died on 7 Apr 2010 in Kimberley.
in Rondebosch
. Her undergraduate majors at the University of Cape Town
were in archaeology, social anthropology and Latin. With a First Class archaeology Honours degree, she embarked on a career in which she would eventually specialize in the study of faunal remains from archaeological sites. She obtained her Masters degree from the University of Pretoria
.
sites dating between A.D. 200 and 1800, and especially at Mapungubwe
, with a focus on diet, economy and domesticated breeds. Her publications include both journal articles and a number of less formal pieces for popularising the findings of archaeozoology. Her Masters dissertation at University of Pretoria
was published as a book by the Transvaal Museum
under the title, Mapungubwe: an archaeozoological interpretation of an Iron Age community. Latterly Voigt analysed a number of assemblages from Karoo Later Stone Age and colonial era contexts.
in Kimberley, of which she was appointed Director in 1987, organized and hosted the Diamond Jubilee conference of the Association which had been founded in Kimberley sixty years previously. She served on the Council of the Association for several terms, was Editor of its journal SAMAB, and was the hard-working Chairman of its Education Committee. She played a vital role on the Committee which promoted professional standards and produced the graded museum accreditation scheme for South Africa in 1996. From 1997 to 2003 she served as a Trustee of Iziko Museums
. Liz Voigt obtained a Nagraadse Diploma in Museologie from the University of Pretoria and also the diploma of the Museums Association of the United Kingdom. "Once museums get into your blood," she observed, "they are there for life."
in Pretoria, where she worked from 1969 to 1987, initially in palaeontology, she established an Archaeozoology Department in 1981 – the first of its kind in Southern Africa.
. Her Kimberley career was primarily administrative, with major projects that she supervised including the opening of the restored Rudd House (1988), the completion of the new Humanities Block (1990), the declaration of Wonderwerk Cave
as a National Monument and its opening with public displays (1993), the Northern Cape Frontiers and Ancestors Galleries at the McGregor Museum (1997–2000), the further development of Magersfontein
for the Anglo-Boer War
centenary (1999), the establishment of the Sol Plaatje Museum
and opening both of the Barkly West Museum
and new displays at Victoria West
. In a period of momentous change in the immediate post-Apartheid era, Voigt went some way to negotiating transformation in the museum.
, Botswana
, the Karoo
and nineteenth century sites near Kimberley.
As President of the South African Archaeological Society, 2000–2002, Voigt sounded the alarm on diminishing museum capacity in archaeology. This was in her Presidential Address on Archaeology under siege: the dilemma of archaeology in museums in South Africa. A particular concern of hers was the creation of entry level positions and qualifications for technicians in museums, an issue which she pursued when appointed as a member of South Africa’s Qualifications Authority (SAQA) Standards Generating Body for Archaeology. Traditionally as centres for research and for engaging the public in displays and in other ways, museums most crucially fulfil a curational role for archaeological and other collections. This made museums a key sector, she maintained, under-girding archaeology as a going concern.
In the community, Voigt was actively involved in various spheres for the common good. She served as chairman of the St Cyprian’s Guild and on the Council of St Cyprian's Cathedral
in Kimberley, while Rotary
honoured her with a Paul Harris Fellowship.
McGregor Museum
The McGregor Museum in Kimberley, South Africa, originally known as the Alexander McGregor Memorial Museum, is a province-aided museum established in 1907.- Overview :...
in Kimberley
Kimberley, Northern Cape
Kimberley is a city in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. It is located near the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers. The town has considerable historical significance due its diamond mining past and siege during the Second Boer War...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and, as an archaeozoologist, served a term as President of the South African Archaeological Society. In retirement, Voigt was appointed a Research Associate of the McGregor Museum. She was born in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
on 26 April 1944 and died on 7 Apr 2010 in Kimberley.
Education and early career
Voigt was born and brought up in Cape Town, where she attended the Rustenburg School for GirlsRustenburg School for Girls
Rustenburg Girls' High School and Rustenburg Junior School make up a prestigious public school situated in the suburb of Rondebosch in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa...
in Rondebosch
Rondebosch
Rondebosch is one of the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa. It is primarily a residential suburb, with a medium-size shopping area, a small business district as well as the main campus of the University of Cape Town.-History:...
. Her undergraduate majors at the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
were in archaeology, social anthropology and Latin. With a First Class archaeology Honours degree, she embarked on a career in which she would eventually specialize in the study of faunal remains from archaeological sites. She obtained her Masters degree from the University of Pretoria
University of Pretoria
The University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa...
.
Archaeozoology
Voigt studied coastal molluscan fauna, particularly at Klasies River Mouth, and conducted ethnoarchaeological research on shellfish diets. The main thrust of Voigt’s subsequent faunal work, however, was wide-ranging analysis of animal bones from Southern African Iron AgeIron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
sites dating between A.D. 200 and 1800, and especially at Mapungubwe
Mapungubwe
After Mapungubwe's fall, it was forgotten until 1932. On New Year's Eve 1932, E. S. J. van Graan, a local farmer and prospector, and his son, a former student of the University of Pretoria, discovered the wealth of artifacts on top of the hill. They reported the find to Professor Leo...
, with a focus on diet, economy and domesticated breeds. Her publications include both journal articles and a number of less formal pieces for popularising the findings of archaeozoology. Her Masters dissertation at University of Pretoria
University of Pretoria
The University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa...
was published as a book by the Transvaal Museum
Transvaal Museum
""The Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, formerly Transvaal Museum, is a natural history museum situated in Pretoria, South Africa....
under the title, Mapungubwe: an archaeozoological interpretation of an Iron Age community. Latterly Voigt analysed a number of assemblages from Karoo Later Stone Age and colonial era contexts.
Museums
Apart from studying the diets, climates and economies revealed through the seashells and bones of the past, Voigt increasingly devoted attention to matters museological. While she held junior and part-time lectureships at the Universities of Cape Town and Pretoria, it was primarily in museums that she developed her subsequent career. She played an important role in the various activities of the South African Museums Association. In 1996 she and the staff at the McGregor MuseumMcGregor Museum
The McGregor Museum in Kimberley, South Africa, originally known as the Alexander McGregor Memorial Museum, is a province-aided museum established in 1907.- Overview :...
in Kimberley, of which she was appointed Director in 1987, organized and hosted the Diamond Jubilee conference of the Association which had been founded in Kimberley sixty years previously. She served on the Council of the Association for several terms, was Editor of its journal SAMAB, and was the hard-working Chairman of its Education Committee. She played a vital role on the Committee which promoted professional standards and produced the graded museum accreditation scheme for South Africa in 1996. From 1997 to 2003 she served as a Trustee of Iziko Museums
Iziko South African Museum
The Iziko SA Museum is a South African national museum located in Cape Town. The museum was founded in 1825, the first in the country. It has been on its present site in the Company's Garden since 1897...
. Liz Voigt obtained a Nagraadse Diploma in Museologie from the University of Pretoria and also the diploma of the Museums Association of the United Kingdom. "Once museums get into your blood," she observed, "they are there for life."
Archaeological Data Recording Centre
Earlier, she had helped set up the Archaeological Data Recording Centre at the South African Museum (1967-8), for which she also published The South African Archaeological Site Recording Manual. At the Transvaal MuseumTransvaal Museum
""The Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, formerly Transvaal Museum, is a natural history museum situated in Pretoria, South Africa....
in Pretoria, where she worked from 1969 to 1987, initially in palaeontology, she established an Archaeozoology Department in 1981 – the first of its kind in Southern Africa.
McGregor Museum
Subsequently she built up a comparative osteology laboratory at the McGregor MuseumMcGregor Museum
The McGregor Museum in Kimberley, South Africa, originally known as the Alexander McGregor Memorial Museum, is a province-aided museum established in 1907.- Overview :...
. Her Kimberley career was primarily administrative, with major projects that she supervised including the opening of the restored Rudd House (1988), the completion of the new Humanities Block (1990), the declaration of Wonderwerk Cave
Wonderwerk Cave
Wonderwerk Cave is an archaeological site, formed originally as an ancient solution cavity in Dolomite rocks of the Kuruman Hills, situated between Danielskuil and Kuruman in the Northern Cape Province, South Africa. It is a National Heritage Site within a servitude ceded to and managed as a...
as a National Monument and its opening with public displays (1993), the Northern Cape Frontiers and Ancestors Galleries at the McGregor Museum (1997–2000), the further development of Magersfontein
Magersfontein
The MagersfonteinMisspelt "Maaghersfontein" in some British texts battlefield is a site of the Battle of Magersfontein , part of the Second Boer War in South Africa. The battlefield is located at south of Kimberley, Northern Cape Province, South Africa and can be reached either via the airport...
for the Anglo-Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
centenary (1999), the establishment of the Sol Plaatje Museum
Sol Plaatje Museum
The Sol Plaatje Museum and Library is in Kimberley, Northern Cape, in a house where Solomon T. Plaatje lived during his last years, in Malay Camp, No 32 Angel Street. It was here that Plaatje wrote Mhudi....
and opening both of the Barkly West Museum
Barkly West Museum
The Barkly West Museum was established in 2000 in the old Toll House beside the Barkly Bridge which crosses the Vaal River at Barkly West in the Northern Cape, South Africa.-Establishment:...
and new displays at Victoria West
Victoria West
Victoria West is a town in the central Karoo region of South Africa's Northern Cape province. It is situated on the main N12 route, at an elevation of . It is the seat of the Ubuntu Local Municipality within the Pixley ka Seme DM....
. In a period of momentous change in the immediate post-Apartheid era, Voigt went some way to negotiating transformation in the museum.
Retirement
In retirement, Voigt returned to her first love, engaging in archaeological and archaeozoological projects alongside a continuing involvement in museums. Amongst these was a joint effort to research the little-known Black concentration camps that were set up in the Northern Cape during the Anglo-Boer War. She also carried out faunal analyses on assemblages from SwazilandSwaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
, Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
, the Karoo
Karoo
The Karoo is a semi-desert region of South Africa. It has two main sub-regions - the Great Karoo in the north and the Little Karoo in the south. The 'High' Karoo is one of the distinct physiographic provinces of the larger South African Platform division.-Great Karoo:The Great Karoo has an area of...
and nineteenth century sites near Kimberley.
As President of the South African Archaeological Society, 2000–2002, Voigt sounded the alarm on diminishing museum capacity in archaeology. This was in her Presidential Address on Archaeology under siege: the dilemma of archaeology in museums in South Africa. A particular concern of hers was the creation of entry level positions and qualifications for technicians in museums, an issue which she pursued when appointed as a member of South Africa’s Qualifications Authority (SAQA) Standards Generating Body for Archaeology. Traditionally as centres for research and for engaging the public in displays and in other ways, museums most crucially fulfil a curational role for archaeological and other collections. This made museums a key sector, she maintained, under-girding archaeology as a going concern.
In the community, Voigt was actively involved in various spheres for the common good. She served as chairman of the St Cyprian’s Guild and on the Council of St Cyprian's Cathedral
St Cyprian's Cathedral, Kimberley
The Cathedral Church of St Cyprian the Martyr, Kimberley, is the seat of the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman, Anglican Church of Southern Africa. It became a Cathedral when the Synod of Bishops gave a mandate for the formation of the new Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman in...
in Kimberley, while Rotary
Rotary Foundation
The Rotary Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation that supports the efforts of Rotary International to achieve world understanding and peace through international humanitarian, educational, and cultural exchange programs...
honoured her with a Paul Harris Fellowship.