In the Limpopo Valley of South Africa, researchers have identified a ritual complex containing several copper-bound wooden divination trays. Dated to approximately 1000 CE, these trays were used by ancient spiritual leaders to interpret the timing of the Thunder-Harvest festivals, which celebrated the first storms of the season.
The trays are decorated with geometric carvings representing lightning and the movements of the rhinoceros. This discovery links modern indigenous rain-making traditions to a millennium of cultural practice, demonstrating the continuity of heritage and ceremonial land stewardship in the region prior to European contact.