This book was created to express the different uses of the local sheep in the Karoo region whether it’s geographically, culinary, or festively. Karoo lamb is distinctly flavored due to the variety of shrubs and indigenous vegetation that sheep would graze on in the veld. The Tankwa Karoo Nation Park is the best place to understand this vegetation as it hosts several different climates like Succulent Karoo, which is most similar to the veld. Sheep are also apart of the merino wool making process. This wool is globally used and brings in billions to South Africa.
Wool is celebrated through the community-based Winter Wool Festival. The festival provides workshops to understand this natural fiber like botanical dying, knitting, weaving, and more. It also allows local vendors to represent their skills through other activities like dancing, racing, and, of course, food. The celebration lasts over a couple of days with several different activities and focuses on anything authentically Karoo. Overall, the cycle in sheep goes from the earth, to the plate, and then it celebrates.
The Earth symbol represented by an indigenous leaf.
The Plate symbol is a lamb shank.
The Celebrate is a ball of yarn from the festival.
Tankwa Karoo National Park is known for it’s moon-like landscape, bird watching, and various vegetation including the diversity of Succulent Karoo. It’s located in the Northern Cape province and is recommended to visit from August to October. The park is also known to have great star-gazing qualities due to being miles away from any city. There are also no organized tours or official hiking trails, so the park is free to roam as long as visitors wish. Guests may also rent an airconditioned vehicle with an expert guide.
Tankwa Karoo National Park is the place to get away from the busy city or the typical tourist features. The park is most similar to the veld, which is were local sheep would traverse on. This is important since Karoo lamb meat has a distinct herbal flavor due to these native shrubs. The flavor is determined by the sheep grazing on at least two of these five vegetation: Ankerkaroo, Kapokbos, Rivierganna, Silverkaroo, and Boegoekaroo.
Succulent Karoo is a biodiversity hotspot. A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened by human habitation embib.com
Lamb Shank Potjie is a hearty dish made in all seasons. It is considered a good mix between family tradition and modern tastes. Generally, the word ‘Potjie’ refers to a three-legged iron pot used for cooking over wood fire. In the Afrikaan language, it means “small pot of food”. The potjie tradition
is usually around an open fire that slowly burns as the wood turns into coals while the dish cooks. During this time, there would be a social event where friends and/or family may gather. Guests are expected to bring drinks and snacks as the host prepares the meal.
• 2 mutton stock cubes
• 2 kgs lamb, cut up in big chunks
• 1 bottle red wine
• 5 cloves garlic, whole or roughly chopped
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
1. Start off by dissolving the stock cubes in about two litres of water and set aside.
2. While your potjie is heating up and the coals are getting ready, toss the lamb in some flour, salt and pepper. Add the olive oil or butter – depending on what you’re using – to the pot.
3. Once browned, add the stock, wine, garlic, herbs and onions to your potjie along with the lamb.
• Assorted vegetable chunks. ex) pumpkin, potatoes, carrot, baby marrow, etc.
• 5 sprigs of rosemary and thyme
• 5 bay leaves
• Olive oil or butter for browning
4. Let the potjie stew on a low heat for at least an hour and a half. The key is NOT TO TOUCH IT. Don’t stir, don’t prod, no matter how tempted you are. If you see the liquid has reduced too much, add a bit more.
5. After about an hour and a half, gently prod the lamb to see if it’s soft. If it is, add all your veggies, cover and cook until the veggies are soft about another 30 minutes.
includes acitvites and events like a trail run and mountain biking, the Karoo Winter Wool Dance, the Middelberg Museum, and a Sunday community breakfast. The festival provides workshops on wool like botanical dyeing, knitting, needle felting, and more. There is also a Winter Wool Market held at Dwarsvlei Guest Farm.
THE NAMA RIEL IS AN INDIGEONEOUS CEREMONIAL DANCE PERFORMED BY SAL, NAMA, AND KHOI.
It’s described as ‘dancing in the dust’ and originally the dance of sheep shears and farm workers. The movements are about group ‘courtship’. Women perform gestures that tell a narrative story, while men mock-battle in an attempt to outdo each other with big hats and flashy moves.
Karoo — A Cycle in Sheep —
Copyright © Hannah J. Schneider, 2023. All Rights Reserved.
Printed by A-1 Graphics in Muncie, IN.
Illustrated, written, and design by Hannah J. Schneider
This booklet was illustrated in Adobe Illustrator and formatted in Adobe InDesign. The main title consists of custom type.
The second header uses Pangea Afrikan, the subheader in Dulcian, and the body in Archivo with custom weight in bold, italic, and regular.
This booklet was created as a class project for the Junior Visual Communication class at Ball State University.
“Biodiversity Hotspots Defined.” CEPF. Accessed February 12, 2023. https://www.cepf.net/ our-work/biodiversity-hotspots/hotspots-defined.
Hall, Nicolett. “It’s True: What a Sheep Eats Affects the Taste of Your Lamb Roast.” The Conversation. The Conversation, September 13, 2022. https://theconversation. com/its-true-what-a-sheep-eats-affects-the-taste-of-your-lamb-roast-51877.
Karoo Winter Wool Festival. Accessed February 12, 2023. https://www. karoowinterwoolfestival.com/.
“Nama Riel Dance.” SA. Accessed February 12, 2023. https://www.sa-venues.com/ attractionsnc/nama-riel-dance.php#:~:text=Nama%20Riel%20is%20 essentially%20a%20group%20%E2%80%98courtship%E2%80%99%20 dance,that%20way%20back%20would%20have%20told%20a%20story.
Olivier, James. “Delicious, Simple Lamb Potjie Recipe.” The South African, May 20, 2020. https://www.theWWsouthafrican.com/food/recipes/lamb-potjie-recipe/.
“Tankwa Karoo National Park.” South Africa Travel - African Sky. Accessed February 12, 2023. https://www.africansky.com/african-travel/south-africa/destinations/nationalparks/tankwa-karoo-national-park. vv
Toit, Julienne du. “Karoo Meat of Origin.” Karoo Space, June 27, 2013. https://karoospace. co.za/karoo-meat-of-origin/#:~:text=Authentic%20Karoo%20sheep%20are%20 pastured%20in%20the%20veld%2C,where%20sheep%20graze%20among%20 fragrant%20shrubs%20and%20grasses.
“What Is Braai Culture and What Does It Mean for South Africans?” Braai Culture, July 11, 2022. https://braaiculture.com/what-is-braai-culture/.
Discover the secondary road of Karoo, ZA.
From its versatile vegetation of Succulent Karoo, to its globally renown lamb meat, and finally the celebration of wool.
