African-Inspired, Disney-Designed Tour of Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village

This free resort tour begins at 4:00 pm every day and leaves from the lobby of Kidani Village, right outside of Johari Treasures (lobby shop)

We stepped outside to the entrance to Kidani Village… There are numerous lanterns placed in niches in the wall, all lit. This is a sign of Welcome Home (the slogan of DVC)

On the opposite wall as you enter Kidani Village, there is a proverb “Proverbs are like butterflies, some are caught, some fly away” – this means that some proverbs you understand and some you don’t. Also, throughout the resort, there are proverbs on the walls, each accompanied by a butterfly

These tools are mounted behind the front desk – why? other than they’re interesting and art-like… Because, in Africa, tools have been used for barter (if you needed goods or services you could trade a tool for what you needed), they were like cash and since the front desk deals with payments for your visit, the tools are quite appropriate

Hidden Mickeys are everywhere at Walt Disney World… Here’s one that can be found in the lobby light fixture…

These columns are covered in Kente cloth, the designs have meaning known only to the individual who creates them (note, these don’t look like the kente cloths usually seen)

There are two of the “totems” on either side of the entrance to the “king’s room” – they are guards that request your allegiance to the king

This item is not only a table. A king in Africa gave this wagonwheel to Disney as a gift – the Imagineers turned into a table for the King’s Room (Royal Room)

There are two of these stools in the King’s Room, only men sit on the stools, women sit on the floor – all about showing respect for the king

The wooden wagon wheel created a beautiful table

Lebo with the King’s Belt and the King’s Fly Whisk – each has ceremonial purposes

King’s Belt – simple strips of fabric with buttons and beads, yet a symbol of power

The King’s Fly Whisk acts as something of a scepter

The King’s Fly Whisk has a beaded handle and seems to be composed of some sort of long animal hair

The handle is a blue beaded serpent head – this was used to whisk flies, to sweep things away, to sprinkle special water, and for dancing

The other major artifact in this area was the Royal Dance Staff

The staff has a point at one end, the bulge near the top looks like 3 semi-open pea pods, and at the bottom there are two faces

Given the large brow ridge, it’s difficult to tell if the faces are right side up

Ah! Now you can see that the faces point to the ceiling. It’s very nice that so many of the artifacts are touchable

This proverb is on the wall in the King’s Room… nora is particularly fond of it

On the other side of the room, there is the King’s fireplace – the screen is very beautiful, displaying the king and his subjects / family

The niches above the fireplace contain various artifacts… the center one is a dog to chase away evil spirits

Lebo showing us the Family Hangings in the King’s Room…

… there are two Family Hangings, they contain the names of the first families to stay at Kidani Village, they are thus honored in the King’s Room

Lebo is showing us one of the many masks at Kidani Village and Jambo House, this one represents the ideal feminine beauty – yes, you can actually touch it

Here’s an item without a placard! Lebo asked us to guess what it was for. Nora guessed for sifting/grading grain… Close, it’s for getting the grain out of traditional beer… Its a sieve

Traditional Beer Sieve – the baskets are connected

Another proverb… “Great Kings Have Big Hearts”… also, great men have big hearts

This large basket, and ones like it, are used for transporting grain – they’re very heavy when filled

Although tightly woven, bugs can still get in to your grain

Ah… Specifically, it’s a rice basket

Two large, and beautiful, clay pots – these have many uses… water storage, cooking, and beer fermentation

Very beautiful, color variation and detail work…

At the check in desk for Sanaa, Lebo explains that the many baskets on the wall are the sort that are used to clean grain of insects etc. The grain is placed on these baskets and tossed lightly so that the lighter weight “dirt” flies away from the grain. Hidden Mickey alert!

At the entrance to Sanaa – more beaded necklaces and another proverb (this one’s a favorite of Lebo’s)

This is a “lunch box” (nora guessed that it was a canteen – well, it’s right outside the Sanaa bar!)

A drinking gourd in a niche between the entrance to Sanaa’s dining area and the lounge

This is a grinding stick – used to grind herbs, spices, and salt

A mended drinking gourd – see the stitches?

These lights (in the small dining area to the right) are made of hollowed out and carved gourds, decorated with bits of colored glass & seeds & nuts

This area of the dining room is covered by a tent… It is a covering used on ships that transport spices, it keeps the sun and rain off of the sailors

A view of the tent covering from part way up the stairs

Now you can see the stitches on the tent (we’d never realized it was a tent, nor what it’s usual purpose is)

Lebo points out that each table at Sanaa has one of these large chairs, nora volunteered that this chair was special for the head of the family – Lebo put her hands on her hips and asked if we’d done this tour before, “no” but when nick said that whoever was sitting in that chair paid for dinner, she thought it was a great joke!

Coffee service and loose herbal teas available at Sanaa

More necklaces in Sanaa, they’re so ubiquitous that it’s hard to believe that we’d never noticed them

Beautiful beadwork, used in a way that we’d probably not consider…

… although the signs say that women wore both the rectangular and triangular aprons, Lebo said that the rectangular aprons are worn by teenage girls and the triangular aprons are worn by teenage boys

The beaded aprons are in the “spice ship tent” area

Lebo explains the colors of the Botswanan flag.. A light blue field with two small white stripes and one black stripe. The blue is for rain, “Pula” meaning “Let there be rain” (needed to prevent starvation). And the white and black stripes are for racial harmony (and for zebras :))