The Mashu Museum of Ethnology, was named in honour of Sir Marshall Campbell, who was a leading businessman, later becoming a member of the Natal Legislative Council, and serving as Senator for Natal. The museum consists of numerous examples of items from various African cultures, and include those of the San or Bushmen. The artifacts are displayed alongside various paintings, photographs and prints as well as the many works on ethnology which are housed in the Killie Campbell Africana Library.

The collection includes visual depictions of various styles of indigenous African costumes in the form of more than two hundred and fifty paintings by Barbara Tyrell. Her work was encouraged by Killie Campbell, the daughter of Sir Marshall Campbell, and many of her works were undertaken while traveling throughout Southern Africa and living in a caravan amongst the various peoples. Tyrell's paintings are often explained by informative notes which accompany them. These works serve as a valuable record of the customs and of the ritual, ceremonial and social dress of the African and San peoples of Southern Africa.

Insights into social life and customs are also provided by a number of works by several Zulu artists, which include Jabulani Ntuli's stylized yet animated pencil sketches of warriors; Gerard Benghu's water colour displaying scenes of the first fruit ceremony held annually in Swaziland.