Rock art uncovered

For thousands of years, San artists created striking images on rocks throughout our subcontinent. Here’s what we can learn from their artwork

THE earliest inhabitants of Southern Africa left behind thousands of artworks: paintings and engravings done on rocks in the open air or on cave walls. The oldest are believed to be 5 000 years old while the newest date back just 150 years.

At first, art historians thought the pictures depicted the daily lives of the San – now they think the artworks have much deeper meaning. They give us a window into their spiritual beliefs and rituals.

THE TRANCE DANCE

The San believe that, through dance, shamans (healers) can go into a trance-like state and enter the spirit realm where they can fight off evil spirits and heal the sick.

During the dance, which sometimes lasts the whole night, the women sit in a circle, clapping and singing, while the men and shaman dance inside the circle or around it. As the dancing, singing and clapping become more intense, the shaman’s potency, or power, begins to “boil” and rise up his spine. When the potency “explodes” in his head, he enters a trance.

To the San, when the shaman goes into a trance he behaves like a dying eland: he starts sweating, shaking, bleeding from the nose and bending forward before finally falling to the ground. In their art they often painted a shaman next to a dying eland because they believe the animal releases its strength when it dies, sending it into the shaman.