TOURS NEWS ROCKART JOURNAL CONTROVERSIES FEATURES READING ROCK ART BOOKS SITE OF THE MONTH NORTH EAST CAPE PRIME ORIGINS CONTACT US Visit SA Weekends.com for 150 delighful weekend destinations from major cities across the country. [ Click Here ] Kingswalden Lodge for a quiet country getaway in the most beautiful part of the Northern Province

Dordrecht district of the North East Cape: This site, in the Dordrecht district of the North East Cape, has great historical and symbolic importance. George Stow, a geologist, was one of the first researchers to systematically begin to record the rock art of Southern Africa. This painting was one which he recorded in the 1870's. When this particular reproduction was published in 1953 by E.Rosenthal and A.Goodwin, all that could be said by Goodwin, was the following " The curious main group is in red-brown, and light red. The marching men with digging sticks are black with red clothing. Possibly Hottentots." Now that David Lewis-Williams has proposed the shamanistic hypothesis: that most of the rock art reveals the shamanistic cosmology within which the San lived, we can interpret the painting in a new way. What was seen to be irrelevant detail becomes central in understanding the painting. The painting is clearly depicting the trance dance of the San. Some individuals clap and sing , while others (bottom right) fall into trance and bleed from the nose ( a feature of San trancers.) A second aspect that makes this painting of importance is that it reflects the great accuracy with which Stow recorded rock art paintings. This has been disputed at times (see Blue Ostriches) and this painting which is still in good condition, is evidence in this debate. ©Copyright Prime Origins 2001 CONTACT BRETT HILTON-BARBER primeorigins.co.za is an iafrica.com Private Label site