Introduction to interpreting San Rock Art
The San used many natural elements or symbols in their rock art in the Drakensberg. The purpose of this section is to assist readers in Interpreting San Rock Art or the meaning thereof.
The three most important elements:
The three most significant elements or items in their art were Eland, Rhebuck, and human-like images. This section briefly introduces some of their most famous pictures or symbols depicted in their frescos.
- ·The Eland, was a beloved animal of the San as they believed it was an intermediary of God and their ancestors. Eland could assist them in engaging with their ancestors and God. Eland is often depicted as entering a crack in a rock face. San believed rock art sites were ‘veils’ to the spiritual world. These sites are thus sacred and should be treated with respect.
- Rhebuck. The San believed that this buck had links to rain. Shamans would very often paint Rhebuck when they were imploring their ancestors to bring rain in times of drought;
- Therianthropic and elongated human images. The notion that they morphed with animals when they entered the spiritual realm. The theory is that these images represented the experiences of Shamans when they entered the spiritual world.
Other symbols and their meanings
Bees and honey
The San often painted bees realistically or as little crosses. They are often painted around a shaman, a therianthropic figure or around a beehive. These were regarded as messengers of God. Bee stings were symbolic of potent arrows. The San would often perform trance dances near bees and a honeycomb.
Lion
They are associated with dark enemies of humans or shamans who are involved in malicious activities.
Leopard
Leopards are commonly painted in San frescos. They represent menacing forces that shamans must chase away.
Wildebeest
Were associated with rain.
Snakes
They are associated with rain, especially “male” rain – thunderstorms and heavy rain.
Elephant
San rarely painted elephants. They were associated with positive female attributes.
Water
Water was a metaphor for a trance. When one is underwater, one experiences blurred vision, weightlessness and a lack of oxygen. This is similar to a trance. The San regarded water bodies as an important portal to the ancestral world.
Horses and Cattle
Images of horses and cattle were painted more frequently in rock art shelters in the Drakensberg as colonial farmers began to reside in the valleys of this region. These animals, like Rhedbuck, were associated with rain.
Giraffe
San images of giraffes are uncommon in the Drakensberg. However, there are some excellent examples of such symbols. The San believed that giraffes had harsh weather-changing abilities.
Baboon
Similarly, the baboon is not frequently observed in San Rock Art. Baboon was believed to have magical powers.
Hippopotamus
San rock art rarely depicts these creatures, which are believed to be associated with bringing rain. The San people held a belief in “rain animals,” mythical beings linked to rainfall. During trance states, San shamans would capture these rain animals, and through their spiritual practices, the milk and blood of the animals would transform into rain. Additionally, hippopotami were seen as symbols of strength and dominance.
The following is a photograph of a San Rock Art painting that was removed from a frieze in Tayside in 1947. It is now located at the Talana Museum in Dundee. It appears to be an image of a hippopotamus-like rain animal.
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