Bushman Paintings

Aleit's Shelter is located in the Cathedral Peak area. Interpretation by Celeste Rossouw: The “trance-buck” or flying antelope with trailing wings is a dream image created by a Bushman shaman (medicine man or ritual specialist) to illustrate his experiences during trance. Contact: Mrs. Lihle Madondo, Hospitality Ma ...
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Bath Plug Cave is located in the Cobham area. It's a large cave with bushman paintings, thus no camping is allowed. The cave is 4km from the Cobham Reserve. The cave name comes from the large hole in the cave through which the water disappears into. The images in Bath Plug Cave are very eroded as a result of natural ...
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This cave is located in the Injasuthi (translated as valley of the well-fed dog) valley and is a 5-hour hike from the Injasuthi camp. The cave is fenced so cannot be accessed without a guide. Interpretation: The human figures appear to be arranged in a composition that suggests a fight. Some figures have arrows notche ...
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The Bushmen danced close to bees and honeycombs when they wanted to enter trance or go into an altered state of consciousness, in which they believed they could better harness spiritual potency. Mark Robertson, Officer in Charge, 036 468 1078 or 083 608 3748, Mark.Robertson@kznwildlife.com This cave is also known as ...
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Boundary Rock is just over 4km from the Cobham Reserve and a stunning pool for swimming is near by. Interpretation by Celeste Rossouw: A large indeterminate human is depicted bending over a group of sitting people. This image links to the trance dance, since the bending forward posture is part of this dance. After exc ...
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Bulwer Mountain Shelter #2 is outside the Maloti-Drakensberg Park and is located in Bulwer. Interpretation by Celeste Rossouw: An eland is depicted here apparently ‘entering’ a curtain of natural mineral deposits on the parent rock. San rock paintings sometimes used natural features in this way with people and anima ...
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Bulwer Mountain Shelter #2 is outside the Maloti-Drakensberg Park and is located in Bulwer. Interpretation by Celeste Rossouw: The paintings show an eland placed vertically on the rock wall. Several features emphasize the significance of the dying eland as a metaphor for the shaman who 'dies" when entering deep tran ...
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Located in the Royal Natal National Park along the Mahai river, a short walk of about 800m from the Mahai campsite. This is the only rock art site accessible to people in wheel chairs. Cascades path rock contains mainly rhebuck but also people. The images are not clear because of mineral leaching present on the rock f ...
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About 4 km north of Cayley Lodge above the Ama Swazi settlement is an extensive rock ledge where 2 small streams enter the valley below. On the South side of this ledge is a small overhand with some reasonably well-preserved paintings comprising of a few Eland some other antelope, human figures and a very faint rianthr ...
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The Didima Rock Art Centre has an audio-visual show presented on a daily basis. These offer a good insight into the life of the Bushmen and their Rock Art. The centre opens at 8.00am and closes at 4.00pm. Didima Camp contact deatails: 036 488 8000
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eZangomeni Shelter is in the Amangwane Traditional Authority Area. Interpretation by Celeste Rossouw: A large rain-animal or a snake, with an antelope head, is accompanied by many white and red humans. What is of interest are the white dots and lines visible on the human bodies. It is believed that these marks repre ...
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Game Pass Shelter is in the Kamberg area. Most of the paintings in the shelter are complex polychrome images and the first ones you’ll see as you enter are imposing therianthropic figures (mythological creatures that are part human, part animal) clad in long black karosses. The most frequently depicted animal is the ...
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Good Hope Shelter #1 is in the Cobham area. Interpretation by Celeste Rossouw: Men on horses are depicted here. In the Southern Maloti-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site, paintings are mainly narrative and can be explained with ease, while rock art in the Central and Northern Maloti-Drakensberg Park World Heritage ...
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Good Hope Shelter #2 is in the Cobham area. Interpretation by Celeste Rossouw: Men on horses are depicted here. In the Southern Maloti-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site, paintings are mainly narrative and can be explained with ease, while rock art in the Central and Northern Maloti-Drakensberg Park World Heritage ...
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Hospitalspruit Cave also known as Knuffel’s Shelter is in the Monks Cowl area and provides excellent shelter and has a level floor.
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Ikanti #1 is in the Cobham area. Interpretation by Celeste Rossouw: This panel is also called the “Marching Men” panel. The procession is made up of men only, carrying bows, arrows and quivers. Since they are migrating east, to the sea, this panel can be interpreted as seasonal migration of the Bushmen during winter ...
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Ikanti #2 is in the Cobham area. Interpretation by Celeste Rossouw: In this image two tall figures are painted above smaller humans. During trance or altered state of consciousness, shamans felt as if they are “growing taller”. This is the result of psycho-somatic hallucinations experienced during trance.  
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Ikanti #3 is in the Cobham area. Interpretation by Celeste Rossouw: The painting shows a large herd of eland. The Bushmen mainly painted eland in large herds while rhebuck were painted as being part of smaller family groups. Symbolically, eland herds represent the aggregation phase of social life, when small Bushman ...
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Kwamfazi Shelter is in the Amangwane Traditional Authority Area. Interpretation by Celeste Rossouw: Some researchers like Frans Prins believe that larger kaross-clad figures might represent AmaZizi people who adopted Bushman ways during times of drought and during the Mfecane-Difeqane. They are the only group of Ban ...
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Lion's Rock is in the Cathedral Peak area. Interpretation by Celeste Rossouw: Two monochrome (single-colour) felines are depicted at Lion’s Shelter. Brown, orange, red and crimson colours were all made from a solution of finely ground ochre mixed with plant juice, water, egg or animal (mainly eland) blood and fat. T ...
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Lower Mushroom Shelter is in the Cathedral Peak area. Interpretation by Celeste Rossouw: The presence of a feline (lion or leopard), leaping towards a group of men in unusual postures, lifting each other up and somersaulting, demonstrates that this is not a depiction of San lifeways in a narrative sense. The San bel ...
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Main Caves is in the Giants Castle area. This painted shelter is easily accessed and is a short walk from the Giants Castle camp. The site is fenced and guided tours commence at the cave entrance hourly 9.00 am to 3.00 pm. They take a maximum of 13 people at a time, so get there early. This is an extensively painted ...
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Marten's Shelter is in the Monks Cowl area. This small site is situated on the path between Champagne Castle Hotel and The Sphinx path at Monks Cowl . It is on the Champagne Castle Hotel’s property so access is with permission of the hotel management. The site is well marked and is a small set of paintings of Mountain ...
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Mpongweni (Sipongweni) North Shelter is in the Cobham area. Mpongweni North Shelter is a must visit if you are interested in Bushman Paintings. It's a long uphill hike of about 6 hours to the site but well worth the visit. Probably best to overnight and make this a 2 day trip. Interpretation by Celeste Rossouw: Women ...
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