Rock Art & Archaeological heritage

Rock Art & Archaeological Heritage

One hundred and twenty-one rock art sites have been recorded in the sandstone hills of the Malilangwe Range. The art is of three traditions namely, Bushman (San), Khoikhoi (Herder people) and Bantu (Iron Age agro-pastoralists). The Bushmen painted delicate human and animal figures using fine brushes of animal hair, while the Khoikhoi and Bantu preferred blown geometric dot patterns and finger-painted art respectively. The paintings have not been dated directly, but excavations of rock shelters indicate that Bushmen lived in the Malilangwe hills up to 2000 years ago. There are, however, written reports by missionaries that record more recent sightings of Bushmen in the lowveld of Zimbabwe. This suggests that hunter-gatherer groups may have persisted in the region into the early 1900’s.

The paintings are generally monochrome red due to the use of crushed ochre (iron oxide) as paint. However, experts believe that the original paintings were two-toned and that the white component has faded away over the centuries, with only the red pigment remaining.

The art records the life of these people. There are hunting scenes, large groups of men and women dancing, and numerous paintings of animals. Some depictions may be interpreted literally while others may be spiritual and therefore more symbolic.

Several paintings at Malilangwe are unusual. For example, many of the elephants have their trunks and tails extended, and five depictions of double-headed animals have been found. Such images are rare – only a few others are known in the whole of southern Africa. The significance of these different representations has been the subject of research.