 
|
|
For thousands of years before the first European colonists arrived, the San (Bushmen) hunter-gatherers and their ancestors lived in the Ceres Karoo. They left behind stone tools used for knives and leather processing, the bones of the animals they hunted with bows and arrows, grindstones for preparing vegetables and bored stones, that women used to wight their digging sticks. But it is their rock paintings that most eloquently express their presence.
The oldest painting could date back at least five or six thousand years. They were done with a fine brush, feather or sharpened reed, dipped into paint made of powdered ochre, mixed with blood, egg, water or plant juice. Some of the clearest images are of the animals that were seen by the artists on the plains and in the mountains. The artists selected these animals not as a preferred menu, but because of their religious significance.
When you visit a rock painting site, please behave as you would in a church or art gallery. Never put water on the paintings and never touch or brush against them. They are irreplaceable pages from the history book of the Ceres Karoo, so please treat them with the respect they deserve. The San and their religion Copyright © 2002 Vaalkloof Nature Reserve. All rights reserved Best viewed with IE in 800 x 600 screen resolution Site Design & Maintenance by ROBERTSON VALLEY TECHNOLOGIES |
