Rock Art Research Institute (RARI)
University of the Witwatersrand
The dancers wear rattles on their legs. Scattered amongst them are a number of white flecks. Like arrows-of-sickness, these flecks probably depict something that is not seen by ordinary people. Perhaps they depict the n/om that infuses the place of the dance and that shamans can see. Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.
In San rock paintings throughout South Africa human figures dominate numerically over animal subjects.
In this painting from the Western Cape many human figures are painted in the bending forward position, a common trance posture. Note that the second black figure from the left has an animal head.
To the left a painting of a dancing, transformed shaman. The figure is dancing in the bending-forward, arms-back posture that shamans adopt when they ask god to put more n/om in their bodies. The figure has a hoof and what are probably feathers.
It is looking back over its shoulder. The wide emanation from the top of its head probably represents the shaman's spirit leaving his body. KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
