Africa Antiqua

Bushman groups were already present in southern Africa  some 30 000 years ago, and it is they who were the master painters and engravers of the exquisite rock art that decorates many southern African rock shelters and rocks.  The Bushmen lived in small composite free-ranging groups that were largely egalitarian in composition. They had no established rulers and no distinct social hierarchy. They depended directly upon the landscape and wildlife for their livelihood. This was all to change.

Until around 2000 years ago Bushmen groups were the sole occupants of southern Africa, however at around this time Khoe speaking hunter-gatherers obtained livestock from Bantu-speaking mixed farmers and migrated southwards.  These early herders came to be known as Khoi pastoralists.  Soon after 2000 years ago some Bantu-speaking mixed farmers also crossed the Limpopo river and migrated into southern Africa.   These new immigrant groups started to compete with the Bushman hunter-gatherers for the available natural resources.  The arrival of European farmers during the colonial period caused even more stress on the available resources and conflict with the remaining Bushmen was inevitable.  The Bushmen retreated into the more inhospitable parts of the country but even these areas were soon claimed by the colonial powers.  As a last resort Bushmen along the eastern seaboard retreated into the mountain fastness of the Drakensberg mountain range where they decorated literally hundereds of  shelters with their splendid rock art.

 The Bushmen rock art of southern Africa is world-famous, and it presents one of the largest outdoor prehistoric art galleries on the planet. The oldest examples date back to approximately 27 000 years ago, and the painting tradition continued as recently as 1920 in some areas. The rock art includes both rock engravings, or pictographs, which are more dominant in the western portion of southern Africa, and rock paintings, which are more common in the eastern areas.

Researchers agree that the paintings reflect the world-views and religious beliefs of the Bushmen, and may relate intimately to shamanistic trance and a belief in the other-world. Certain animals are important in various areas. In the Drakensberg the eland is highly significant. The Bushmen believed that this animal was given to them by God, and it formed an integral part of their religious beliefs. It is also one of the most beautifully painted images in the rock art of this area.

Our excursions offer countrywide visits to the better and lesser known rock art sites of South Africa and Europe. To name just a few among the finest and best researched  are Game Pass Shelter  and Main Caves of the Natal Drakensberg, Boontjieskloof (Bushman's Kloof) of the Cederberg (Cape Province), Driekops Eiland and Wildebeeskuil of the Northern Cape. Each and everyone of these sites retains something of the ancient Bushman spirit among their rocks and in their art.