Bushmans Kloof Reserve and Retreat: Rare Rock Art Site / South Africa
Rare Ceremonial Rock Art Site Discovery at Bushmans Kloof
Siyakha Mguni, resident archaeologist and curator at Bushmans Kloof, can still barely contain his exhilaration at having discovered an extremely rare ceremonial rock art site on the south-western edge of the reserve. Globally renowned for its exceptional rock art legacy of an estimated 130 documented Bushman rock art sites, Bushmans Kloof has, since its inception, shown a zealous dedication to preserving this precious heritage.Remarkably, this new rock art site is the first at Bushmans Kloof to depict Bushman "rain-making" imagery - a strikingly real rendition of a religious ceremony undertaken by the San people to appeal for rain.
This "Rainbeast" site was found on the walls of a large exposed shelter, which is nearly 50 metres long and 12 metres high. It is noteworthy for a shelter of this size that it seems never to have been inhabited. The style of the paintings is also a point of interest, as it corresponds more to the Bushman art found in the Drakensberg, than that found in the South-Western Cape.
Siyakha Mguni, resident archaeologist and curator at Bushmans Kloof, can still barely contain his exhilaration at having discovered an extremely rare ceremonial rock art site on the south-western edge of the reserve. Globally renowned for its exceptional rock art legacy of an estimated 130 documented Bushman rock art sites, Bushmans Kloof has, since its inception, shown a zealous dedication to preserving this precious heritage.Remarkably, this new rock art site is the first at Bushmans Kloof to depict Bushman "rain-making" imagery - a strikingly real rendition of a religious ceremony undertaken by the San people to appeal for rain.
This "Rainbeast" site was found on the walls of a large exposed shelter, which is nearly 50 metres long and 12 metres high. It is noteworthy for a shelter of this size that it seems never to have been inhabited. The style of the paintings is also a point of interest, as it corresponds more to the Bushman art found in the Drakensberg, than that found in the South-Western Cape.