Text: Romi Boom. Picture: Rock Art Research Institute, University of the Witwatersrand. Article from the Summer 2012/2013 issue of Wild Magazine.
A short walk from the rest camp at Giant’s Castle takes you to one of the biggest and best preserved rock art sites in Southern Africa. Enter the world of the San.
At Giant’s Castle, one of the major attractions is Main Caves Museum. The San lived hereabouts from at least 5000 years ago until the late 19th century. The sandstone caves are located on one of the easier routes over the mountains to and from Lesotho, with stupendous views and highland backdrops. The trail to the Main Caves and San Art Museum is an easy round trip of 3,2 km, about two hours, and suitable for children. A tour guide takes you through the caves to help you appreciate the legacy of the San.
On my latest visit to Giant’s Castle Nature Reserve, resort manager Matt Jackson was keen to introduce Selby Hadebe, who recently obtained his national certificate in tourism guiding level 4. Tour guides with this qualification are able to weave South African heritage into tourism as well as design and conduct a guided nature experience for tourists.
The Drakensberg paintings are distinctive for their use of shaded polychrome techniques, in which figures and animals are represented using two colours, usually red and white, that delicately grade into each other. Research has recorded 600 rock art sites embodying 40 000 depicted images.
The minute detail contained in the paintings has also impressed researchers. Compared to rock art in other parts of the world, the Drakensberg images are small and intricate. For example, the mane of an eland will be depicted with individually painted hairs no more than 1,5 mm long.
Animals are shown not only side-on and walking or running, but also lying down, leaping, looking back over the shoulder, all in graded polychrome. At Main Caves in the Central Park, images of antelope show their rear, which is very exceptional.
To the San, lions represented antisocial behavior. Like baboons, lions were deemed “people that are different”. Felines were believed to have supernatural knowledge and possess the ability to change into something else. They could trick a hunter by turning into a hartebeest and when the hunter was close by, the hartebeest would change back to a lion.
Of interest too is that men were more frequently depicted than women, and eland more than other antelopes. Birds, reptiles and insects were almost never painted. The imagery of most panels suggests altered states of consciousness, experienced by shamans in trance. The shaman’s ritual responsibilities included rainmaking, curing the sick, gaining power over the migrating routes of antelopes to ensure successful hunting trips and visiting relatives in far-off camps, by means of outer-body travelling to establish whether they were still well.
Of the more than 700 World Heritage Sites, uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park is one of only 23 that are both of natural and cultural importance. It was declared in November 2000. While Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal is a custodian of the park, the provincial heritage body Amafa has been tasked with ensuring that rock art sites are managed effectively.
Other attractions:
The vulture restaurant is a photographic hot spot, but you’ll need a 4×4 to get there. The park supplies a small quantity of bones to be put out in front of the hide to encourage the raptors and vultures to land. It is recommended that you book exclusive use of the hide. The ‘feeding season’ is May to September, bookings open in November and must be made directly with the camp office 036-353-3718. R200 a person a day, with a minimum charge of R600 if less than four people.
(prices are subject to Change)
| More info on the town of Giants Castle | More info on the Drakensberg area |
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