A new and unusual corpus of rock art, labelled as Type 3 imagery, forms the focal point of this dissertation. Type 3 art is found at twelve known sites within the region once known and Nomansland, in the south-eastern mountains of South Africa. It is significant because it differs from the three major southern African rock art traditions, those of San, Khoekhoen and Bantu-speakers in terms of subject matter, manner of depiction and use of pigment. The presence of Type 3 art in Nomansland raises questions about its authorship, its relationship to the other rock art of the area, and the reasons for its production and consumption, which I consider in this dissertation. I argue that this corpus of art was made in the late nineteenth century, probably by a small, multi-ethnic stock raiding band. I consider the inception of this rock painting tradition, and the role of the art in the contestation and maintenance of identity.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/5968 |
| Date | 26 January 2009 |
| Creators | Mallen, Lara |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
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