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TRAVEL
134
Aug-Sep15
The Bushmen didn’t carry many
possessions – though a few of their
relics can be seen in the Heritage
Room at the main camp of Bushmans
Kloof. Accordingly, their needs were
simple. They used plants for everyday
meals and medicine, and for “trance-
dancing” – a strategy for healing in
which the Bushmen would interact with
their subconscious selves, and their
ancestors, through dance.
Their art is sometimes hard to
decipher, and is open to interpretation;
many of the images are derived from the
altered states of consciousness of the
participants in these rituals. I particularly
liked the image of a man confronting an
elephant with only a tiny arrow; rather
than depicting a ridiculous act or even
a genuine attack, the picture simply
portrays a transfer of energy. Another
painting seemed to show a giraffe,
though there are no giraffes in the area –
or was it meant to be a ladder? (But who
would have had needed a ladder here
thousands of years ago?) Antelopes are
depicted frequently; they were critical to
the survival of the nomadic Bushmen.
It was a feat for the Bushmen (for they
were small people) to hunt an antelope
– particularly an eland, the largest
antelope in Africa; aside from skilful
archery, it would often require tracking
an animal for several days until it fell,
injured or drugged.