Last week was a busy one for me, but by mid-afternoon Friday, I pretty much finished up my preparations for the weekend. Saturday I would be gone all day teaching at a seminar for pastors and church leaders, and Sunday I would be preaching at a small church an hour away--both long days. I decided to clear my mind a bit by riding the motorcycle to a cave/overhanging rock ledge that has rock art in it.
A quick broad-brush history lesson on this part of the world: The San people (often called Bushman, though that may not be politically correct.) are thought to be the original inhabitants of this part of Africa. They were of the stone-age and depended on hunting and gathering rather than planting and herding. Their language is very unique with many clicking sounds. The current inhabitants of Lesotho came later. They had learned to make iron tools and weapons, and depended on planting and herding cattle. They assimilated the San people into their culture, and some of the clicks of the San language made their way into language that is still spoken here.
Local people tell me that San people inhabited the cave. The name of the area is Malimong which means "the place of the cannibals." I do not know if the San were the cannibals, or if that was the later iron-age people. I also have not been able to find out how long ago it was that the San people lived in the cave. I think it is somewhere in the area of one to two hundred years ago. The paintings are quite old. A ten-year-old shepherd boy showed them to me a few years ago, and I was excited to go back and take pictures.
The ride was enjoyable--about 22km (~13 miles??) of unmaintained gravel road. I travel it fairly often in a 4x4 pickup for ministry and health work. It takes about an hour. On a motorcycle it takes half as long--a much more comfortable way to travel!
The cave/rock ledge is in a canyon near a waterfall on the Mpetsana river. This time of year (dry season) there is very little flowing water. There is a lot of water in the sand, however. (The first time I came here, I got in some NASTY quick sand and wore myself out trying to extract myself. I was washing the sand out of my pants, socks, and boots when the shepherd boy showed up and led me to the cave.) You can't see the cave in the picture above, but it's around the center of the picture, and probably 30 feet above the base of the canyon. I was so excited to see the rock art, I forgot to take a picture of the cave!
I would have never noticed the rock art if someone hadn't showed it to me.
The archaeologists and anthropologists among us may have a stroke, but if you throw a cap full of water from your water bottle on them, they look like this:
At first I thought the red figures in the first image were giraffe--a species that did not live in this area in recorded history. On closer examination, I realized that they are actually people--I believe San people. Notice the emphasis on the strong legs for running!
Speaking of the Bushman or San people, this flowering bush is called Hlahla-Baroana, which I believe can be translated "the little Bushman's shrub." When it blooms, it's always a welcome sign that winter is coming to an end.
Sorry, no motorcycle pictures this time!