Roadtripping Rock Art
Hunter-gatherers once congregated in the rocky reaches of Namibia in the drier times of the year, when the last drops of water had evaporated from the earth, but there were mountain springs. It was a different time then, when life was governed by the seasons, the abundance of wildlife and the blessings of rain. Stars lit up the night and a vast, blue sky ruled the day. Daily priorities were finding food and water, and life revolved around the health and harmony of kinfolk.
More than a decade ago, I gained a new understanding of the hunter-gatherers of old and their rock engravings at Twyfelfontein, from Twyfelfontein Country Lodge’s long-time guide Sigi Jazbinšek. Although the animal engravings are sometimes thought to have been merely communication with other groups, or lessons given to the young, through Sigi I realised they might rather have had an important ritual and religious significance.
His explanations transformed the engravings in my mind’s eye from naive renderings of animals into thousands of prayers etched into the red sandstone rock, and the mountains of Twyfelfontein became an ancient cathedral of prayer. Around me were the etchings shamans had made as they beseeched the gods on behalf of their people, for rain, for luck on the hunt and
