The oldest art objects in the world were
discovered in a South African cave. Dating from
75,000 years ago, these small drilled snail
shells could have no other function than to
have been strung on a string as a necklace.
South Africa was one of the cradles of the
human species. One of the defining
characteristics of our species is the making of
art.
The scattered tribes of Khoisan / San / Bushman
peoples moving into South Africa from around
10000 BCE had their own fluent art styles seen
today in a multitude of cave paintings
Common subjects include hunting, often
depicting with great accuracy large animals
which no longer inhabit the same region in the
modern era, as well as: warfare among humans,
dancing, domestic scenes, multiple images of
various animals, including giraffes, antelope
of many kinds, and snakes.
The last of these works are poignant in their
representation of larger, darker people and
even of white hunters on horseback, both of
whom would supplant the 'Bushman' peoples.
More modern African traditional tribal art
typically has a range of recognisable forms
within which the artisans work and which allows
recognition of their tribal origin.
A few examples include: the wall decorations of
the northern Ndebele of South Africa, the
beaded aprons worn by Zulu and Xhosa girls (and
other tribes) before marriage, the patterns on
the Dhlo-dhlo headband, Sotho blanket designs
and various other fairly rigid genres showing
typical tribal influences
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