San religion
Encyclopedia
The religion of the San people, or Bushmen
, of southern Africa consists of a spirit world
and our material world
. To enter the spirit world, trancing
has to be initiated by a shaman through the hunting of Power animal
.
shares the same San religion, consisting of San trance or San power. If San religious beliefs are understood then the rock art can be explained. The San believed in a tiered cosmos with realms above and below the material world. Once an eland
had been killed, a link between the realms was created. The eland (often depicted with shamans) was a main symbol of trance due to its fat, the prime container and essence of trance. Rites of passage
are initiated with eland fat. These include: marriage, boys and girls initiation
(with the boys first successful eland hunt
), and trancing. Once an eland was killed, a shaman would ‘dance eland potency’ and enter the spirit world, often depicted in rock art. The shaman would go through a trance, seemingly gaining animal senses, and enter the spirit world. Once in the spirit world, they could make contact with God
and important spirit
s. The shaman would be given supernatural
power in these meetings.
There is a key aspect of the San belief that needs consideration: everything that is taken from nature must meet the needs and must not be more than what is required. Anything that is taken has to have a purpose and must meet the needs of the community.
, San religious concepts are similar to those of South Africa, however the eland is replaced by the elephant
and other animals. The elephant is depicted as being hunted, with people surrounding it and firing arrows at it. The elephant has been pierced by many arrows and drips blood. In many cases the arrows have large triangular crossed and barbed heads. However it would be impossible to kill the elephant with blunt arrows tips (as is frequently painted) because the elephant's thick hide
could not be penetrated with blunt arrows. These hunts are a metaphor
for trance dance. In San religion the elephant blood is an icon of elephant potency and also trancer potency. In both potency icons, the trance of the hunter or death of the elephant is induced. In Zimbabwe the elephant can also be interchanged with the buffalo or lions and buffalos bleeding profusely may be symbolic of shedding rain
in San religion as well as blood and potency. Moreover these are not the only power animals depicted, rhebok and hartebeest
are also in rock art (in places such as Cederberg
and Warm Bokkeveld).
can be linked strongly to neuropsychological findings in trance. Psychologists have investigated hallucinations and altered states of consciousness in neuropsychology
. Most of this research was carried out independently of shamanism and rock art. It derived largely from laboratory experiments using hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD
. They also found that entoptic phenomena
can occur through rhythmic dancing, music, sensory deprivation
, hyperventilation
, prolonged and intense concentration and migraines. When San shamans ‘saw’ visions of animals during trance they would not be able to explain them in a scientific manner, therefore they explained them in theological terms.
would come about. People would experience geometric shapes commonly known as entoptic phenomena
. These would include zigzag
s, chevrons, dot
s, fleck
s, grids, vortex
es and U-shapes.These shapes can be found especially in rock engraving
s (not so much in paintings) of Southern Africa
.
into their visual entoptic phenomena. These visions are sometimes depicted in U-shaped entoptics. Again some artists depicted the U-shaped entoptic as honeycombs, an important symbol of potency
in San religion. Some paintings of bees have their wings minutely painted. All these curious paintings are Shamans trying to make sense of the second trance phase.
and hallucinate monsters and animals of strong emotional content. In this phase therianthropes in rock painting can be explained as San shamans sensory awareness is heightened. They feel with these extra senses like they have turned into half animal. That is why therianthropes are depicted in rock art frequently.
on 16 January 2009.
Bushmen
The indigenous people of Southern Africa, whose territory spans most areas of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola, are variously referred to as Bushmen, San, Sho, Barwa, Kung, or Khwe...
, of southern Africa consists of a spirit world
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
and our material world
Material world
Material world may refer to:* Nature.* Material World, a Canadian television sitcom in the 1980s.* Material World, a BBC Radio 4 science programme.* Material World: A Global Family Portrait, a 1994 photo essay by Peter Menzel....
. To enter the spirit world, trancing
Trance
Trance denotes a variety of processes, ecstasy, techniques, modalities and states of mind, awareness and consciousness. Trance states may occur involuntarily and unbidden.The term trance may be associated with meditation, magic, flow, and prayer...
has to be initiated by a shaman through the hunting of Power animal
Power animal
Power animal, is a broadly animistic and shamanic concept that has entered the English language from Anthropology, Ethnography and Sociology. A tutelary spirit guides, helps or protects individuals, lineages and nations. In the shamanic worldview, everything is alive, bearing an inherent virtue,...
.
The trance dance & eland potency
Rock artRock art
Rock art is a term used in archaeology for any human-made markings made on natural stone. They can be divided into:*Petroglyphs - carvings into stone surfaces*Pictographs - rock and cave paintings...
shares the same San religion, consisting of San trance or San power. If San religious beliefs are understood then the rock art can be explained. The San believed in a tiered cosmos with realms above and below the material world. Once an eland
Common Eland
The common eland , also known as the southern eland or eland antelope, is a savannah and plains antelope found in East and Southern Africa. It is the largest antelope in the African continent...
had been killed, a link between the realms was created. The eland (often depicted with shamans) was a main symbol of trance due to its fat, the prime container and essence of trance. Rites of passage
Rites of Passage
Rites of Passage is an African American History program sponsored by the Stamford, Connecticut US public schools. The program consists of an extra day of schooling on Saturday for 12 weeks, service projects, and a culminating educational trip to Gambia and Senegal. Gambia and Senegal are the...
are initiated with eland fat. These include: marriage, boys and girls initiation
Initiation
Initiation is a rite of passage ceremony marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components...
(with the boys first successful eland hunt
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
), and trancing. Once an eland was killed, a shaman would ‘dance eland potency’ and enter the spirit world, often depicted in rock art. The shaman would go through a trance, seemingly gaining animal senses, and enter the spirit world. Once in the spirit world, they could make contact with God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
and important spirit
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
s. The shaman would be given supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
power in these meetings.
There is a key aspect of the San belief that needs consideration: everything that is taken from nature must meet the needs and must not be more than what is required. Anything that is taken has to have a purpose and must meet the needs of the community.
The hunter's dance in Zimbabwe
In ZimbabweZimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
, San religious concepts are similar to those of South Africa, however the eland is replaced by the elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
and other animals. The elephant is depicted as being hunted, with people surrounding it and firing arrows at it. The elephant has been pierced by many arrows and drips blood. In many cases the arrows have large triangular crossed and barbed heads. However it would be impossible to kill the elephant with blunt arrows tips (as is frequently painted) because the elephant's thick hide
Hides
A hide is an animal skin treated for human use. Hides include leather from cattle and other livestock animals, alligator skins, snake skins for shoes and fashion accessories and furs from wild cats, mink and bears. In some areas, leather is produced on a domestic or small industrial scale, but most...
could not be penetrated with blunt arrows. These hunts are a metaphor
Metaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
for trance dance. In San religion the elephant blood is an icon of elephant potency and also trancer potency. In both potency icons, the trance of the hunter or death of the elephant is induced. In Zimbabwe the elephant can also be interchanged with the buffalo or lions and buffalos bleeding profusely may be symbolic of shedding rain
Rain
Rain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to non-liquid kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet. Rain requires the presence of a thick layer of the atmosphere to have temperatures above the melting point of water near and above the Earth's surface...
in San religion as well as blood and potency. Moreover these are not the only power animals depicted, rhebok and hartebeest
Hartebeest
The hartebeest is a grassland antelope found in West Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa. It is one of the three species classified in the genus Alcelaphus....
are also in rock art (in places such as Cederberg
Cederberg
The Cederberg mountains and nature reserve are located near Clanwilliam, approximately 300 km north of Cape Town, South Africa at about . The mountain range is named after the endangered Clanwilliam Cedar , which is a tree endemic to the area. The mountains are noted for dramatic rock...
and Warm Bokkeveld).
Neuropsychological findings in trance dance
The San religious art of Zimbabwe and South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
can be linked strongly to neuropsychological findings in trance. Psychologists have investigated hallucinations and altered states of consciousness in neuropsychology
Neuropsychology
Neuropsychology studies the structure and function of the brain related to specific psychological processes and behaviors. The term neuropsychology has been applied to lesion studies in humans and animals. It has also been applied to efforts to record electrical activity from individual cells in...
. Most of this research was carried out independently of shamanism and rock art. It derived largely from laboratory experiments using hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
. They also found that entoptic phenomena
Entoptic phenomenon
Entoptic phenomena are visual effects whose source is within the eye itself. In Helmholtz's words:...
can occur through rhythmic dancing, music, sensory deprivation
Sensory deprivation
Sensory deprivation or perceptual isolation is the deliberate reduction or removal of stimuli from one or more of the senses. Simple devices such as blindfolds or hoods and earmuffs can cut off sight and hearing respectively, while more complex devices can also cut off the sense of smell, touch,...
, hyperventilation
Hyperventilation
Hyperventilation or overbreathing is the state of breathing faster or deeper than normal, causing excessive expulsion of circulating carbon dioxide. It can result from a psychological state such as a panic attack, from a physiological condition such as metabolic acidosis, can be brought about by...
, prolonged and intense concentration and migraines. When San shamans ‘saw’ visions of animals during trance they would not be able to explain them in a scientific manner, therefore they explained them in theological terms.
The first phase in psychological trance
The psychological approach explains rock art through three trance phases. In the first phase of trance an altered state of consciousnessAltered state of consciousness
An altered state of consciousness , also named altered state of mind, is any condition which is significantly different from a normal waking beta wave state. The expression was used as early as 1966 by Arnold M. Ludwig and brought into common usage from 1969 by Charles Tart: it describes induced...
would come about. People would experience geometric shapes commonly known as entoptic phenomena
Entoptic phenomenon
Entoptic phenomena are visual effects whose source is within the eye itself. In Helmholtz's words:...
. These would include zigzag
Zigzag
A zigzag is a pattern made up of small corners at variable angles, though constant within the zigzag, tracing a path between two parallel lines; it can be described as both jagged and fairly regular....
s, chevrons, dot
Dot
- Typography :* Full stop, also called period in American English, used as a sentence terminator and as a decimal separator in numerals - Typography :* Full stop, also called period in American English, used as a sentence terminator and as a decimal separator (decimal point) in numerals -...
s, fleck
Fleck
Fleck is a surname, and may refer to:* Alexander Fleck , British chemist, FRS, born and educated in Glasgow* Abbey Fleck, invented the Makin' Bacon microwave oven bacon cooker in 1993* Béla Fleck , American banjo player...
s, grids, vortex
Vortex
A vortex is a spinning, often turbulent,flow of fluid. Any spiral motion with closed streamlines is vortex flow. The motion of the fluid swirling rapidly around a center is called a vortex...
es and U-shapes.These shapes can be found especially in rock engraving
Engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
s (not so much in paintings) of Southern Africa
Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...
.
The second phase in psychological trance
During the second phase of trance people try to make sense of the entoptic phenomena. They would elaborate the shape they had ‘seen’ until they had created something that looked familiar to them. Shamans experiencing the second phase of trance would incorporate the natural worldNatural World
Natural World is the longest-running nature documentary series on British television. 2008 marked the series' 25th anniversary under its present title, though its origins can be traced back to its predecessor The World About Us which began over 40 years ago...
into their visual entoptic phenomena. These visions are sometimes depicted in U-shaped entoptics. Again some artists depicted the U-shaped entoptic as honeycombs, an important symbol of potency
Potency
Potency may refer to:* Potency , a measure of the activity of a drug in a biological system* Virility* Potency is a measure of the differentiation potential of stem cells...
in San religion. Some paintings of bees have their wings minutely painted. All these curious paintings are Shamans trying to make sense of the second trance phase.
The third phase in psychological trance
In the third phase a radical transformation occurs in mental imagery. The most noticeable change is that the Shaman becomes part of the experience. Subjects under laboratory conditions have found that they experience sliding down a rotating tunnel, entering caves or holes in the ground. People in the third phase begin to lose their grip on realityReality
In philosophy, reality is the state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or might be imagined. In a wider definition, reality includes everything that is and has been, whether or not it is observable or comprehensible...
and hallucinate monsters and animals of strong emotional content. In this phase therianthropes in rock painting can be explained as San shamans sensory awareness is heightened. They feel with these extra senses like they have turned into half animal. That is why therianthropes are depicted in rock art frequently.
In the media
A San trance dance featuring the San of Ghanzi, Botswana appeared in BBC Television's Around the World in 80 FaithsAround the World in 80 Faiths
Around the World in 80 Faiths is a British television series which was first broadcast by the BBC on 2 January 2009. The series is presented by the Anglican vicar, Pete Owen-Jones, who is researching the various faiths from around the world....
on 16 January 2009.
External links
- World Digital LibraryWorld Digital LibraryThe World Digital Library is an international digital library operated by UNESCO and the United States Library of Congress.The WDL has stated that its mission is to promote international and intercultural understanding, expand the volume and variety of cultural content on the Internet, provide...
presentation of 3008 Rock Painting S00568, Bethlehem, Dihlabeng District Municipality, Free State . University of PretoriaUniversity of PretoriaThe University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa...
.