Paul Weinberg South African, b. 1956
The San signified their spiritual connections to the land through rock engravings and paintings. Here, the /Xam people would invoke the rain, Springbokoog, North Northern Cape, 2019-21
colour digital archival print on Hahnemühle Photo rag 308 gsm paper
sheet size: 59.4 x 84.1 cm
edition 10+2AP
signed and numbered in pencil in the margin
The San signified their spiritual connections to the land through rock engravings and paintings. One San group, the /Xam people, would invoke rain through a ritual rain-maker who would lead...
The San signified their spiritual connections to the land through rock engravings and paintings. One San group, the /Xam people, would invoke rain through a ritual rain-maker who would lead a water-bull to a site where they wanted rain to fall. The bull would be sacrificed, with the flow of blood signifying the flow of rain. Archaeologist Jeanette Deacon’s research has connected physical engravings with 19th-century testimonies of /Xam informants who shared their stories with Bleek and Lloyd. She notes, “the cosmos that linked the ground and waterhole with the spiritual realm in the sky is referred to in the rock engravings through metaphors and activities of the !gi:ten (rain-maker) as they communicated with the spirit world.”
