South Africa is richly endowed with rock art, with three specific rock art traditions having been identified. This chapter is based on one of those rock art traditions, most specifically, the Bushmen rock art. There are many motifs made by Bushmen, ranging from animals, human figures, to schematic images. For the purpose of this chapter, I focus on the representation of primates in the rock art made by these peoples. Chacma baboons (Papio ursinus), as the other primates represented in the rock art, are not found in large quantities. Even in locations where they are relatively well represented, their numbers are still much lower than other animals that were incorporated into rock art imagery. Furthermore, I address three other aspects. First, to provide evidence that shows that some of the baboon features were incorporated into human figures to produce what are known as therianthropic images, that is, half-human and half-animal images. Second, to explore how the representation and significance of baboons have been understood by scholars over the years. Third, to examine their geographical distribution in southern African rock art.

Our destiny in life is mapped out without our always knowing its course in advance. Indeed, we can set our dreams, but these do not always work out, nor can they be achieved without our input towards their success. Sometimes we set ourselves aims, and change them as we go along the path of life. There are many reasons why this might happen. First, such aims may not have been realistic in the first place. Second, our interests might change altogether, necessitating a change in what our goals of life are. Third, it might be that when we began we lacked the tools we needed to see those aims coming to fruition. All three factors have impacted my life thus far.

MY EARLIER WISHES

I first wanted to be a white person. This wish was informed by the politics of the time when I was much younger. I was born in the late 1970s at Osizweni, near Newcastle in what was then the province of Natal. Judging from what I heard when I was very young, white people lived much more comfortable lives than did the majority of the African population in the country. To be white, therefore, seemed like the greatest achievement I could set for myself. I was too young to know that this was not a realistic dream, and eventually was forced by circumstances to change this goal. Yet it was once very possible in my mind and I thought I could achieve it.

My second wish was to be a police officer. I recall vividly that when I was in Standard 4 (Grade 6) our class teacher, Mr Nkosi, asked us what careers we aimed at. I gladly responded that I wanted to be a police officer, and went on to give reasons why I chose this career option. Back in those days, police were given a lot of respect, which is a far cry from what police are subjected to today. I am critical of some of the changes that have taken place in policing in South Africa since the 1990s. I am glad that I later changed my career aspirations, for I would not have wanted to be a police officer under current political conditions.

The uKhahlamba-Drakensberg was inscribed as the 4th South African World Heritage Site in November 2000 after meeting four selection criteria, two each for natural and cultural significance (Derwent and colleagues 2001). The inscription of this majestic mountain range, the highest south of Kilimanjaro, has challenged the formerly low profile of rock art presentation in the area. Both the UNESCO declaration and the rapid overall rise in the South African tourism industry after the democratic transition, have significantly increased tourist numbers in the uKhahlamba- Drakensberg, and brought a greater demand for the presentation of rock art. The southern African San rock art that is characteristic of this area is dominated by fine-line shaded polychrome images. These paintings are considered not only to be of high aesthetic significance, but also imbued with spiritual power (Vinnicombe 1976; Lewis-Williams 1977, 1981, 1983, 1990; Pearse 1989; Deacon & Deacon 1999; Mguni 2002).

Furthermore, uKhahlamba-Drakensberg is one of the areas with the highest density of prehistoric rock art in the world, with an estimated 40 000 individual images in over 600 known sites (Derwent and colleagues 2001). A number of tourism destinations market uKhahlamba-Drakensberg not only for its pristine environment, but also as a rock art destination. This form of marketing has increased the demand for visits to painted rock art sites. The Didima Camp at Cathedral Peak Nature Reserve, named after the famous Didima (Ndedema) gorge, and themed around the art of the San, has a panel from the famous Eland Cave as its logo (Fig. 21.1.). This growing interest has both positive and negative repercussions. In a country faced with rural poverty, the job opportunities created by the tourism industry are always welcomed. However, increased tourism visitation puts rock art sites under considerable human threat, especially in the absence of proactive measures to protect this valuable resource.

At the Freedom Day celebrations on 27 April 2000, President Thabo Mbeki unveiled the new South African coat of arms, designed by Ian Bekker, which replaced that which had been in use since 17 September 1910. The coat of arms, effectively the highest visual symbol of the State, has two human figures derived from the Linton Panel (Fig. 21.2.), a panel of rock art now on display in the South African Museum.