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Sunrise and Early Morning Mists
on The Bandberg
The Mountain: The Brandberg massif looms over the
Namib Desert to the west of the small town of Uis. Almost round in
shape it measure some 30kms by 25kms and covers a surface area in excess
of 750 sq km. The peak known as the Konigstein at 2574 m is Namibia's highest
point.
About 130 million years ago volcanic activity
pushed through the earth's crust
causing an up-doming of the overlaying rocks. The eventual break
through of the magma and resultant collapse resulted in the formation of a caldera.
During the following 100 million years over 1000 meters of the mountain
and its surroundings eroded away leaving the granite core that can be seen to this day. The Brandberg is classified as being an Inselberg
The Rock Paintings:
There are over 1000 known of rock shelters on the Brandberg that house
in excess of 45,000 individual paintings of animals, human figures or
glyphs. If you are in the area it is a must visit.
The German Missionary Theophilus Hahn
was the first European to make reference to the mountain in the latter
part of the nineteenth century, and it was as late as 1894 that the name
Brandberg first appeared on a German colonial map. The name aptly
describing the lighting effects of the rising and setting sun on the
mountain.
In 1909 Schutztruppe Lt. Von Jochman led an
exploration into the Tsisab Valley (the Damara word for Leopard). In
1911 a Land Surveyor called Ruenig sketched the mountain and
in 1914 Schutztruppe Carstens and Burfiendt were sent to find a
suitable site for establishing a Heliograph station. The mountain
presented a greater challenge than had originally been planned for,
and the two men thirsty and starving resorted to shooting a leopard
and drinking its' blood in order to survive their ordeal.
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Erongo Region
21º07'S
- 14º33'E
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The Rock Paintings:
There are over 1000 known of rock shelters on the Brandberg that house
in excess of 45,000 individual paintings of animals, human figures or
glyphs. If you are in the area it is a must visit.
The German Missionary Theophilus Hahn
was the first European to make reference to the mountain in the latter
part of the nineteenth century, and it was as late as 1894 that the name
Brandberg first appeared on a German colonial map. The name aptly
describing the lighting effects of the rising and setting sun on the
mountain.
In 1909 Schutztruppe Lt. Von Jochman led an
exploration into the Tsisab Valley (the Damara word for Leopard). In
1911 a Land Surveyor called Ruenig sketched the mountain and
in 1914 Schutztruppe Carstens and Burfiendt were sent to find a
suitable site for establishing a Heliograph station. The mountain
presented a greater challenge than had originally been planned for,
and the two men thirsty and starving resorted to shooting a leopard
and drinking its' blood in order to survive their ordeal.
White Lady OF Brandberg
Bushman Paintings- The Discovery
In January 1917 Reinhardt Maack a topographer and Alfred Hoffmann a cartographer
were surveying the Brandberg. They climbed to the top of the Konigstein and on
their descent took shelter for the night under an overhanging rock. On
awakening Maack saw the rock painting and made a sketch of it and also
entered a note in his diary stating, "The Egyptian Mediterranean style
of all the figures is surprising." A seemingly innocent
comment that would be the spark to kindle speculation, myth and
controversy for over half a century.
Copy Of Maacks's Initial Sketch |
Reinhardt Maack |
Copy Of Maack's Watercolour Painting |
Reinhardt Maack later made colored copies of the
painting, one of which was first published in a book on the bushman art of South
West Africa compiled by H. Obermaier and H. Kuhn titled ' Buschmannkunst
Aus SudwestAfrika' (Published in 1930 by H. Schmidt and C. Gunther -
Pantheon Verlog Fur Kunstwissenschaft - Leipzig) and thus the
painting was introduced to the outside world.
The White
Lady Of Brandberg - The Misinterpretation and The Myth:
The French priest and
archeologist Abbe Henri Breuil (1877 - 1961) was a professor at the
College de France, where he lectured from 1929 - 1947 and for some
time held the position of Chairman of Pre-History at the College.
While having a reputation of tending to romanticize about certain art
works he was, at the time, acknowledged as being one of the foremost authorities on
ancient European rock art. An experienced researcher who tried to
hard interpret and understand the meanings of such works.
Why A White Lady ?
The Abbe was visiting Cape Town in
1929 when one of the watercolor copies of Maack's sketch was brought to his
attention. Breuil returned to Europe and reported that his curiosity
over the painting was close to haunting him. He studied the drawing from
the Maack Cave and hypothesized that the central figure was that of a
female. He likened the figure to those of the female athletes
depicted on the walls of the ancient palace of King Minos at Knossos in Crete
wearing a brown jerkin and white or pink lower body tights. Breuil
theorized that the migration of a small group of ancient travelers from the
Eastern Mediterranean had eventually arrived in a far off corner
of Southern Africa. His able secretary and assistant Miss Mary Boyle
is accredited with suggesting that the figure be called The White
Lady Of Brandberg
"When are you
coming to visit our
White Lady Of Brandberg?
In 1940 Breuil lead the first archeological investigation of the Lascaux
Caves in Southern France and his work was widely acclaimed. Following
the end of the Second World War the Abbe's interest in the painting at
the Brandberg was rekindled and he is alleged to have written a
letter to the Prime Minister of South Africa General J.C. Smuts, "I
send you a portrait of a charming young girl who has been waiting for
me on a rock in the Brandberg for perhaps 3,000 years; do you think it
polite to keep her waiting much longer?" In 1946 Smuts visited Paris
and lunched with the Abbe and Ms. Boyle. Breuil writes in his 1955
book that Smuts asked him, "When are you coming to visit our
White Lady of Brandberg ?"
The invitation
accepted to visit the White Lady Of Brandberg:
The following year the Abbe
accompanied by Ms. Boyle, a Dr. Martin and Dr. Schultz made an
expedition to the Brandberg and on 5 August 1947 arrived in the Tsisab
Gorge and viewed the 'White Lady' painting. Later in 1948 he wrote a
paper that was published in The South African Archeological Bulletin
called, " The White Lady Of Brandberg - Her Companions
And Her Guards." The Abbe's theory caused an amount of
international sensation and interest in the painting at
the Brandberg.
Abbe Breuil's Painting of the White
Lady |
Other White Shaman |
The White Lady of Brandberg Click to enlarge |
The Abbe's Book:
During a further visit in 1952 to South West Africa the Abbe eventually met with the discoverer of
the cave Reinhardt Maack. And in 1955 the Abbe's book - titled - "
The White Lady Of Brandberg " was published. It is an excellent work
and contains a good selection of photographs of the mural along with
a detailed report on the rock art and the interpretation.
White Lady of Brandberg part 2
The White Lady of Brandberg Bushman Paintings Sites are managed by the National Heritage Council
Entry Fees Payable
Acknowledgements and further reading: A1, GV4, H12, R1, R2, R5, P1
Of Interest: The Damara name for the
mountain is Daures - 'The Burning Mountain'. The Herero name for the
mountain is Omukuruwaro - 'The Fire Mountain'
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