White lady
The White Lady ( English White Lady ) is a rock painting in the Tsisab Gorge of the Brandberg massif in Namibia . It is part of the Brandberg massif national monument .
The figure is 45 centimeters high and was discovered on January 4, 1918 by the German geologist and explorer Reinhard Maack (1892–1969). He interpreted her correctly, as is now assumed, as a warrior, but did not attach great importance to her, which led to her being forgotten again. In 1955 she was enthusiastically described by the French priest and prehistorian Henri Breuil (1877–1961) as a white lady, because he drew a comparison with Greek depictions in Crete , such as those used in B. can be found in the palace of Knossos . Despite the lack of female forms, he concluded from the posture and the object (vessel or lotus flower) in the figure's hands that it must be a woman. Today it is assumed that the items are hunting equipment and that the figure therefore represents a warrior or shaman . The name has been retained to this day.
In addition to the picture, numerous other hunters with spears or bows can be seen. These are surrounded by typical game such as B. Oryx antelopes and zebras . The age of these drawings is estimated to be two to four thousand years. It is not clear whether these are just hunting scenes to conjure up hunting luck or trance dances by shamans who heal with the help of spirits in animal form.
Many of the paintings were smeared and destroyed by mass tourism. There are also only vague remains of the White Lady , which is why she has been protected by bars in the meantime. To prevent further vandalism, a licensed guide from the Brandberg Community Tourist Project must be taken for the one and a half to two hour hike . Since protection is now guaranteed by the guides, the bars have been replaced by a barrier that does not impair the view.
literature
- Peter Breunig: Archaeological Travel Guide Namibia . Africa Magna Verlag, Frankfurt a. M. 2014, ISBN 9783937248394 .
- Shirley-Ann Pager: A visit to the White Lady of the Brandberg . Benguela Publishers, Windhoek 2008, ISBN 99916-75-05-1 .
- Henri Breuil : The Rock Paintings of Southern Africa: Volume One - The White Lady of the Brandberg . The Trianon Press Ltd, London 1955.
- Hugo Obermaier , Herbert Kühn : Bushman art. Rock paintings from South West Africa . Brandus et al., Berlin et al. 1930.
Web links
Coordinates: 21 ° 6 ′ 38 ″ S , 14 ° 39 ′ 45.8 ″ E