Reprinted: People of the Eland by Patricia Vinnicombe, PLUS Mitchell and Smith’s Companion Volume
My main aim has been to demonstrate that the Bushman rock paintings are concerned not so much with the commonplace, material aspects of life, but with the deeper philosophies which govern relationships between man and the world he lives in, between man and man, and between man and the Creator Spirit.
—Patricia Vinnicombe, 1976.
First published in 1976, People of the Eland was the first major step away from the outsider’s view of San rock art that had dominated studies of rock art for nearly a century. The book, an account of the rock art of the San of the Drakensberg Range, was also about the mountain San themselves: their lives, their beliefs, their culture and their history during colonisation. The book not only brought an extraordinary and dynamic body of art to the attention of a global audience, but also helped to lay the foundations for a new generation of research into the meaning of prehistoric art.
People of the Eland, now republished by Wits University Press, aims to gain an insider’s view of the rock art using San understandings of the world. While following this approach, it quickly became clear to Vinnicombe that the art was very far from simple depictions of daily life as had once seemed likely, but instead reflected the most deeply held San beliefs and symbols. This approach has now become the standard for all those working with San rock art. Whilst this early knowledge of San art has been built upon considerably since 1976, People of the Eland remains a cornerstone of our current understanding.
Reprinted here in full colour, with the original artwork and photographs, People of the Eland remains a seminal work, the impact of which cannot be underestimated.
The reprint is accompanied by a companion volume edited by Peter Mitchell and Benjamin Smith, The Eland’s People: New Perspectives in the Rock Art of the Maloti-Drakensberg Bushmen.
Only 1000 copies of Vinnicombe’s classic book on the rock art of the Drakensberg were printed in 1976. Until now, it was neither reissued nor reprinted. It has become one of the rarest and most expensive of all books on the African past. One of the things that most disturbed the author while she was working at the Rock Art Research Institute at Wits in the early 2000s was that students could not access her book. As in many libraries, Wits University locks People of the Eland away in its rare and valuable book section.
In 2002, Pat started to explore the possibility of republication. But she did not feel that the book could be reissued without adding additional sections to explain how knowledge had expanded in the decades since the publication of the book. Tragically, Pat died in March 2003 before she could start work on the new sections. Peter Mitchell and Ben Smith have now taken up this challenge and brought together the leading scholars in the field to write new sections to explain both how knowledge has changed since the publication of People of the Eland, and how current research is still influenced by this landmark volume.
The Eland’s People is thus intended as a companion volume to People of the Eland and it is hoped that this new volume will provide a richer appreciation of the importance of Pat’s original work, as well as allowing readers an overview of current understandings of Drakensberg rock art.
About the author of People of the Eland
Patricia Vinnicombe, born in 1932 in Underberg, KwaZulu-Natal, was one of South Africa’s foremost rock art experts. An innovative and groundbreaking researcher, Vinnicombe was highly influential in the way that rock art came to be interpreted. She died in Australia in 2003.
Book details
- People of the Eland: Rock Paintings of the Drakensberg Bushmen as a Reflection of their Life and Thought by Patricia Vinnicombe
EAN: 9781868144976
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
- The Eland’s People: New Perspectives in the Rock Art of the Maloti-Drakensberg Bushmen edited by Peter Mitchell, Benjamin Smith
EAN: 9781868144983
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
Scribd.com book preview:
- Not loading? View in the Little White Bakkie e-books store
Please register or log in to comment