A rare treasure of Zaka: Danda rock art discovery

The discovery of an unusual precolonial hunter-gatherer art site close to the Muparudzi River and Danda Primary School in the Zaka District is greatly appreciated by archaeologists.

The Danda rock painting is of special value because it is an uncommon place within its locality and it exhibits beautiful scenes of the Bush Folks.

Unlike other rock art sites, Danda has outstanding settings where artists successfully combined black and white colors to depict themselves in an unfamiliar way.

Surprisingly, artists displayed controversial scenes like people sleeping together and in some cases, it appears as if they were intimately connected.

Incompatible in many parts of rock art locations in Zimbabwe, most of the wild animals were decorated whilst they were grazing. For example, the giraffe, kudu, elephant, and even a warthog.

However, the appearance of a giraffe is commonly found in Kalahari, and the animal is considered to be an especially potent animal since it plays an important role in the ritual and folklore group, Biesele (1993).

Lastly, there was a remarkable depiction of two hyenas on the main panel at the site. However, they should not be taken out of the context of the study. According to Jørn Stroving, a rock specialist, the hyenas “should be understood in the light of the human procession depicted at the site”.

In most cases, the human procession was associated with rituals as archaeologist  Lewis-Williams claims it was connected to entering into a trance of Shamanism beliefs by the Bush folks.