NDEDEMA;

xiii, 375 pages: illustrations (some colour, 6 folding). (Monographien und Dokumentationen. Die Afrikanischen felsbilder; [number 5]). Folio. Pictorial cloth, dust wrapper with some chips along the edges.

Pager, an Austrian, came to South Africa after WWII. The research and work that went into this publication nearly bankrupted him and he was forced to sell the collection of plates in 1973. Initially purchased by the United Tobacco Company, they can now be viewed at the University of the Witwatersrand, thanks to the intervention of Dr J. Roberts of the construction firm Murray & Roberts. The Drakensberg-Ukhahlamba (or the Barrier of Spears) is the highest mountain range in South Africa. It runs for 1000 km up the east coast. A high rainfall region, it also provided a haven for early inhabitants from the weather, predators, and in later years, other human invaders. It is estimated that there are between 35 000 and 40 000 works of San rock art in the range. In the Ndedema Gorge nearly 4000 paintings have been recorded and one cave, Sebaayeni, contains 1146. The oldest painting dates back 2500 years, but paint chips of possibly 1000 years older have also been found. Pager deals not only with the rock art, but also provides an overview of the geology, climate, botany, zoology, etc of the area. He lived in the Gorge for two years whilst documenting the rock art, using a combination of photography and draftsmanship. The book itself is a work of art, with four-page folding illustrations giving full evidence of the magnificence of the art work. Pager provides minute detail, down to the type of digging stick used by the women depicted in the work. He also draws attention to the increasing confidence of the artists and, whereas the older paintings are monochromatic or red-white shaded paint application, additional colours (black, yellow and orange) were used later and the golden age (1600-1800) saw complex, well-crafted drawings. The arrival of increasing number of local and white settlers and the Mfecane saw an abrupt end to this rock art and the final annihilation of the artists.