Art by Edward and Cathelijne Eastwood is published by David Philip Publishers, Cape Town. Price: R265) "We have set out to take you with us on a tracking expedition, showing you tantalising signs of the ‘spoor’ of vanished or vanishing cultures."

These words by Ed and Cathelijne Eastwood are an apt summary of their book’s (Capturing the Spoor: An exploration of southern African rock art) intriguing contents. The book undeniably delivers on its intent.

Not only does Capturing the Spoor disclose much of the ritual symbolism surrounding rock art images, it also reveals intriguing insights into the field of anthropology. Its writing style is such that the ‘lay person’ can enjoy and understand the text, which covers many academic matters as well. The book discusses the rock arts of four main groups of people: Africans of European descent, the Northern Sotho and Venda, the Khoekhoen (pronounced Kwe-kwen, formerly called ‘Hottentots’), and the aboriginal San hunter-gatherers. The book is adorned with beautiful photographs and illustrations, all distinctly captioned, which in itself makes for good reading.

The study area encompasses northernmost South Africa but extends marginally into eastern Botswana and south-western Zimbabwe. It focuses on four areas in the Central Limpopo Basin, namely, the Mapungubwe area, Eastern Vhembe, the Soutpansberg and the Makgabeng Plateau. The rock art in these areas was virtually unexplored before the 1990s. Pioneers in their field, the authors have documented over 1 000 undiscovered sites in this region during 15 years of fieldwork and research.

The first part of the book deals with the most recent of the three cultural groups. Images left on the rock such as the doodling of Rifleman Cribbins, various military insignia, and a swastika etched by the notorious war criminal – or to some, a hero – Robey Leibbrandt, provide us with a fascinating insight into our more recent history. These images are similar to, but also very different from, the Northern Sotho ‘images of war’ that document the ‘Maleboho War’ of 1894 when commandos of the ZAR (South African Republic) attacked the Northern Sotho Hananwa of the Blouberg. These historical images occur alongside the finger-paintings made for boys’ and girls’ initiation. Some of the geometric finger-paintings and handprints left by Khoekhoe herders were often made alongside San paintings. Some of this herder art may be concerned with girls’ puberty rites.

The second part of the book covers five chapters and describes the engravings and the fine, brush-painted art of the San. The paintings include pictures of a wide variety of animal species such as the pachyderms, giraffe, zebra, large antelope, birds, fish and insects, paintings made by San shamans of their experiences in the spirit world which they accessed through trance states, images of women and their concern with girls’ puberty rites, childbirth and motherhood, and paintings of men’s loincloths and women’s leather aprons. These marks on the rock leave a trail of ‘spoor’ that can be ‘read’. Each set of marks renders a tale of our recent past – the last 2 000 years or so.

I was particularly fascinated by the portion of the book exploring the San Y-shaped and animal skin motifs that puzzled rock art enthusiasts for over 70 years and have been interpreted variously as ‘mystic symbols’, Buddhist symbols of ‘good being’, or even as depictions of female genitals. Ed and Cathelijne re-identified these paintings as depictions of San loincloths and aprons. To unravel the meanings of these mysterious images, the authors sought the advice of prominent anthropologists and travelled to the Kalahari and the Okavango Delta to interview San men and women. The results of these expeditions were a revelation – the authors discovered that images of clothing were probably linked to the supernatural powers of animals that the shaman harnesses to propel him or her into the spirit world, and were linked to boys’ first-kill rites of manhood, and also to girls’ puberty rites and marriage.

The third part of the book deals with the effects of European colonisation and the way in which the Northern Sotho, Khoekhoen and San interacted with each other and shared ideas and beliefs – all of which can be seen in their respective rock arts. Finally, there are descriptions of how the rich and sophisticated culture of the First People, the San, disappeared from northernmost South Africa.

What makes the book special is anecdotes of the author’s experiences in the bush and mountains set in the spectacular landscapes of our region, and which make this a remarkably fascinating study. They share with the reader the discovery of ‘new’ rock art sites, and rare encounters with old people in Zimbabwe who had tales about the Limpopo San, of trance dances in the Kalahari, and fascinating interviews with San shamans. Those who know Ed will vouch for his natural ability to take an ordinary story and breathe just the right amount of humour and magic into it, captivating the listener, conjuring vivid images, leaving you lusting for more.

Ed and Cathelijne were both born in the Soutpansberg. Ed is a qualified zoologist and horticulturist and worked for 11 years as parks manager for the previous Louis Trichardt Town Council. Cathelijne worked for the Dutch government and with the United Nations and returned to South Africa in 1991. Together, this couple founded Palaeo-art Field Services which conducts rock art surveys and academic research, and advises on the management and conservation of rock art sites.

The book is available from Guyo Buguni (Louis Trichardt), Fascination Books (Polokwane) and on the internet at kalahari.net and amazon.co.uk.

Informative, entertaining and captivating, Capturing the Spoor is a great read, destined to become a favourite in its genre. Enjoy the adventure!

(Capturing the Spoor: an Exploration of southern African Rock)