LEADER 02842nam  22005172  450 
001 9910136099503321
005 20180511105058.0
010   $a1-86814-777-0
035   $a(CKB)3710000000915358
035   $a(OCoLC)1016779191
035   $a(MdBmJHUP)muse58019
035   $a(UkCbUP)CR9781868147779
035   $a(MiAaPQ)EBC5730558
035   $a(EXLCZ)993710000000915358
100   $a20180223d2015||||  uy|            0
101 0 $aeng
135   $aur|||||||||||
181   $ctxt$2rdacontent
182   $cc$2rdamedia
183   $acr$2rdacarrier
200 10$aTermites of the gods $eSan cosmology in Southern African rock art /$fSiyakha Mguni$b[electronic resource]
210  1$aJohannesburg :$cWits University Press,$d2015.
215   $a1 online resource (xxix, 202 pages) $cdigital, PDF file(s)
300   $aTitle from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 09 May 2018).
311   $a1-86814-776-2 
320   $aIncludes bibliographical references (pages 189-196) and index.
330   $aIn Termites of the Gods, Siyakha Mguni narrates his personal journey, over many years, to discover the significance of a hitherto enigmatic theme in San rock paintings known as 'formlings'. Formlings are a painting category found across the southern African region, including South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, with its densest concentration in the Matopo Hills, Zimbabwe. Generations of archaeologists and anthropologists have wrestled with the meaning of this painting theme in San cosmology without reaching consensus or a plausible explanation. Drawing on San ethnography published over the past 150 years, Mguni argues that formlings are, in fact, representations of flying termites and their underground nests, and are associated with botantical subjects and a range of larger animals considered by the San to have great power and spiritual significance. This book fills a gap in rock art studies around the interpretation and meaning of formlings. It offers an innovative methodological approach for understanding subject matter in San rock art that is not easily recognisable, and will be an invaluable reference book to students and scholars in rock art studies and archaeology.
606   $aRock paintings$zAfrica, Southern
606   $aArt, San
606   $aCosmology, San
606   $aSan (African people)$zAfrica, Southern
606   $aTermites$xSymbolic aspects
607   $aAfrica, Southern$xAntiquities
615  0$aRock paintings
615  0$aArt, San.
615  0$aCosmology, San.
615  0$aSan (African people)
615  0$aTermites$xSymbolic aspects.
676   $a968.02
700   $aMguni$b Siyakha$01085272
801  0$bUkCbUP
801  1$bUkCbUP
906   $aBOOK
912   $a9910136099503321
996   $aTermites of the gods$92786586
997   $aUNINA