Dawn Green: San Paintings Are Alive
University of Cape Town PhD graduate's groundbreaking research reveals ancient artworks as persons embedded in relationships with humans, animals, and the environment.
A new perspective on San rock paintings in South Africa is being introduced by University of Cape Town PhD graduate Dawn Green, who argues that these paintings should be understood as persons embedded in relationships with humans, animals, and the environment.
Dawn Green's research focuses on a selection of fine-line 'San' rock paintings from the Maloti-Drakensberg and Stormberg mountains. Her approach challenges traditional interpretations of the paintings, which have focused on ritual and symbolism, and on distinctions between nature and culture, and spirit and material.
The concept of 'human and more-than-human persons' is central to Dawn Green's research. The 'more-than-human' category refers to animals, plants, weather, earth, spirit, and celestials that can influence others and enter into relationships. This perspective moves beyond some long-held interpretations of San rock paintings, which have privileged human experience and agency.
Dawn Green argues that the paintings should be understood on their own material terms, rather than as representations or symbols. She believes that previous research has used devices that can skew the materiality and reality of San lived experience. Instead, she suggests that the paintings are the actual persons - not representations and not necessarily symbolic of something or 'depicting' rituals.
## Why it matters The reexamination of San rock paintings has significant implications for our understanding of the past and present. By considering the paintings as persons embedded in relationships, we can gain a deeper understanding of the complex interactions between humans, animals, and the environment. This perspective challenges traditional assumptions about the past and present, and highlights the importance of considering the materiality and reality of San lived experience.
Dawn Green will graduate with a PhD in Archaeology from the University of Cape Town on 8 September. Her research contributes to a new understanding of San rock paintings and their significance in the context of human and more-than-human relationships.
