Kupendwa Kwemihomu yemaSan

© Roger de la Harpe

Tintfo letinhle temiHomu

Lobukhatikhati betintfo letipendiwe letashiywa ngemadloti ema San ematjeni kanye nasemadvongeni emihomu netindzawo letivalelekile kukhulunywa ngato kutsi tinhle futsi takheke kahle ngendlela yekutingela yemsebenti wetandla mhlabawonkhe. Kuhwaya noma kubata kwelwati lelilinganako (emapetroglyphs) titfolwa kakhulu kulingekhatsi lalelive, kepha lokupendiwe kuvela kakhulu, ikakhulu ematjeni noma etindzaweni letinetintsaba kufana ne Drakensberg (KwaZulu-Natali), le Eastern Cape, newestern Cape lesenyakatfo (kufaka ekhatsi eCedeberg).

Tintfo tebantfu kanye netinyamatane ngalokukhashane ngukona kudvwetjwa kakhulu, indlela letintfo letimengayo nako kuyafakwa. Ngetizatfu letingatiwa, lokubata noma kuhwaya kufaka imidvwebo lengasiyo kunaleyo lependiwe. Kahlekahle, bantfu labaningi bebaabanga kutsi lomsebenti wekudvwetjwa uvame kwengeta lokubonwa etimphilweni temihlangemihla, noma lokubhaliwe ngekutingela, noma lelisu kutsi lolokupendiwe kwakuhlanganiswa nenkholo bese tinganekwane letindzala betikhonaa kusuka ekucaleni. Sintfu sekudvweba besesifile ngalesisikhatsi, ngisho naphambilini etincenyeni telive.

Imibala lebeyisebentiswa ngema San kumisebenti yabo yekudvwetjwa yayibovu, kusuka kuluphuti kuya kunsundvu na bovulolubendze; mtfubi, mnyama na mhlophe; nemamaki abo lamabi. Kumbe nguluhlata sasibhakabhaka noma luhlata bekangasetjentiswa. Emakhemikhali lahlangahlangene ayadzingeka kwentela kufungatsa lolokubhaliwe kwentfo lemanti lenika libala, nemibuto leminingi isalele kuphendvulwa.

Pende lobovu lomanti lowatfolwa ku haematite (libala lelimtfubi-lohhwabile-nansundvu losabovu). iManganese oxide kanye na charcoal bekusetjentiselwa bopende labamnyama, tibe tintfo letimanti letimhlophe, letingaveli kahle, betingabe kutsi tentiwe nge kaolin noma ngalokwehlako kwetinyoni. Ngemnyaka wa 1930, incenye yendvodza lendzala-yeSan, lobewake wabona lokwapendwa ngema San, wakhombisa lomsebenti ngendlela bekakhumbula ngayo, wachaza kutsi udzinga ingati ye eland kwentela kuhlanganisa nalolokunye lokumanti — umuboniso longangabatwa kanye netintfo temilingo.

Kumaka Ngelusuku Umdvwebo Wekupendwa weMatje emaSan

Kubhalwa kwetinsuku kulamatje lapendiwe kumatima kakhulu. Angeke kubhalwe nge carbon, ngoba letintfo letimanti atinato tintfo letakheka kuletiphilako (atinayo icarbon) nekutsi leliningi letintfo letakheka etintfweni letiphilako letisetjentiswako tincane kakhulu kutsi tingahlolwa.

Umangabe tinhlase tematje lapendiwe titfolwa kutintfo te archaeological, tintfo letakheka etintfweni letiphilako ngesigaba lesifanako kungafakwa tinsuku, kunika umnyaka locagelwako. Yinye indzawo yase Namibia ikhokhe tinsuku letingetulu kwetinkhulungwane temashumi lamabili nesitfupha teminyaka tematje lakhiwe ngentfo lemanti lemnyama kuwo, kepha letinye tinsuku letiningi tiwa kuleminyaka letinkhulungwane letilishumi. Incumbi yaletintfo letipendiwe tisabonwa kubuso balamatje futsi tisetincane, kusukela lopende nalelitje kuvelela ngetulu kungabulaleka kuchubekele phambili kubole.

Lokwapendwa kwase Drakensberg kwemahhashi kanye nemasotja kukhomba kutsi letintfo letapendwa angeke sekubhale - tinsuku tandvulo ngemnyaka welishumi nemfica. Intfo lesimangaliso kulemidvwebo yema San nguletitfombe tebantfu netidladla tabo-letibanti, lengekubonakala tikhombisa kwenteka kanye nelitubane.

Kwenteka kubonakala ngetindlela letehlukene: ngekwetfusa, ngetilwane letigalakujako noma letitjekulako noma letichutako, naletingasiko tinkhulu, letikkhanyako futsi lekulula kutibona, ngekunyakata kwemsila noma kusuluka kwentsamo. Ngaletinyetikhatsi lolokupendiwe kwakha indlela yekungavani ngekutsatsa tindzawo kucala ngaphambi kufikwe ekwenteni, loku njengemdubuli losatokhokha tintsi takhe leticijile, noma libhubesi lelisatozuba.

Njengaletinye tintfo temphilo yema San kanye nemasiko, kukhona tintfo letiningi letehlukene kanye nemazinga, ngesitayela, inkinga yentfo kanye nalokunye lokuningi, kukokonaloko ngekufanana lekunconota kutsi bekhutsatwa tinkholo letifanako nematsemba. Le bichrome (imibala lemibili) ne polychrome (imibala lengetulu kwalemibili) lokudvwetjiwe kwe eland, silwane setintfo letinkhulu kuma San aseningizimu, ayinkhomba yinye kulenkholelo lehlanganisiwe yaletinye, kumbe yonkhe, yalemidvwebo.

Lemidvwebo yemidanso, ngesikhatsi bomake bashaya tandla babe bobabe badansa, phindze hlanganisa leminye yalemisebenti yemidvwebo kumicimbi yekwelapha, njengoba kwatiwa kusuka kuma San aseKalahari. Imidvwebo yemasotja, tingcumangcuma tetimoto, bese umfanekiso lofanako bewungaba yincenye yetintfo temimangaliso, kepha kuphindze kubhale imicimbi yemilandvo — kufaka leto letichubela ekususweni kwesintfu semidvwebo, kanye nendlela yekuhlangana-yekutingela yemphilo yema San eNingizimu Afrika.

Translated by Phindile Malotana