Dinorben Rock Paintings

About Dinorben Rock Paintings

The shelter at Dinorbin is about forty metres in length, and distributed through a good part of it are paintings that are mostly very clear.

On the extreme left side of the shelter are paintings of indeterminate antelope and small white human figures. You will see numerous white flecks, often painted around 'fight scenes'. To the right of these images is an area of densely superimposed paintings, including an upside-down eland (usually symbolic of death), an antelope lying down facing the viewer, and a human figure with a digging stick. Slightly above this heavily superimposed area are five human figures painted in an unusual orange colour. Notice the incredible amount of detail on these images: they hold bows and arrows and some of them are in the arms-back posture, and at least one of them has an antelope head.

All these features point to the shamanic nature of this group. To the right of these exquisite anthropomorphic figures is an area of paintings that includes several human figures and rhebuck in white, as well as a number of large eland. Here, as in other paintings throughout the region, is a meandering red line outlined in white dots that connects many of the images together. The meaning of these lines, often weaving in and out of the rock and connecting various images, still eludes the grasp of archaeologists.