South African Archaeological Society

Carbon Test and South-West African PaintingsAuthor(s): J. F. SchofieldSource: The South African Archaeological Bulletin, Vol. 9, No. 35 (Sep., 1954), p. 102Published by: South African Archaeological SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3887041 .

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stones on the hump, and a fourth higher up to the left. The uppermost northerly rock measures 15 m. in length and breadth, and is entirely carved with a handsome running pattern (PI. VIII, a and c). The line is hammered out, the groove thus made measuring

2-5 cm. in places. On the right the line spills over on to another face of the rock. PI. VIII, a, with the lines chalked in gives an excellent idea of the rhythm of the line. At the bottom of the rock are some crude incised crosses, done before the main engraving.

POINTS FROM CORRESPONDENCE CARBON TEST AND SOUTH-WEST AFRICAN

PAINTINGS Up to the present, no illustrations appear to have

been published of the paintings in the Philipp cave near Ameib, South-West Africa. But if the triple- centred bows shown on that site are similar to those that illustrate the Abbe Breuil's article-'Some Foreigners in the Frescoes on Rocks in Southern Africa' (fig. I, 1, 2, 3 and 4, p. 47, S. Af. Arch. Bull., No. 14), then they must in turn be very similar to the bows used by the Chewa in Northern Rhodesia, by the Manyica and until recently in the western area of Matabeleland. Thus these bows represent a widely distributed trait among the present-day Bantu- speaking inhabitants of southern Africa.

This being the case, should not these triple-centred bows be classed with the other modern elements in Dr. Martin's third level, from which no charcoal was collected and no C 14 carbon test was made?

While no correlation has at present been estab- lished between the triple-centred bows at Philipp cave and Dr. Martin's second level, with its charcoal dating back to 1281-1681 B.C., the drawings at that site are certainly related to White Lady frescoes, for, as the Abbe informs us, the bows resemble those of South- West Africa and the OmaLantu women arrange their hair in helmet-shape, thus emphasizing the modern elements that exist in these frescoes also. (S. Afr. Arch. Bull., vol. III, No. 9.)

J. F. Schofield. 2 Nicol St., Cape Town.

HANGKLIP DEPOSITS Sir,

My attention has been called to a review in a recent issue of the Bulletin of my paper 'The Origin of the Cape Hangklip Shell Beds' published in the S. Af. J. Sci. in August 1953. The reviewer has chosen to remain anonymous for some reason

Apart from the tone of the review, which obviously intends to belittle the paper, the reviewer makes a serious mistake.

He states that the 'superficial deposits to some little depth are well known to be of human origin over the major part of the headland'. It would be interesting to hear to whom this is well known. Nobody, so far as I am aware, has ever made such a statement. Mr. A. J. H. Goodwin himself has stated in writing that as regards the area described as the Headland 'the evidence is still inadequate either way'.

The review ends by stating that the paper carries us little further than we were in 1872; could we be told

how much further, and in what respects? That would certainly be interesting.

Brig. R. P. Gatehouse. 14, Highway, Fish Hoek, Cape.

(Ten-line notices are seldom signed. The reference is to an article by 'F', Cape Monthly Mag. (N.S.), III, Jan.-Dec. 1871, pp. 316-18, 'Upheaval of the Coast'. This paper is of interest as it first suggests an 'upper and a lower level' of emergence. See also article by I. and J. Rudner, this issue.-Ed.)

ORIGINS OF MAIZE

Mr. Walton asks for evidence of maize in South Africa before the times he claims for it. I have dealt with this matter fully in Veld Trust, vol. XV, May 1953, and so will just summarize the evidence. The Zulu name for maize is umbila. The other tribes who use this name for maize are the Zangian of east Africa. Bryant says the Zulus left that area 500 years ago, i.e. circa 1450. They must have had maize before they left, thus bringing the name and the cereal with them. A Xhosa name for maize is also umbila and they met the Europeans at the Great Fish River in 1778. The Bavenda migrated from the region of the great lakes in the dim past. The Bavenda name for maize is tsikoli. But the tribes in the region of the great lakes have a similar name for maize. The Bavenda must have had maize and this maize name before they migrated and hence brought the name and the cereal with them. The dates for the arrival of these people south of the Limpopo (the dates they entered South Africa with their present names for maize) do not fit Mr. Walton's map or agree with his statements.

The survivors of the wreck of the Santo Heberto at the mouth of the Tugela in 1593 reported the existence of maize. Hubberly, a survivor of the wreck of the Grosvenor on the Pondoland coast in 1782, reports being given Indian corn. Ashton states that the Basutos-the stamping-ground of Mr. Walton- have had maize for many generations.

That the Sotho-Tswana people migrated south before they had maize may be possible, but how does this fact help Mr. Walton. That they use the name manga for maize is evidence that it reached them from the north. I repeat that Mr. Walton's map and state- ment are wide of the mark.

M. D. W. Jeffreys. University of the Witwatersrand,

Johannesburg.

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