The Circle Volume 6 by John Stretch

THE CIRCLE

VOLUME 6 SEPTEMBER 2021

The Circle September 2021 The 6th edition of The Circle is 38 pages, and once again contains three articles, all with a travel theme, but very different in their subject matter.

1. The San rock art of the Ndedema valley: The Ndedema Gorge is the richest rock art gallery in South Africa. As students in Pietermaritzburg we explored Ndedema and the surrounding valleys several weekends each year. Experiences ever forgotten.

2. Edenton North Carolina:

Our good friends Barry and Daph hosted us at their home on the Albermarle Sound in North Carolina, showed us around the Outer Banks, and directed us to Edenton’s history and architecture. Thank you. 3. A blessed wedding: A past colleague who made a fortune in Australia providing wedding blessings to Japanese couples, provided the basis for this story .

This picture: Amphitheatre, Natal Drakensberg Front cover picture: Running Archers, Ndedema

1 The San rock art of the Ndedema valley

Introduction From the country town of Winterton in Natal, you follow the road towards the Cathedral Peak Hotel until you reach the Brotherton trading store near the bridge over the Mhlwazine River.

Introduction Secure your vehicle, shoulder your backpack, and follow the river upstream for two hours until you reach the foot of the Ndedema Gorge.

Then a hard climb for two more hours up to Elands Cave.

Your reward? On the cave walls are 1 639 irreplaceable unique rock paintings, the greatest concentration of beautiful and mysterious San rock art (Bushman paintings) on earth.

The Ndedema gorge Known to the Zulus as Barrier of Spears and as Dragon Mountain by the Dutch settlers, the mountains and valleys of the Drakensberg are one of South Africa's most dramatic and beautiful landscapes. These mountains were home to the San people until the nineteenth century.

The grassy foothills of the Drakensberg supported large herds of antelope, and the San hunters lived well. For hundreds of years, they were secure, without the threat of invasion by hostile peoples. The San had leisure and security, and their delight in art is evident in the humour and beauty of their work. The Ndedema gorge with its many caves and overhangs was a perfect home for the San. It is deep and well protected from harsh weather, and has fresh water in a clean river with a succession of pools. Tall forest trees provide shade all the way down the gorge.

The San people The San have lived as hunter-gatherers in Southern Africa for at least 30,000 years and are thought to be the world's most ancient race. But the arrival of cattle farmers in the Drakensberg destroyed their tranquil existence. The new arrivals hunted the wild game in the area thus competing for the San's food resources. The San in turn had no compunction in raiding the farms and rustling the farmers’ precious cattle. Smallpox, conflict, hunting raids, enslavement and destruction of the San communities followed. The San were at a huge disadvantage in numbers and had no guns or horses. The little people were hunted down and destroyed. Many fought to the death and preferred death to capture where they would be imprisoned or forced into slavery. Others became farm labourers and joined farming communities and intermarried. Today there are no San people in the Drakensberg but their legacy remains in their art.

Only about 100,000 Khoisan remain today, living in the desert areas of Botswana, Namibia, and Angola.

The rock art South Africa has the richest collection of San rock art in the world. The area most famous for these great cultural treasures is the Drakensberg and the greatest concentration is in the Ndedema gorge. The paintings are monochrome, bi chrome and poly chrome with perspective and foreshortening. The colours in the paintings came from eland blood and gall, ochres for red and black, egg yolk for yellow and kaolin clay for white. The paints were bound together by egg white, aloe juice and the blood and fat of wild animals. Paints were stored in the tips of animal horns.

The San way of life is recorded on the walls of the caves and overhangs of the Drakensberg in which the San people lived. The significance of these 30 000 individual images at nearly 700 sites led to the Drakensberg being declared a World Heritage Site in 2000.

The rock art

Subjects range from animals (mainly eland) to humans, to oxwagons and mounted men with rifles. There are many Therianthropes, representations of people with animal features in trances. Human figures are depicted in scenes from daily life, battles and hunting.

Deep in the Ndedema valley is a painting of a wildebeest, an animal that lives on grassy plains far from the mountains, suggesting that the San hunted far and wide over the area.

There are two paintings of lions, and Leopard cave, as the name implies, has a single painting of a leopard in hot pursuit of a man. There are 12 depictions of swarms of bees and some paintings of men on ladders, telling us that the San people loved their honey.

The Bleeks We know much about San belief systems through the work of the German linguist Wilhelm Bleek (1827 – 1875). Bleek met Bushmen prisoners when he visited Robben Island. In 1870 he took a San prisoner into his home in Mowbray. He recorded the language of the San and stories about their lives, history, folklore, beliefs and customs. After his death his daughter Dorothea Bleek continued the research on the San language, customs, their rock art and its symbolism.

The Bleeks learned that the artists in each group were shamans or medicine men. The San believe that an invisible energy exists in almost all animals and in great quantities in the eland. San shamans must tap this energy before journeying to the spirit world, where they perform tasks on behalf of the tribe such as rainmaking, fighting off evil spirits, casting spells on enemies, and curing the sick.

This potent energy is to be found, particularly, in the eland’s blood, fat, and sweat. When shamans painted an eland, they didn’t just pay homage to a sacred animal; they also harnessed its essence.

Interpreting rock art Although many of the messages in the paintings are shrouded in mystery, common themes include the San’s close relationship with nature, the eland, day to day life, the spiritual world, and the passing of history. Contact with the farmers is depicted in the San rock art. The artists’ more recent paintings include cattle and sheep as well as people with guns, horses, shields and spears. When Europeans first encountered rock art of the San people in southern Africa, they considered it primitive, simple pictures of hunting and fighting and daily life. But many authorities now think that much of the art portrays the experience of San shamans in their journeys to the spirit world. The Shamans needed supernatural vigour for their spiritual journeys and by touching the paintings, they drew on their spiritual power. Much of the rock art in the Ndedema valley is shamanistic, with hallucinatory motifs and dream images such as the “Moon Goddess” and the mysterious “Sorcerer” of Sorcerer’s Rock.

Harald Pager Harald Pager was an Austrian who came to South Africa after the Second World War. He was a designer, artist and photographer of wide experience. During the 1960's he became interested in Bushman paintings. The beauty of the rock art captivated him, and in 1967 he and his wife Shirley Ann resolved to use their skills as artists and designers to record the paintings in the Ndedema Gorge.

In October 1967 they sold their furniture and their sail-plane and set out for the Drakensberg rock shelters that were to be their home for the next two years. Pager and his wife lived in the caves of the Ndedema Gorge during the project. Many San paintings are faint and unsuitable for photography. The images are often very small, measuring only one or two centimetres. When large panels of over a hundred paintings are reduced to a single photograph, these small but important paintings are almost invisible.

Harald Pager

To record the paintings, Pager developed a unique technique. He photographed the paintings in black and white film, then took the film to Pietermaritzburg, where he made life-size black and white prints at a local firm of architects. He returned to Ndedema Gorge with these prints where he duplicated the images with oil paints, working on an easel in front of the paintings.

Pager’s book Harald Pager’s copies were published in 1971 in his outsize book titled Ndedema: A Documentation of the Rock Paintings of the Ndedema Gorge. The paintings are presented in stunning colour but that’s not all. In various chapters on topography and geology, climate, botany, zoology, history and archaeology, he presents the reader with a wealth of analysis which gives insight into the lives of these stone-age artists.

Since Pager did his work as many as half of the paintings in the Ndedema gorge have been lost due to high rainfall in the region. Pager's photographs were stored for decades in long tubes and had virtually disintegrated over time. They were recently restored in a two-year project by a South African museum worker in Pretoria. The collection is now housed at the Rock Art Research Institute at Wits University. Ndedema is the most detailed study available of South African rock art. The collection is an irreplaceable treasure, part of our national heritage and of international importance. The book is out of print and features at rare book auctions.

Conclusion After the Ndedema project, Harald Pager moved to Namibia where he recorded the rock art of the Brandberg with the help of the two assistants in this picture, and published several books. He died in Windhoek in 1985.

Today there are guided tours to the Ndedema Gorge from the Cathedral Peak Hotel. The climb to Eland cave requires some endurance, but the striking rock art is well worth it. The view from the cave is sublime and you can sit for hours looking out over the valley with its ever-changing weather patterns. And remembering those who came before us.

THE CIRCLE

VOLUME 6 SEPTEMBER 2021

2 Edenton North Carolina

Edenton Edenton, a small town in North Carolina's Inner Banks region, is a sought-after retirement location for those who can afford it. It lies at the head of the Albemarle Sound, an easy 90 miles south of Norfolk in Virginia.

Edenton With only 5,000 people, Edenton is renowned for its historic district with its wonderful 18th, 19th, and early20th-century architecture.

Edenton Unlike other historic Southern towns such as Williamsburg in Virginia, the 25 homes and public buildings of the Edenton Historic Site are restored originals and not reconstructed.

Edenton Today, visitors can explore this history with a guided walking tour or a stroll to the historic 1886 Roanoke River Lighthouse, or a stay in one of the many historic bed and breakfasts in the town.

The lost colony In 1587 a group of 120 English colonists arrived at Roanoke Island, about 60 miles downriver from Edenton on the outer banks of North Carolina. Shortly after their arrival they recorded the birth of Virginia Dare, the first English child born in North America.

The settlers did not find it easy in their new world and after some months the commander Governor John White decided to return to England to fetch more supplies for the settlement. When he arrived in England the Spanish Armada was mobilising to attack England, and Queen Elizabeth banned all ships from leaving, ordering them to protect the country and join in the expected battle. The ban lasted for three years, and White was only able to return to Roanoke Island in 1590. When he arrived, the entire colony including his daughter, Eleanor Dare, and his granddaughter Virginia, had vanished without trace.

White found the word "Croatoan" carved into a post. This is the name of the Croatoan Native Indian tribe who lived on an island called Hatteras Island 50 miles to the south. White was unable to search Hatteras Island because of bad weather and reduced supplies. He returned to England, and never saw his fellow colonists again. Explorer John Lawson visited Hatteras in 1701 and wrote of the natives, "These are them that wear English dress and have grey eyes”. But there is no convincing genetic or archaeological evidence that the colonists ever reached the island. Coins, parts of guns and swords, and pieces of English clothing have been found on Hatteras, but these cannot be linked to the Roanoke colony, as records from earlier expeditions show other Elizabethan settlers lived on Hatteras before 1587. There are several theories. The Roanoke settlers may have died from disease or starvation in the harsh winters. They may have moved inland where the men were killed by hostile tribes and the women and children assimilated. Their fate remains unknown to this day and is one of America's most intriguing unsolved mysteries.

3 A blessed wedding

https://unsplash.com/photos/hzoLxXR pSJM

Introduction On a warm Wednesday evening, Sandra and her friend Elsie were sitting on the veranda at the De Grendel winery, watching the sun go down over Table Mountain, and enjoying a quiet glass of new vintage together. Elsie is a professional musician who provides background music on the organ and piano, at weddings and funerals all around the Winelands. The two ladies were catching up and reminiscing. Sandra and Elsie agreed that the most interesting wedding – or nonwedding – they were ever involved in, was the Episcopal Japanese wedding blessing ceremony held in the chapel on the Diemersdal estate three years ago. Sandra was happy to retell the story.

A blessed wedding One morning a young couple arrived at the boutique and asked for Sandra. They were smartly dressed and clearly from an oriental background.

Sandra tried asking what sort of wedding they wanted but it was clear that the couple’s command of English was lacking.

The young man bowed and presented a formal business card displaying the well-known Toyota emblem and his name and address in Japan. “We want wedding” the man said, and bowed again.

After some thought, she phoned Mr Fukuda’s sushi restaurant on the second floor of the mall, and asked the owner if he could spare her a few minutes. One of his countrymen seemed to need assistance.

The bride smiled and smiled and seemed very proud of her teeth, which were visible throughout this encounter.

Mr Fukuda arrived bowing and smiling, and the two men conversed in Japanese for a few minutes.

A blessed wedding Finally, Mr Fukuda turned to Sandra. “This couple is already married. In Japanese custom” he said, “They are in South Africa on honeymoon. Now they want a Western-style wedding”. Sandra frowned “Why would they want to do that? “she asked. Mr Fukuda explained that a Japanese wedding is a ceremonial and traditional affair, performed in a temple by a Shinto priest, with close family and special guests in attendance. Shinto wedding rites are very formal. A purification ritual is followed by vows and a sake exchange that unites the bride and groom and their two families. The ceremony closes with symbolic offerings of small tree twigs .

A blessed wedding Today’s modern Japanese couples have seen western weddings on television and would far prefer a more joyful, romantic ceremony to celebrate their vows. In Shinto weddings the parents try to impress relatives and business colleagues, which is considered more important than the couple's wishes.

As a result, many young Japanese couples arrange to be married again in the Western tradition during their honeymoon. Wedding parlours have evolved in Australia, Hawaii, Europe and Guam to provide this service. It could also be good economics, thought Sandra, ever the businesswoman.

For the price of a formal wedding in their own country, Japanese couples could most likely pay for their flights and have an entire ceremony in South Africa, including a champagne picnic, horsedrawn carriage and flower girls or pageboys.

A blessed wedding Then a new thought struck her. “But this couple aren’t Christians” said Sandra,” they can’t get married in a church surely?” Mr Fukuda and the young man had another long conversation. “He says his brother had a Western wedding in Australia. The priest doesn’t actually marry them. He just asks for God’s blessing on their union”. There was a pause. “Well……. I suppose everyone is entitled to ask God to bless them no matter what their religion is,” said Sandra.

A blessed wedding Sandra was intrigued. She had never planned an entire wedding before, not even her own. But it was a slow month for brides and it was something new. She called her friend Elsie “Hey, feel like organising a Japanese wedding? Come over this evening and we’ll plan it!” The Japanese couple, and Mr Fukuda, broke out in smiles. “I can be best man! And my wife can be flower lady!” Mr Fukuda said. “ In that case, I’m going to ask you to be the chauffeur as well” said Sandra, ever the opportunist.

The following Tuesday the bridal couple were collected at their hotel by Mr and Mrs Fukuda, chattering away happily in Japanese. At the bridal boutique Mr Fukuda took the groom downstairs to Archie’s Tux-hire to fit his wedding outfit and enjoy a bachelor-style coffee, while the bride selected her wedding dress before going upstairs to the Modern Hair and Beauty Salon for her manicure, hair and makeup.

A blessed wedding When the bride and groom met in Sandra’s foyer an hour later the groom was speechless. He had never seen his smiling bride so beautiful. Mrs Fukuda, Mrs Andrews and the sewing ladies were all in tears. Kay from Hay Kay Photography took photographs. Sandra, Mrs Andrews and the sewing ladies piled into the van for the 30-minute drive to the Diemersdal wine estate with its tiny chapel and stained-glass windows. Kay the photographer pulled in behind her and everyone was introduced to Father Thames the Episcopalian priest from the Seamen’s Mission. Elsie the organist was playing a gentle Bach cantata as they entered the Chapel. A few minutes later she broke into Mendelson’s wedding march as the bridal couple arrived with their best man and flower lady. After a few words of welcome, the priest gave a short talk based on C S Lewis’ saying “Joy is the serious business of Heaven", Mr Fukuda translating each sentence into Japanese. The priest than asked the couple to join hands and gave his blessing to their union.

A blessed wedding The wedding party enjoyed a light lunch in a private section of the estate’s restaurant. The bride sat smiling, the light shining out of her face, her teeth on display, holding the groom’s hand and chattering nineteen to the dozen to her bridesmaid Mrs Fukuda.

By 230 it was all over. Sandra and the girls went back to work, Elsie took Father Thames back to the mission, and the Fukuda’s returned the bride and groom to the hotel. The next afternoon Sandra dropped off three copies of Kay’s wedding photograph album and collected the bridal outfits. “It’s not something I’d like to do every day” thought Sandra as she drove back to the boutique. “Too much organising and reliance on other people. But I’ll bet, with the increasing number of tourists visiting our lovely country, there’s a business opportunity out there for somebody!”

A blessed wedding Eighteen months later Sandra had a letter from Japan. It contained a short note in Japanese and a photograph of the smiling couple holding up a brand-new baby.

“You poor child” thought Sandra as she skipped downstairs to show Mr Fukuda, “You’ve got your mother’s teeth.”

In closure We spent a few days this month relaxing at the Drakensberg Sun in the Champagne valley, walking, reading, boating on the lake and visiting our old haunts. It is my favorite part of the little berg, nestling in the foothills of the dragon mountains. Doyle Liebenberg’s book “The Drakensberg of Natal” is still the most complete book on the Berg I know. It can answer most questions about flora, mammals, trout fishing and even snakes, and lists the names and dates of first ascent of all the major peaks from Royal Natal National Park to Sani Pass.

Rock painting of a Portuguese galleon, Porterville, Western Cape