ISSN 2499-1341 EXPRESSION quarterly e-journal of atelier in cooperation with uispp-cisenp. international scientific commission on the intellectual and spiritual expressions of non-literate peoples N°17 September 2017 CULT SITES AND ART Anthropomorphic face on the entrance slab of a circular ceremonial structure from Har Karkom, Negev desert, Israel (Pre-pottery Neolithic site BK 608). EDITORIAL NOTES accompany them. What echoes accompanied CULT SITES the paintings in the prehistoric caves? What performances, if any, were taking place in front AND ART of the decorated rock surfaces? The visual art stresses myths, mythical beings Walking along a narrow trail, on the edge of and/or historical facts, which are related to the a steep valley in the middle of a deep forest, cult and to the sanctity of the site. It is the visual we suddenly heard noises of human presen- memory that justifes the function of the site. ce, voices that were neither speeches nor son- Was it the same in prehistoric times? In front of gs, something in between. We reached a cave where a number of people were assembled in rock art sites, in the Camonica Valley, Italy, or a corner and an old bearded man was standing in Kakadu in Arnhem Land, Australia, or in the on an upper step of the rock talking ... perhaps Drakensberg caves, South Africa, or in the Al- talking, perhaps declaiming, perhaps singing, tamira cave, Spain, the presence of prehistoric but not to the people below. He was talking or art awakens a sense of sacredness, we feel that performing or praying in front of a white rock these were and are special places but ... what painting showing a being with a horned animal happened there? What can we say about the re- head and a human body. This was happening lationship between the surviving works of art about half a century ago, in a mountainous and the function of the site? area of Malawi in the heart of Africa. We were What made people produce the works of art left present at a Nyau ceremony. The clan, guided behind in grandiose art galleries in the four cor- by a shaman, was preparing for a performance ners of the world over millennia? Do these wor- where the actors were becoming spirits, beha- ks make sacred the site or were they inspired ving as expected by the spirit painted on the by the sacredness of the site? The project ‘Cult rock. The cave is a sacred site where the ance- sites and art’ invites colleagues and friends, stral spirits were resting and where the rock who can contribute facts, testimonies and ide- paintings indicated their presence. as, about the function of art in prehistoric and In another occasion, this time in Tanzania, we tribal sites and their possible relations to myths, were prevented from reaching a painted rock beliefs and cult practices, to contribute to the shelter. The initiation of girls was taking place understanding of the functions of these sites. and the area was taboo for all those not invol- What do colleagues and friends who invest ved in the event. time and energy in describing these works of Where rock art sites are still in use we can learn art have to say about their meaning and fun- something of their function, but when the art is ction? General ideas and proposed interpreta- thousands of years old we can only fgure out tions will be evaluated, both, by reviewers and what may have happened there and what was by the readers. The function of decorated caves the function of the site or of the signs and pictu- and open-air rock art galleries produced by res left behind. prehistoric and tribal people demands explana- The relationship of art and cult sites is still a tions. Also the interpretation of a single object source of inspiration in richly decorated Bud- or of a single fgure may constitute a valuable dhist temples or Christian cathedrals. The voi- contribution. ces and songs of the believers or of their priests 2 EXPRESSION N° 17 Some of the papers concerning this topic are The goal of EXPRESSION is to promote know- presented in the following pages. Other contri- ledge and ideas concerning the intellectual and butions may follow. spiritual expressions of non-literate societies. It Several of the past issues of EXPRESSION is an open forum in conceptual anthropology, magazine focus on specifc themes defned welcoming contributions. Colleagues having ‘project’. The results of the adopted system are something to say will fnd space in this e-ma- evident from the responses received and publi- gazine, which is reaching people of culture shed in the succession of the issues during the- and academic institutions in over 60 countries. se frst four years of life of the periodical. Authors are fully responsible for their ideas E.A. and for the information and illustrations they submit. Letters on current topics and short no- tes are welcome and may be published in the EDITORIAL NOTE section “Discussion Forum”. Publication in EXPRESSION magazine does not EXPRESSION magazine is published by Atelier imply that the publishers agree with the expo- Research Center in cooperation with UISPP-CI- sed ideas. Papers are submitted to reviewers SENP, the “International Scientifc Commission for their evaluation, but controversial ideas, if on the Intellectual and Spiritual Expressions of they make sense, are not censured. Time will Non-literate Peoples” of the UISPP, Union In- be their judge. ternationale des Sciences Préhistoriques et Protohi- storiques. SEPTEMBER 2017 3 DISCUSSION FORUM The Discussion Forum invites readers to be matter. Images and signs are conveying just a active in debates of worldwide interest in part of the reality they refer to. The rest of such reality has to be decoded. conceptual anthropology. A few days ago I was looking at a splendid exhibition of early Chinese paintings: land- MYTHS AND MEMORIES scapes with small human beings and gigantic STORIES TOLD BY PICTURES sea waves, dreamy, misty mountains, fowers What myths and what memories are revealing and leaves having shapes and colors more real early monuments? What are the stories behind than the real ones…. but the smell of the pain- a painted caves in Dordogne, a megalithic mo- tings was not that of the depicted fowers. The numents in Ireland, Gobleky Tepe pre-ceramic paintings were communicating the connection ceremonial center in Anatolia, the Paleolithic between the theme depicted and the hand and shrine at Har Karkom in the Negev desert, mind of the artist. They express the sense of ae- the immense concentrations of rock art in the sthetic and the metaphoric concepts of a cultu- Drakensberg, South Africa, Serra da Capivara, re that have to be decoded. Brazil or Kimberley, Australia? What stories Senses are means of access to reality both for us are hidden behind a standing stone erected and for prehistoric man. But such reality may by some human being of a forgotten culture, be subjective and is formed, deformed or tran- or behind a group of markings on the wall sformed by our senses. They select reality, they of a rock-shelter? These monuments preser- make us decide what is real and what unreal, ve myths and memories of cultures and ages what to remember and what to forget, they co- around the world. Each monument, each rock ordinate our feelings of pleasant or unpleasant, picture, each standing stone, has its stories. beauty or ugliness, appealing or not appealing. By decoding them, history is being produced The real and the imaginary may vary from per- out of prehistory. Awakening curiosity, asking son to person and both, real and imaginary, can questions, is no less important than answering be accepted or refused. Was the mind of early questions and solving problems. People ha- man much different from ours? ving ideas or just curiosity are invited to join Decorated caves, megalithic monuments, early this search for the common roots of memories shrines, sites of rock art, are the containers of and myths. A coming issue of EXPRESSION myths and memories, are the testimony of the will be dedicated to this topic. immense variety of beliefs and habits, are the Reality and imagination are ingredients of our source for an as yet unwritten history of man- intellect. They complete each other. Reality wi- kind: the existential history of people’s real and thout imagination and imagination without imaginary, myths and memories. Even small reality would be void of interest. What is cap- contributions may enrich our knowledge and tured by our senses awakens a double process, whoever has something to say is invited to sha- that of acquiring a sense of the reality and that re such knowledge. of applying our imagination to search for a The selection of the real from the imaginary meaning to such sense. Often discerning what varies from person to person. It varies in dif- is real and what is imagination is a subjective ferent tribes and, no doubt, the same is true for 4 EXPRESSION N° 17 prehistoric societies. The variety in style and are considered to be those of gods. These “ subject matter of prehistoric and tribal art is the footprints” are invariably larger than life size mirror of the immense alternatives of the hu- and where found impressed in stone obviously man mind. It is the medium to unveil past ad- man-formed they are attributed to a great hero ventures of human myths and memories. What such as one of the religious heros of Buddhist, do they tell us? What do they tell you? Jain or Hindu pantheon but in my experience Colleagues and friends are welcome to sha- never Shiva, the original forest god who may re the results of their research, discoveries or have been an original tribal deity who was Brah- ideas and submit their papers.