Images of Power

This text draws on records of San beliefs which were recorded verbatim during the 1870s, as well as on research done with the living Kalahari San, to reveal the true meaning of San rock art. Essentially the work of medicine people, or shamans, these pieces of art depict trance visions and symbols of supernatural potency. The records of San beliefs - coupled with neuropsychological research on trance states - have provided an understanding of such issues as the strange relationships between human beings and animals, and puzzling geometric patterns. The explanations are set alongside detailed copies of rock paintings and engravings.