Iconography of Termites' Nests and Termites
Symbolic Nuances of Formlings in Southern African San Rock Art
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6044903 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Siyakha Mguni (University of the Witwatersrand, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2006 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 53-71 |
| Publication date | 2006-02-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Cambridge Archaeological Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0959-7743 • E-ISSN: 1474-0540 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0959774306000047 |
| OpenAlex | W2083195423 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 14 |
| References cited | 18 |
Formlings, now better understood to depict termitaria (termites' nests) and termites, are a pervasive category of San (Bushman) rock art north of the River Limpopo. This article investigates the associations of termites' nests in San thought, belief, and ritual, in an attempt to explain formling symbolism and why termites' nests, and not other subjects, were chosen for depiction. Unequivocal ethnographic testimonies of San spiritual world-view are compounded with iconographic analysis to show nuances of San understanding and perception of the spirit world. In turn, this ethnographic hermeneutic reveals a significant but previously unexplored facet of spirit-world imagery which evokes notions of creative and transformative power. This newly highlighted vignette of San cosmology unlocks aspects of San imagery, such as the interface between the natural and the metaphysical, that have hitherto been less understood
Aesthetics · Archaeology · Art · Depiction · Epistemology · Ethnography · Iconography · Metaphysics · Rock art · Sociology · Transformative learning · Vignette · Visual arts · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Anthropology · Archaeology and Rock Art Studies · History · Philosophy · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Psychology · Social Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 14 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,82 |
| Citation span | 2009 - 2025 (17) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 12 |