Iconography in Bradshawb rock art: breaking the circularity

Interpreting rock art from extinct cultures is challenging because both the symbols and the culture are known from the same source. This work breaks that circularity for the Bradshaw rock art of the Kimberley region in Australia by comparing it with Sandawe rock art from Tanzania and Khoisan art. Shared symbols, such as the 'mushroom head' representing psilocybin use, link the two cultures and suggest they were shamanistic, allowing many features to be understood as trance visualisations. Additional links include a special affinity for small mammals. Early Bradshaw art contains many references to baobabs, later absent, explained by the Toba super-volcano, human transport of baobabs to the Kimberley, and the baobab's utility. Many more symbols may be interpretable using this approach.

Study at a glance

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Interpreting the symbols found in the rock art of an extinct culture is hampered by the fact that such symbols are culturally determined. How does one break the circularity inherent in the fact that the knowledge of both the symbols and the culture comes from the same source? In this study, the circularity is broken for the Bradshaw rock art of the Kimberley by seeking anchors from outside the culture. METHODS: Bradshaw rock art in the Kimberley region of Australia and Sandawe rock art in the Kolo region of Eastern Tanzania were surveyed in six visits on foot, by vehicle, by helicopter and from published or shared images, as well as from the published and online images of Khoisan rock art. RESULTS: Uniquely shared images between Bradshaw and Sandawe art, such as the 'mushroom head' symbol of psilocybin use, link the two cultures and indicate that they were shamanistic. Therefore, many mysterious features in the art can be understood in terms of trance visualisations. A number of other features uniquely link Bradshaw and Sandawe cultures, such as a special affinity for small mammals. There are also many references to baobabs in early Bradshaw art but not later. This can be explained in the context of the Toba super-volcano, the likely human transport of baobabs to the Kimberley and the extraordinary utility of the baobab. CONCLUSION: Many more mysterious symbols in Bradshaw rock art might await interpretation using the approaches adopted here.