Documentation, Analysis and Interpretation: Dilemmas in Rock Art Research

Lewis‐Williams, J. D.; Pager, Harald

doi:10.2307/3887979

Cited by 62 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…My discussion of Malakulan ethnography suggests that where available, ethnography has demonstrable potential in the search for meaning in rock art imagery. Critical application of the shamanistic approach and neuropsychological data add to the ethnographic resources to form strong 'relations of relevance' (Lewis-Williams 1991) which suggest that the bwili were central to the production and consumption of Malakula's rock art. Indeed, ethnography and rock art not only have shamanistic connections which reinforce one another, but are also capable of standing alone as evidence for the use of altered consciousness in the region.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Rock art research has a similarly problematic relationship with shamanisms, particularly a search for check-list features. Lewis-Williams's (1998) ten characteristics of shamanism, for example, mark an attempt to pin shamanisms down; but if ten, why not twenty -where do we draw the line? We require a theorizing of 'shamanism' (or, more correctly, shamanisms) in archaeology -an archaeology of shamanisms -which acknowledges cross-cultural similarity, but also embraces diversity.…”

Section: 'Shamanism' Of the Bwilimentioning

confidence: 99%

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The bwili or ‘flying tricksters’ of Malakula: a critical discussion of recent debates on rock art, ethnography and shamanisms

Wallis

2002

Royal Anthropological Inst

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The use of 'shamanism' and/or neuropsychology in the interpretation of rock art imagery has been much contested, with opinions often polarized between so-called 'shamaniacs' and 'shamanophobes' who support or oppose these lines of enquiry, respectively. Ethnographic analyses have, arguably, suffered most in this controversy. In this article I explore Layard's ethnography of the bwili or 'flying tricksters' of Malakula, Melanesia, to interpret rock art in the northwest of the island -in the same region and, apparently, of the same era as Layard's bwili. In contrast to uncritical shamaniac interpretations and their misleading equation of 'entoptics = shamanism', and as a challenge to the criticisms of shamanophobes, I theorize the term 'shamanisms', scrutinize Layard's ethnography, and critically apply LewisWilliams and Dowson's (1988) neuropsychological model to interpret the rock art of northwest Malakula. The article therefore seeks to reinstate these approaches -ethnography and neuropsychology -as complementary elements in the interpretation of rock art.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: 'Shamanism' Of the Bwilimentioning

confidence: 99%

The bwili or ‘flying tricksters’ of Malakula: a critical discussion of recent debates on rock art, ethnography and shamanisms

Wallis

2002

Royal Anthropological Inst

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“…Manual tracing, sketching, and conventional photography have, until recently, been the norm in recording rock paintings, but with the technical advances now available to researchers, these earlier methods may be insufficient in contexts where rock paintings are faded. David Lewis-Williams (1990) has remarked on the benefits of manually tracing an image, noting that this process is not just a descriptive one, but allows the researcher to note subtleties of superimposition and color (see Read and Chippindale 2000). I believe that digital photography and computer enhancement can now be used in addition to manual tracing and sketching and have similar benefits for the researcher.…”

Section: Issues In Computer-aided Enhancementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Documenting and Analyzing Rock, Paintings from Torres Strait, NE Australia, with Digital Photography and Computer Image Enhancement

Brady¹

2006

Journal of Field Archaeology

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The deterioration of rock-art over time is an important concernfOr indigenous communities) archaeologists) rock-art researchers)and cultural heritage managers.Computer enhancement has emewed as an important tool in viewing poorly visible rockpaintings. While most studies regarding this technique explore the methods associated with computer enhancement here is little discussion of the results that can begenerated beyond the recovery of images. This article presents results from the application of computer enhancement methods to rock paintings from the Torres Strait region in NE Queensland. The results obtained through the computer enhancement of deteriorated rock paintings are used to reveal degrees of preservation) interregional interaction) and previously undocumented spatial patterning across the strait. IntroductionThe creation of art on rock is a fIXed,tangible expression of an artist's visual culture. Yetthe permanency of these artworks over time is variable. Many artworks are damaged by both anthropogenic (e.g., graffiti) and natural factors (e.g., water or fire damage), which decrease the visibility of images over time. Documentation of rock-art (paintings, stencils, and engravings) by professional rock-art recorders, archaeologists, and indigenous communities has until recently been undertaken by recording and analyzing those images that can still be viewed with the nal(ed eye. Strategies for recording these images include making simple sketches, drawings, tracings, rubbings, and using conventional film photography. But how can we study those images that have deteriorated or faded to such a point that they can no longer be viewed or recorded using conventional techniques? Furthermore, how can those images that have experienced considerable deterioration over time contribute to the analysis and interpretation of a region's rock-art assemblage? The introduction of digital technology and computer enhancement methods into rock-art recording presents researchers with an opportunity to record and examine heavily deteriorated images that would have been missed using conventional recording techruques.In this paper, I review the development of digital tech-

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“…Agreement on the problems inherent in empiricism is not unanimous (e.g., Lensen-Erz, 1989;Butzer, 1991;Lewis-Williams, 1990. This is true not only of southern African research but of research in other parts of the world as well: for some researchers, quantitative inventories remain attractive.…”

Section: Empiricism Resurgentmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Evolution of Theory, Method and Technique in Southern African Rock Art Research

Lewis‐Williams

2006

J Archaeol Method Theory

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Southern African rock art research has progressed from an essentially denigrating social and political milieu, through an empiricist period, to contemporary social and historical approaches. Empiricism, once thought to be the salvation of southern African rock art research, was a theoretically and methodologically flawed enterprise. Attempts to see the art through an emic perspective facilitated by copious nineteenth-and twentieth-century San ethnography is a more useful approach. It began briefly, but was then abandoned, in the nineteenth century. Today, diverse theoretical and methodological approaches are being constructed on an ethnographic foundation. The centrality of the San in South African national identity has been recognized.

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Documentation, Analysis and Interpretation: Dilemmas in Rock Art Research

Cited by 62 publications

References 18 publications

The bwili or ‘flying tricksters’ of Malakula: a critical discussion of recent debates on rock art, ethnography and shamanisms

The bwili or ‘flying tricksters’ of Malakula: a critical discussion of recent debates on rock art, ethnography and shamanisms

Documenting and Analyzing Rock, Paintings from Torres Strait, NE Australia, with Digital Photography and Computer Image Enhancement

The Evolution of Theory, Method and Technique in Southern African Rock Art Research

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