Iconography of Termites' Nests and Termites: Symbolic Nuances of Formlings in Southern African San Rock Art

Abstract

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.

Cultural significance of termites in sub-Saharan Africa

“…The flying termites were associated with supernatural creative powers, and creation stories of the San relate that the first humans came from a termite nest, considered to be God’s house. That is probably the reason that in rock art of the San (Bushman) north of the River Limpopo in Zimbabwe termites’ nests are depicted [ 64 ].…”

Farmers’ knowledge and use of soil fauna in agriculture: a worldwide review

“…For example, termites feature prominently in iconography in San rock art in Southern Africa (Mguni 2006), the "Honey Ant Dreaming" mural painted at Papunya in 1971 was the catalyst that started the famous Western Desert Australian Aboriginal Art movement (Carmichael and Kohen 2013), and scarab beetles were widespread in religion and cosmology in ancient Egypt (Ratcliffe 2006). The cosmological significance of invertebrates was touched on in seven reviewed studies.…”

Integrating Ethno-Ecological and Scientific Knowledge of Termites for Sustainable Termite Management and Human Welfare in Africa

“…In the cosmology of the Luo (a tribe in eastern Kenya) and Chagga (a tribe in northern Tanzania), termitaria symbolize sexuality and the feminine power of procreation, thus ingesting soil is good for the blood and for fertility of the woman (Geissler 2000, Knudsen 2002. Similarly, in cosmology of the San people in southern Africa, termitaria symbolize a spirit world that has unparalleled transformative and generative powers (Mguni 2006). Consumption of soil from termitaria is common among the nutritionally vulnerable populations, especially children and pregnant and lactating women (Wiley and Katz 1998).…”

“…3). Mound destruction may not be acceptable, probably because termitaria are sacred places among many communities in Africa (Geissler 2000, Mguni 2006, Copeland 2007.…”