Study suggests San people may have recognized fossils before western science

New studies suggest that the rock art of the San people was inspired by dicynodont fossils, demonstrating how indigenous people of South Africa had a surprising awareness of local prehistory

Carved into the rock face of South Africa’s Karoo Basin, is an image of an animal with curved tusks. Archaeologists have been disputing for many years whether the drawing was that of a mythical animal; however, a new study now says that the subject could be a dicynodont, an extinct animal well before the arrival of humans. If this theory is confirmed, then it would mean the native people of southern Africa had been acquainted with pre-historic animals long before they were scientifically described.

The painting, produced between the years 1821 and 1835 by the San tribe, is a representation of a long-bodied animal with tusks pointing downward. Called the “Horned Serpent Panel,” it bears little resemblance to any modern animal that inhabits the region. At first glance, it may resemble a walrus; however, those sea mammals live in the Arctic and are nowhere near southern Africa. Others would argue that this is an animal of the San’s “spirit world,” but again, it is also well documented that spiritual representations are almost always based on real elements.

This figure most likely draws its inspiration from the fossils of dicynodonts, a sturdy herbivore with downward-pointing tusks that roamed the area around 200 million years ago, a study by Julien Benoit of Evolutionary Studies Institute at the University of Witwatersrand says. This would not be the first time that indigenous cultures recognized the existence of fossils long before Western science.

The connection between the San people and prehistoric fossils

In fact, there is a great number of direct proofs that the San people were able to recognize prehistoric fossils and transport them over great distances. Therefore, the finding of a fossil is likely to trigger their imagination and influenced their rock art. As a matter of fact, it is being assumed that extinct animals quite often were integrated into the culture and tales of the San people.

This study also demonstrates that the San had various myths concerning large, extinct animals roaming the region. One 1905 account describes how ancestors of the San came upon “gigantic monsters, larger than elephants or hippopotamuses.” This would suggest an awareness of long-gone animals and an era preceding their own.

The connection with the rain ceremonies

Benoit also describes how the tusked animal fits into the mythological framework of the “rain-animal.” Regarding this, San tradition holds that during rain ceremonies, shamans would enter a somnambulant state of trance in order to catch these animals and return the rain to the living world. The fact that the dicynodont was extinct-and therefore part of the world of the dead-may have made it a particularly potent creature in bridging these two worlds.

Dating the “Horned Serpent Panel” to 1835 places it well before the scientific discovery of the dicynodont in the 1840s. This strongly supports the premise that the San knew about those fossils long before Western scientists did.

It is here that Benoit takes his cue from historian Adrienne Mayor, who has shown that long before Western scientists did, a variety of cultures explored the world of fossils. Indigenous peoples, such as Native Americans, knew about and interpreted a variety of fossils, often showing that they were aware these were the remains of extinct species. The San of South Africa moved fossils long distances, as can be seen from the Bolahla rock shelter, which contained dinosaur remains that some argue might constitute the first dinosaur fossil discovery.

This is another example of how indigenous people get underrated despite their pointed understanding of natural and pre-historic phenomena.

Source: PLOS ONE