Faces of the Dobe Bushmen

 

1975 Dobe, Botswana Fieldwork

 

Dobe, Botswana

 Dobe, Botswana Fieldwork, 1975


These !Kung-speaking foragers, who are non-painters, live at Dobe, near a waterhole, in an isolated corner of the Kalahari Desert in northwestern Botswana. Dobe was the study site of the Browns in early 1975.  While these people call themselves Zu/wasi, a word meaning "real people," the Browns used the word Bushmen to describe them without insulting overtones; no derogation is imputed.

 

     White Lady

"White Lady," The Most Controversial Figure in all Stone Age Art

To the left of center is a painting called the "White Lady."  Located in Namibia, in the Brandberg Mountains, is this most controversial figure in all Stone Age art.  Earlier prehistorians claimed that she was of foreign origin.  Why have later archaeologists rejected this claim? (Painting courtesy of Harald Pager)