SEMINAR: Archaeology Seminar Series
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Archaeology Seminar Series : Secret Societies and Rock Art in Central Africa - Understanding a Forgotten Art |
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Ancestors of the Chewa-speaking peoples of south-central Africa made a type of rock art that comprises stylised finger paintings of humans and animals. The images depict masked dancers from a secret society known as nyau. Nyau concerns much more than just dancing; nyau is said by its members to be ‘a religion’. Nyau remains vibrant throughout eastern Zambia and central Malawi, but the making of rock art has ceased. The rock art plays no role in modern village life and its purpose is forgotten. I examine the questions of why this art was made and why the tradition ceased. I show how rock art can provide unique insights into the manner in which societies resisted and manipulated traumatic colonial and post-colonial social changes.
Speaker(s) |
Benjamin Smith, UWA Archaeology
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Location |
Social Sciences, Lecture Room 1 (G28)
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Contact |
Karen Eichorn
<[email protected]>
: 6488 3448
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Start |
Thu, 28 Aug 2014 16:00
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End |
Thu, 28 Aug 2014 17:00
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Submitted by |
Karen Eichorn <[email protected]>
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Last Updated |
Tue, 26 Aug 2014 09:18
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