Notebooks
Story: Dorothea Bleek - Book BC151_A3_026
Title
Dorothea Bleek - Book BC151_A3_026
Collection
Summary
Notes on rock paintings copied by Stow, and revisited by DB, mainly in the Eastern Cape near Queenstown. Notes about other paintings discovered as well as the farms they are found on and who to ask for directions. No pagination. Reference to 'Films' or photographs taken [?].
Comments
1) p.[1]: Cave on left bank, Klipplaats. Location of cave, description of paintings (recorded of numbers 4, 7,8,9,10 & 11, animals including snake, elephant (badly drawn), monkeys , baboons and giraffe) and their condition (much faded), comment on correctness of copying (many figures of originals, right size, but not correct positions, has only copied parts of animals), p.[1]v record of numbers 'done'. 2) p.[5]: note on being shown the way to paintings and description of how to get there. 3) p.[6]: Nos 23,24,25,26. Stow Rocks on the lower Imvani. Location of cave, description of paintings (figures with spears, antelope including eland, some old, some recent), comment on correctness of copying (eland not copied) 4) p.[10]: No 5, Farm at Birch Nek. Location of cave, description of paintings (figures, baboons, men on horseback, dots) and their condition (much is rubbed out or faded, especially colours), comment on correctness of copying (buck 'inexact' although almost all figures correct). 5) p.[13] Nos 38 - 40, Location of caves (White Kei), description of paintings (figures, animals, signs, long friezes of black men and animals) and their condition (rock cut out in places, some parts invisible), comment on correctness of copying (originals of Stow copies apparently cut out, Stow's white rhino no longer there 'let us hope some are in museums'), wife of the missionary remembers the paintings and their removal. 6) [16]: Lower Imvani. Nos 24 & 25 (woman and lions 5 & 6 film II). Description of paintings (remains of eland, white figure very old also other old figures, white figures and elephants copied in 27, rainbulls, lions and women clapping hands) and their condition (bits flaked off, rock falling away, parts faded). 7) p.[18]: Shields. Film III no.1. Description of paintings (figures, long line of shields, spears and bows, men wearing karosses and with animal's heads, buck, lion, some figures in outline, different ages) and their condition (some faded). 8) p.[21-28]: No 27-33. Location of cave (Upper Longreach farm), description of paintings (snake, buck, eland, figures, jackal, leopard, hippo, Kafir, shooting figures, panel of elephant, vulture headed[?] women, women in headdress, men with karosses, dots) and their condition (parts only just decipherable, parts almost gone, parts rubbed out), comment on correctness of copying (eland bigger, spacing different in places, inaccuracies, different arrangements, some parts correct or 'like', superimposition varies in correctness, eland group correct, No 29 'all there and more but not accurate', No 32 taken from different part of cave). 9) p[29]: Location of cave (Tiffin Kloof), description of paintings (2 figures, buck) and their condition (graffiti, dirty, only 2 figures discernable, too faded to be sure of). A Queenstown local told DB his father had found digging stones there. 10) p.[30]: Nos 1,2 & 3. Location of cave (out in the Rietpoort), description of paintings (ostrich, figures in black, buck, unknown animals) and their condition (faded, washed away by water), comment on correctness of copying (scale/size inaccuracies). 11) p.[32-35]: No 4. Rietfontein. Location of cave, some history of farm and region, description of paintings (No 4 one of many in the shelter, many old-looking, figures, buck, figures holding spears & bows, ox, giraffe, monkey, signs, rhino, eland) and their condition (some faint, parts rubbed out, some 'good and clear'), comment on correctness of copying (didn't copy everything, selective, mostly figures). 12) p.[36-40]: 12 & 13. Location of cave (Bushman's hoek farm), description of paintings (Fine paintings, ages, should be redone, 'must dig here', figures, bucks, eland, ox, cow, rain bulls?, figure with nosebleed, horsemen, stretched out creature) and their condition (much fallen out), comment on correctness of copying (ox 'does not tally with that in 13', difficulty recognising, 12 'exactly as in Stow', some colour differences). 13) p.[41]: No 16. Kloof close to Dordrecht. Location of cave, description of paintings (figures, animals, ages) and their condition (black paint has survived better than red, parts nearly obliterated), comment on correctness of copying ('size and colour seem correct, positions wrong', some not copied). 14) p.[44]: 14 & 15. Buffelsfontein. Location of cave, description of paintings (immense amount, figures, baboonbuck & oxen, leopard, cow, dead buck and 'aasvogel', eland, lion, some old paint) and their condition (lower parts 'rubbed to a blur by sheep', some parts faded, upper parts clear, figures indistinct), comment on correctness of copying (some of the baboons do not resemble originals [only 2], more like 'Miss T's'). 15) p.[48]: 73. Tygerkrantz farm. No paintings found, difficult to reach. 16) p.[48v]: [not sure if page related to p.49] Location of cave (on Diep Spruit), description of paintings (buck, eland, old animals, figures), note made of 'Miss T'. p.49: description of paintings (figures, leopard, buck) and their condition (faded, rubbed out), 'See Miss T.', 'Dig here - paint found'. 17) p.[49v]: Dates and numbers. 18) p.[50-52]: No 46. Location of cave (Diep Spruit,), description of paintings (buck, eland, old paint, figures, oxen, ) and their condition (used as cattle shelter, much rubbed out at bottom but top better, parts washed away by water), comment on correctness of copying (some correct oxen, spacing different, two visible are correct). 19) p.[50v]: [illegible] Middle plaas. Location of cave, description of paintings (fresh paintings, bucks, figures, women, varied attitudes, 'dig here'). [At this point in the middle of the book, there are notes on only the verso sides of the pages; the others are blank: DB had started at a different time from the back of the book working on the verso pages in the opposite direction. These, as the the previous notebook, do not seem to be paintings Stow copied] 20) p.[98v]: Cave on Thorneyvale Farm. Location of cave, description of paintings (human figures, old animals, buck, ox, upside down buck, eland, sticks and bows, some parts fresh-looking) and their condition (old & smudged, faded in places). 21) p.[95v]: Farm Oakleigh. Location of caves, description of paintings in caves (oblongs, figures, animals, dots, badly drawn & new animals, eland) and their condition (some washed away, some not distinguishable, some faded), new pottery found there. 22) p.[92v]: Location of cave (Zwart Kei), description of paintings (indistinct white creature, eland, animals, figures, buck, dots, oxen). 23) p.[89v]: Location of cave (on banks of Induwe[?]), description of paintings & panels (eland, unidentifiable animals, bucks, jackal, ox, white animals, probably an elephant, figures, blue animals and figures, maybe a dog, dots, ) and their condition (some rocks cut away, most very faded, some hard to identify), last 2 films of I roll, 1st 1 or 2 of II roll. 24) p.[85v]: Location of cave (at confluence of Nglosi & Banzi rivers), description of paintings (dots, bucks, figures with spears/sticks & shields, fine red buck or ox, unidentified animals, old eland) and their condition (much cut out, faded, eaten away by water, much of the fine stuff chipped away), note on who can direct to the cave. 25) p.[82v]: Location of cave (near Keiland's Dip), description of paintings (figures with spears & sticks, good buck, upside down animal, eland, figures in karosses or dresses/cloaks & caps) and their condition (parts chipped off), 'Br Otto said to have copied' (from mission station nearby), 26) p.[81v]: Location of cave (on bank of Great Kei), description of paintings (figures, animals, dog, set of sticks, figures with spears and bows, parts look new), No 3 Film II. 27) p.[79v]: Location of cave (banks of Great Kei), description of paintings (figures with sticks & bows, with karosses, large animals) and their condition (much exposed), No 4 Film II. Directions to farms on next page. 28) p.[77v]: Location of cave (bank of Zwart Kei), description of paintings (elands, dots, animals-old & newer, bucks, eland with sticks in nose, figures, old red paint underneath) and their condition ('should be copied soon, is weathering fast'). 29) p.[74v]: Location of cave (Farm Highclere), description of paintings (several beautiful eland, ox/buffalo, animals, hartebeest, figures, some with arrows/quivers, dots) and their condition (some rock fallen away, parts rubbed out). 30) p.[72v]: Location of cave (Zwart Kei, Junction farm), description of paintings (bucks, figure in kaross with white face, figures, old animal, snake, monkeys) and their condition (parts chipped out). 31) p.[70v]: 36? 'Should be copied'. Location of cave (Maatiesfarm), description of paintings (many, old & new, snakes, bucks, dancing, fighting, horses, elephants). 32) p.[68v]: Location of cave (in Spruit Twatwa), description of paintings (nice white elephant). 33) p.[67v]: Location of cave (Thorn river), description of paintings (figures & animals, figs with ornaments, cattle, newish horsemen & buck, older buck, eland, dots, signs, figures with sticks, elephant in Stow's 20) and their condition (faded, old). 34) p.[65v]: Location of cave (2 on branch of Thorn River), description of paintings (hippo, figures in 'animal disguises', dots, eland, snake, buck) and their condition (most very faded). 35) p.[63v]: Location of cave (Waku), description of paintings (similar to 22 - figures) and their condition (faded, crumbling rock). p.[62v, 61v]: Who to ask for directions to paintings, locations of farms, where good paintings are. 36) p.[61v]: Location of cave (Groenfontein farm), description of paintings (bucks, figures with sticks, figs with ornaments, animals) and their condition (very faded) 'Dig here'. 37) p.[59v]: Location of cave (Elandsriver Poort), description of paintings (figures with bows, buck, ox, maybe a horse) and their condition (very faded). 38) p.[58v]: Location of caves (Farm Evan's Hope), description of paintings (a very good eland, bucks, figures, dots, animals, baboons) and their condition (some faded). Next pages 56v, 55v: names of farms, locations and owners. 39) p.[54v]: Location of cave (Thorn River), description of paintings (figures, elephants, ox, few buck - poor & older). 40) p.[53v]: Location of cave (Skelder Krans Farm), description of paintings (elephant, eland, old & new & good bucks, lion, figures, horsemen, signs) and their condition (upper good, lower rubbed out by cattle, parts faded). 41) p.[51v]: Location of cave (Skelder Krans Farm), description of paintings (Stow's 71 might be here, too faded to see. Figures, buck) and their condition (Very faded, few paintings). [At this point it meets up with other side of notebook].
Date
1928?
Story Pages
Unpaginated [98 pages]
