A Bushman hunting kit from the Natal Drakensberg

Ann. Natal Mus.
Vol. 20(3)
Pages 611 - 625
Pietermaritzburg
February, 1971
A Bushman hunting kit from the Natal Drakensberg
by
Patricia Vinnicombe
(Clare Hall , Cambridge)
SYNOPSIS
A Bushman hunting kit round in a rock shelter in the Mhlwasini VaUey in 1926 and comprising bow,
bowcase, quiver, arrows, poison spatula and sundry metal blades, is described and illustrated .
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
In 1926 Dr. Ernest Warren , then director of the Natal M usellm in Pietermaritzburg,
received a letter dated 20 June from J . S. Lombard of the farm 'Solar Cliffs' near Zllnckel's
store in the Winterton district of Natal. The letter read :
'Dear Sir,
A few days ago I find a whole Bllshman outfitting Bow holster with a bow in it and a long wooden box with a lot of airos in it also a leather poison bag and two knives
this things still in order it is very wonderful to see such old things - l find it in a cave
on top of the Small Drakensberg Cathkin Peak as I want to sell it perhaps you will
make me an offer for it or anybody else thats why 1 writing to you - hope you will
please let me now by letter whats your opinion - I had a few offers already but it is
worth that.'l
Dr. Warren replied that the Natal Museum would be pleased to acquire the Bushman
articles found , and Lombard was requested to state what price he would accept for them.
He promptly answered that he had already had offers of up to £10 from several museums
as well as private persons, 'but I like that these things go Direct to the Museum in the
provice where it is find . You can have it for the sum of £6 10s. Free on Rail .'
The deal was concluded. The Bushman hunting outfit was safely railed to the museum ,
and Dr. Warren expressed great satisfaction with the acquisitions. He then wrote again
to Lombard asking whether there were any paintings in the cave where the articles had
been found , and suggested it would be as well to examine the cave very thoroughly as
pottery, bone and metal ornaments could be buried in the soil. Lombard duly acknowledged
receipt of the letter ' about old bones and potterys and so on', and stated that before finding
the bow and arrows, he had in fact located 'a few bones and something else' which he
1 Johannes S. Lornbard, descendant o r one o r the original Voortrekker settlers in Natal, was Afrikaansspeaking and had little rormal education which accounts ror the quaint English . His correspondence is
preserved in the files or the Natal Museum.
611
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6 12
A
ALS OF TH E NATAL MUSEUM , VOL . 20(3), 1971
wo uld fo rward if Dr. Wa rren wa nted the m. The 'so methin g else' turn ed o ut to be po rti o n
of a bo ne a rm-ring :
' [ a m sorry when I dic k t hose thin gs o ut I break it. I wo nd er if yo u co uld tell me w ha t
is thi s benga l of ma de Ivo ry or wha t ? This cave have many nice pa in tin gs you ca n see
they stayed a ve ry lo ng time in there. I co uldn ' t fi nd a ny whole potterys o nl y bro ke n
pieces.'
The arm-rin g, whi ch h a a tri a ngul a r cross-secti o n with th e a pex fo rmin g the o utside
edge o f the rin g, is numbered 2530 in the Mu eum ca ta logue, a nd wa fo rwa rd ed toge th er
with fo ur unidentifi ed bo nes a nd a sma ll piece o f fo ld ed a nim a l skin .
I
Plate I. The complete hun ti ng kit com prising bow, bo w-ca e, q ui ver, 15 o f the 19 arrows, spatula,
blade in hide shea th , curved metal blade, and sma ll leather pouch. T he sca le is in cent imetres. Photogra ph by L. M. K elsalJ .
The roc k shelter was known a Lo mba rd 's ca ve until it was rena med The Cave o f
Eland (now abbre viated to El a nd Cave) by a n a rchaeo logica l tea m fr om the Witwa tersrand
Uni ve rsity whic h in vesti gated th e Ca thkin Pa rk a rea in 1932 under th e leadership o f L. H .
Wells. Situated in th e Mhl was ini va lley betwee n the dede ma a nd Nk osaza na tributari es
(29 0 03' S, 29 0 19' E), this spaci o us she lter is a bo ut 90 metres lo ng, 6 metres deep, a nd
co nta ins over 1 000 indi vidual paintings including fi ne exampl es o f superimposed shaded
p o lyc hro me ela nd . The excava ti ons by Well s co nfi rmed Lomba rd 's rema rks to a la rge
ex tent : the 61 centim etres of deposit sugges ted pro lo nged habit a ti o n, a nd a stud y of th e
VINNECOMBE: A BUSHMAN HUNTING KIT
613
pottery showed it to be mostly fragmentary pieces of Bantu origin. No other examples of
arm-rings 'were found. (Wells, 1933 ; Schofield , 1948, 37; Pager, 1969.)
Wells' report on the results of the field work refers to various details of the bows and
arrows found in the shelter, information apparently furnished by Mr. W. C. Robinson ,
then owner of the near-by farm 'Deelpunt' . [n recent communications to myself, Mr.
Robinson , now of Weenen, confirmed many of the remarks made by Wells, adding that
he himself had seen the hunting kit in situ in the cave after it had been found by Johannes
Lombard while grazing sheep in the Mhlwazini valley. A ledge of rock some 1·2 metres
wide sloped gradually upwards to about 6 metres above floor-level. Here there was a
Bushman 'nest' bedded with grass, and lying next to it, the hunting kit.
When Mr. Robinson arrived in the Cathkin area in 1910, he ascertained from an
African then aged approximately 90 years, that the Bushmen had been troublesome and
bad raided their stock some 30 to 40 years previously, that is, about 1870. The Africans
living in the vicinity mustered and planned an attack on the Bushmen who took refuge
on a hill not far from Lombard's Cave. After surrounding the hill , the Africans attacked
at dawn, but were assailed by a shower of poisoned arrows immediately they came within
bow range. The Bushmen were said to be lying flat on their backs, and by putting their
big toes through a riempie (thong) tied to the centre of the bow-stave, they were able to
use both hands and manipulate their arrows at great speed. The Africans, greatly fearing
the effects of poison, fled in the face of this barrage, but the Bushmen nevertheless gathered
their belongings, crossed over the Drakensberg into Lesotho, and were never seen again.
This information, apart from the additional details of the attack, agrees with archival
records in which it is stated that stock was stolen in March 1870 from Africans named
Maqwelela and Mandisa who resided on the Mnweni river (Natal Archives, Pietermaritzburg ; S.N .A. 1.3.20, No. 225, 1870). However, Bushmen were again encountered in the
Mont-aux-Sources area of the Berg in 1878, so the attack described above could not have
dispersed all the Bushmen living on the eastern slopes of the escarpment (Rogers, 1937: 68).
From other sources Wells obtained the information that Bushmen were still living in
secluded ravines such as the Ndedema gorge during the period 1873-85, and that some of
the paintings were executed during that time (Wells, 1933). Bushmen were also said to be
still dwelling at Eland Cave during the lifetime of one of the informants, but they had
disappeared by the time of the Langalibalela rebellion in 1873. Mr. Robinson was firmly
of the opinion that the grass bed and hunting kit he saw in situ in Eland Cave in 1926 had
not been deserted for 50-odd years as everything was so very well preserved, and the bows
and arrows gave the impression of having been handled not long before. He therefore
concluded that a lone Bushman must have continued to live in the area for a long time
after the rest of his tribe had disappeared, or that a Bushman from Lesotho had returned
to the place of his birth many years later. The items Mr. Robinson remembers having seen
were two bows and a quiver full of arrows, each of which was marked with cuts resembling
Roman numerals . The whole outfit was wrapped in a baboon skin, the inside of which was
coated with a resinous substance, presumably of vegetable origin. Mr. Robinson removed
one arrow from the quiver as a memento, but the whereabouts of this particular specimen
is no longer known (pers. comm. Mr. W. Carter Robinson, P/B Weenen, 2.2.1966, 2.3.1966
and 24.6.1968).
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6 14
ANNALS OF T H E N ATA L MUSEU M, VOL . 20(3) , 197 1
D ESCRIPTIO N OF TH E H UNT ING KIT
The a rti cles
N o. 2528:
(i)
(ii)
(iii )
(iv)
(v)
(v i)
recei ved by t he Na ta l Muse um we re li sted in th e cata log ue as fo ll ows:
Bow.
Bowcase.
Qui ve r.
20 ar rows.
C urved meta l bl ade with th o ngin g wra pping.
Lea ther th o ng with p oc ket deco ra ted with pl aited th o ngs, co nta ining
c urved meta l blade.
(v ii) Small leath er bag co nt a inin g solid substa nce a nd a meta l blade within .
N o. 2570 : (v iii) Bushma n wood spatu la fo r a ppl yin g po iso n to a rrows. F o und with th e
a rrows in the qui ve r.
It is the refo re a ppa re nt that th e co mpl ete huntin g o utfit as fo und o n th e ledge in
Ela nd Cave did no t reach th e mu se um. Mr. Ro bin so n is pos iti ve th a t the re we re two bows,
whereas the re is now o nl y o ne, a nd the re is no sig n of th e trea ted ba boo n-skin wra pping.
Of th e 20 a rrows li sted in th e ca tal og ue, 19 ca n now be traced . Includin g th e sin gle s pecime n
which was in the possessio n of Mr. R o binso n, t he re mu st o ri ginall y have bee n at least 2 1
a rrows in th e qui ve r.
Beca use o f the uniqueness of thi s huntin g kit , each ite m listed in th e M use um cata log ue
is take n in turn a nd is full y described a nd illustra ted.
Plate 2A .
Left to right : curved metal blade with tho nging ha ndle, decorated hi de shea th wi th
blade ill silll , sma ll leather pouch. Ph otograph by L. M. Kelsall.
VtNNECOMBE: A BUSH MA
Plate 2B.
H U TtNG KtT
615
Decorated hide sheath showing blade sepa ra tely. The scale is in cemimetres. Ph otograph by L. M. Kelsa ll.
(i) Bo w (p late 1, fig. I)
The bow is made from a fine-grained light-coloured wood which, although not specifica ll y identified , was thought by staff of the Natal University Botany Department2 to be
wh ite ironwood, Vep ris lanceolala. The length of the bow is 89 centimetres, the greatest
diameter at the cent re of the stave being 1·5 centimetres tapering down to 0-4 ce ntimetres
at the ends. The total weight is 91 grams. The bow-string is made up of four individually
rolled threads of animal sinew subsequently twisted into a si ngle co rd about 2 millimetres
thick. The string is attached to the stave by windi ng it round the wood and then securely
knotting it 3- 4 centimetres from the end of the bow. There is no apparently easy method
of adjusting the ten sion. The bow is only very slightl y curved, the greatest distance between
st ring and stave being but 3 ce ntimetres. One end of the stave is far more polished and
di scoloured t han the other, which suggests it was handled accord ing to a constant pattern .
At the patinated end th ere is some additiona l untwi sted si new binding near the string
attachm ent. When the bow is pulled , a far greater displacement is produced in the string
than in the stave, a deta il frequently illust ra ted in the rock-paintings.
(ii) BOH'-case (plate I, fig. I)
The length of the bow-case is 9 1 centimetres, the greatest diameter being 5 centimetre,
and the total weigh t 360 grams. It is made from a si ngl e piece of sto ut hide folded lengthwise and joined along the seam by simple run-and-fell stitching. Thick leather thonging
was used for the stitching, and was tightly pulled so that the free edges of the hide have
a slightly wavy appearance. The case has been shaped to a cylinder with the same slight
2 Or. O. Hilliard and Pror. A . W. Bayer kindly undertook to examine the Bushman hunting kit and to
comment on poss ible bo tanical identificatio ns. Few positi ve identificatio ns could be made without sectioning the specimens.
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ANNALS OF TH E NATAL MUSEUM , VOL. 20 (3), 197 1
11
Fig. I. (i) Wooden bow strung
with sinew.
(i i) Hide bow-case with
sewn seam and detachable cap. The scale is
in cen limetres.
VINNECOMBE: A BUSHMAN HUNTING KIT
617
curvature as the bow. The seam lies along the concave edge of the case, and the taut
stitching doubtless helped to produce this curve. An interior core must also have been
used to mould the skin into the desired shape, as imprints of rolled cord , which was
apparently tightly bound round the outside of the case while the hide was wet, can still
be seen. Substantial thongs are bound round the case at intervals, one at each end and a
third near the centre. Subsidiary thongs with large knots to prevent them from pulling
through have been threaded into the upper and central bands. Although these thongs are
now broken , they doubtless originally formed a carrying strap or handle. A lid to the bowcase is provided by a small cap made of raw hide. It is also sewn with leather thonging
a long two sides, a nd is shaped to fit tightly over the case by having an inner cylindrical
mould forced into the sewn pocket which was then bound with twisted cord . When the
hide was dry, the binding and mould were removed , leaving a hardened cup-like lid 9
centimetres deep. A length of leather thonging, a continuation of that used for the seam,
protrudes from the lip of the lid. This is now broken but was no doubt originally attached
to the nearest thong on the bow-case to prevent the cap from falling off and becoming
lost. The whole exterior of the case has been coated with a dark resinous substance, some
of which has cracked and flaked off. The purpose of the resin was probably to render the
case waterproof. Although] am not aware of any other published examples of Bushman
bow-cases, in a climate where summer storms are frequent and the rainfall bjgb (as much
as 2032 mm per annum in the escarpment foothills), some form of protection against wet
would probably be necessary to prevent the bow-string from becoming lax and useless
(Orpen, 1908: 465). In the drier Karoo and Kalahari regions from wruch most Bushman
ethnographic specimens have been drawn , this particular item of hunting equipment may
not be so essential.
(iii) Qui ver (plate I, fig. 2)
The quiver is made from a hollowed cylinder of light wood, probably a species of
Fials , and is 39 centimetres long, 6·5 centimetres in circumference, and weighs 261·2 grams.
The bark has been removed from the bough, and the wood hollowed to a remarkably fine
a nd even thickness of about 2·5 millimetres, tapering to less at the rim . There are no cracks
in the wood.
A removable cap or lid with a domed top is made from a piece of skin 3·5 millimetres
thick. The imprints of a spirally rolled cord which was wound round the circumference of
the cap twelve times when the skin was still wet, can clearly be seen. Two holes are punched
near the rim of the cap into which a thong is fastened , but the end is broken off. Since
there is no aperture in the quiver into which this thong could have been inserted, the cap
must have been attached to the quiver by a thong bound round the exterior circumference.
Both the top of the quiver and the detachable cap are blackened as a result of much handling.
The flat base of the quiver is fashioned from a piece of animal skin dried directly on to the
wood; again the imprints of rolled cord are visible around the circumference of the hide
where it overlaps the wood to a depth of about 3 centimetres. Near the top of the interior
of the quiver the black impressions of poisoned arrow tips can be seen, apparently placed
in the container before the poison was dry and indicating that the arrows were carried
fully assembled with tips towards the aperture. There is no indication of a thong attachment
or haLldle anywhere on the quiver whicb suggests that it was not normally carried as a
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618
ANNALS OF THE NATAL MUSEUM , VOL. 20(3), 1971
iii
rJ
-':.~-'
A
B
c
.. :- :.~:~~~~~i\
i~: · :'})}i~
viii
l
I
Fig. 2. (iii) Wooden quiver with hide cap and base.
(iv) A. Bone-tipped arrow with link-shaft. Poison
application omitted.
B. Arrow with compound link-shaft , barb
and slotted bone tip for admission of metal
head. The coating of poison has been omitted
for clarity of detail.
C. Poison-coated arrow with simple bone
link-shaft, barb and metal head .
(viii) Wooden spatula used for poison application .
The scale is in centimetres.
VINNECOMBE : A BUSHMAN HUNTING KIT
619
sepa rate item of equipment, but was transported within another bag. This is in accordance
with one of Bleek's Xam Bushman informants in the Cape who, in relating a hunting
legend , stated : The quivers are left at home ; bags are what they kept a few arrows in.
When it rains, then they take the quiver' (Bleek , 1924 : 59). The carrying bag of the Cathkin
hunting kit was no doubt the baboon skin described by Mr. Robinson.
(iv) Arrows (plate I, fig. 2)
The 19 arrows at present preserved in the Natal Museum vary in overall length from
39 to 41 centimetres. They are of three basic designs which include combinations of simple
and compound Link-shafts with bone or metal heads.
The shafts are constructed from the culms of common thatch grass, Cy mbopogon
lIa/idus or Miscanfhidium capense, and the average length is 29 centimetres. The base or
heavier end of the culm is always orientated towards the tip of the arrow and they are cut
so that the butt or proximal end of the shaft is near a node immediately below which a
central V or U-shaped notch is cut to receive the bow-string. As an additional reinforcement
against splitting, a length of sinew is bound around the node. One arrow shows definite
signs of use in that the U-shaped notch is quite wide, and the bow-string has actually cut
through a few of the lower thongs of sinew. The directional position of the notch was
apparently of little importance as it bears no constant relationship to the plane of the
arrow-tip. Each arrow-shaft includes one complete internode, the next segment being cut
just short of a node so that the bone shaft or point can be inserted into the pith without
obstruction . None of the arrows is feathered .
The average length of the bone link-shaft is 10 centimetres, and some of these show
fine striations around the circumference. Although most of the bone shafts are circular in
section, some are oval, and have a shallow canal or depression running down one side.
Since there is no central canal visible in any of the detachable bone pieces, the shafts were
no doubt fashioned from splinters off long bones. A thick encrustation of poison makes
it difficult to ascertain all the constructional details with accuracy, but at least 6 of the 19
arrows have simple bone link-shafts, whereas 5, if not all the remaining 13, have composite
link-shafts. The latter are made from two sections of bone joined together with a very
short tube of grass only I centimetre in length and neatly reinforced with sinew binding.
Despite the flimsy appearance of these joints, they seem comparatively robust and cannot
be taken apart, although this may be due to disuse. It is not clear, therefore, whether these
compound links were constructed in order to allow the arrow-head to break away from the
shaft when impact was made with the quarry, or whether it was simply a device to increase
the length and weight of the bone. In the single specimen which can be dismantled , the
bone ends are very slightly tapered for insertion into the grass tubes. Among the metaltipped arrows the average length of the distal section of bone is always less than the proximal,
and the balancing-point of the arrow is at or near the junction between the grass and bone
shafts. In each specimen , the joint between grass shaft and bone link is also bound with
sinew, and in all but one arrow this junction, too, is very firm . That which is loose shows
the inserted bone end to have been tapered to quite a fine point. The entire length of this
compound link is 8·7 centimetres, ·2·2 centimetres being inserted into the hollow culm .
Two of the 19 arrows are incomplete, lacking the points beyond the link-shafts. Two
have simple bone-pointed tips with linked shafts and the remaining 15 specimens have,
620
A
ALS OF THE NATA L MUSEUM , VOL. 20(3), 197 1
v
VII
10
VI
d
CM
a
.,r=co
-e- D" -0 :a: :0I .2 3 of. 5 6 1 8 ,
10 I I 11. 13
Fig. 3. Cv) Cu rved metal blade with raw-hide handle.
(vi i) Small leather pouch containing solid ubstance.
(vi) a. Metal blade removed from sheath.
b. Side elevation of above.
c. Hide sheath with decorative thonging.
The stitching of each row was commenced from the left and
worked to the right. The join is marked by an arrow.
d. Diagram showi ng method of st itching.
The scale is in centimetres.
VINNECOMBE: A BUS HMA N HU NTIN G KIT
621
or had , metal tips , most of which are now corroded. Only one of these is complete and
shows a sma ll flattened segment of iron with a rounded tip 6 millimetres lon g by 6 millimetres wide. The flat base is inse rted directly into a slit in the di stal end of the bone shaft
which is truncated and ground to an ova l section. The groove, about 5 millimetres deep, is
cut across th e greatest diameter. No gum is visib le in the groove, but the whole exterior of
the tip is thickly coated wit h poiso n which appears as a cracked and crumbling black
substance. Those arrows with a compound link-shaft have the poison smeared as far as
the junction between the two sections of bone, and those with a link-shaft in one piece
have the poiso n smeared over about half the total length .
The 15 arrows with slits to admit metal heads, all have a single ba rb attached to the
bo ne shaft about 1·3 centimetres from the head. Beca use of the poison encrustation it is
d ifficult to ascertai n whet her the barbs are made from quills, thorns or spli nters of bone,
b ut in o ne example where the poison has flaked off, it is evident th at the barb was attached
to the bone shaft by a sinew binding. The visible le ngth of the barb is about 1·3 centimetres
b ui not a ll of thi s protrudes beyo nd the coat of poison . In each insta nce, the barb is attached
in the same relati onship to the tip, that is. set at an a ngle to the flattened surface of bone
which li es parallel with th e plane of the metal head . The two bone-pointed arrows are
ova l in section a nd also ha ve barbs attached about 2·5 centimetres from the tip. No sig ns
of distingui shing markings such as those described by Mr. Robinso n were observed.
The ave rage weight of the complete arrows is 7·2 grams, therefore taking th e original
co mplement of arrows to be 20 in number, and there was pro babl y at least one more, the
total weight of arrows wou ld have been 144 gram s.
(v) Curved melal blade wilh Ihonging wrapping (plate 2A , fig. 3)
The blade has a total lengt h of 11·5 cent imetres, and is constructed from a flat piece
of meta l wh ich becomes thinner and more tapered as the blade curves upwards. The outer
edge of the c urve is the sha rpened edge . The thicker end of the blade se rved as a handle
a nd is bound with a strip of unevenly cut lea ther thonging fini shed off by tucking the loose
end under the binding. A portion of unbound metal protrudes beyond the thonging which
shows the edge to have been flattened. The leather binding is black and shiny and evidences
much handling.
The weight of the knife is 22·6 grams.
(vi) Decorated raw-hide shearh containing metal blade (p late 2A & B, fig. 3)
The sheath is constructed from a strap of raw-hide 45 centime!res long, tapering from
a width of 3·6 centimetres to 2·2 centimetres. The narrower end is torn , while the broader
end is rounded and is lined with a second piece of hide 12·3 centimetres long, cut to th e
sa me sha pe and sew n on to the original strap. The method of sewing is unusual and decorati ve. The perimeter of th e double section of hid e has been evenly slotted at right angles to
the edge of the stra p. A raw- hide thong, 5 millimetres wide, has then been threaded up
through slot I, down slot 3, and by looping back on itself up slot 2 and through another
longitudinal slot made in th e th ong itself. The process is repeated to produce a chainstitch effect (fig. 3, vi , d). A sma ll wi ndo w has been cut into the original strap about halfway down the double thickness of hide which thus produces a little pocket into whic h the
meta l blade is slipped . As additiona l strength ening and decoration, a strip of hide is held
622
ANNALS OF THE NATAL MUSEUM , VOL. 20( 3), 1971
in place along the lower edge of the window by means of chain-stitching which just catches
the strap along the outer edges. Another purely decorative row of thong-stitching which
does not penetrate both pieces of hide extends down the centre of the sheath below the
hole for the blade.
The metal blade carried in the sheath is 6 centimetres long and I t centimetres at its
broadest point. It is similar in appearance to a small spear-head and is slightly curved in
profile. It has a flattened leaf-shaped blade and a tapering spoke or shaft at the ' handle'
end. Two-thirds of the blade is bound with strings of untwisted sinew, and the spiked haft
protrudes beyond the binding. When inserted into the pocket in the sheath, the thonged
portion protrudes (plate 2A, centre).
The total weight of the blade and sheath is 32·6 grams, and the weight of the blade
alone 7·2 grams.
(vii) Small leather bag containing solid substance and a metal blade (plate 2A , right ; fig.
3, vii)
The bag is made from a strip of leather folded so as to make a pouch at one end with
the two edge seams stitched on the inside. The remaining strip was left so that it could be
folded down envelope fashion to close the aperture. The neck thus formed has been securely
wrapped round with leather thonging which has in turn been knotted on to a thin piece
of thonging 50 centimetres long on which dark brown animal hair is still visible. This
thong no doubt served to attach the bag to something else. The overall length of the bag
is 8·5 centimetres,S centimetres being filled with a tightly packed, light brown substance
which is now quite solid . Since the bag is very tightly secured by the thonging, the contents are only visible through a tear just below the neck , which also reveals a small metal
blade in the neck of the bag. The blade was not removed for closer inspection .
Although Lombard referred to this article as a 'poison bag' and it was subsequently
listed as such in the Museum acquisitions book, there is little indication that it was in fact
poison. The contents of the bag bears no resemblance to the poison on the arrow-tips,
although the colour and consistency may have been altered by boiling the mixture before
application (Shaw & Wooley, 1963). It is just as likely that the bag contains vegetable
charms or medicine, but the identity of the material can only be established by chemical
analysis.
The weight of the bag is 22·6 grams.
(viii) Wooden spatula (plate I, fig. 2, viii)
The spatula, shaped like a cricket bat with an extended handle, is 26 centimetres long
and is made from a single piece of wood weighing 10 grams. The thin and somewhat
knotted handle is 15 centimetres long, while the spatula blade itself is II centimetres long
and broadens out to a width of 2 centimetres by I centimetre thick. The end of the spatula
is coated with a black substance resembling the poison on the arrows. The museum records
state that the spatula was found in the quiver together with the arrows, and there is little
reason to doubt that it was, in fact, used for applying poison to the arrows. An analysis
of the substance on the spatula would nevertheless be required to confirm this point.
While the precise composition of the arrow poison used in the Natal Drakensberg is
not known , another specimen in the Natal Museum , numbered 2398 and presented in 1918,
VINNECOMBE: A BUSHMAN HUNTING KIT
623
is labelled as being a sample of Bushman poison from the Drakensberg. It is stated to
consist of the juice of aloes and various herbs mixed with the venom of snakes. Unfortunately, the precise provenance of this sample is not given, and only a chemical analysis
co uld substantiate the claims made on the label. Euphorbia thorns, probably those of
Eup!/Orbia pseudocaclus, are certainly contained within the specimen which presents a
dark , shiny appearance, and when held up to the light, is translucent and of a deep amber
shade. It is possibly the same material as that coated on the arrow-tips and the spatula,
although the dried and flaked condition of the poison on the Cathkin hunting kit makes
comparison on a visual basis difficult. It is hoped that future analysis will clarify these
points, and that it will also be established whether or not the poison on all the arrows is
made up of similar constituents. It has been claimed that the Bushmen used different
poisons for different types of game (Stow, 1905 : 75), and the various arrow designs contained within the quiver suggest a certain amount of specialisation.
COMPARATIVE SPECIMENS
Two bone-pointed arrows without link-shafts were presented to the Natal Museum
by Gilbert Randles in 1914. Numbered 2251 and 2252, their locality is marked as 'Little
Bushman Pass' which is in the Giant's Castle area of the Natal Drakensberg. Apart from
the a bsence of link-shafts, the arrows are very similar in detail to those from Cathkin
Park . The shafts of both are about 31 ·5 centimetres long and are cut from the culms of
thatch grass with a node immediately above the nock. The bone points, one 10 centimetres
long and the other 7 centimetres, are inserted directly into the pith of the culm , and held in
place by a sinew binding. The point of the longer specimen, No. 2251 , was apparently too
small in diameter to fit securely into the shaft, and a simple yet ingenious method has been
used to reduce the aperture left by the disintegra tion of the pith. A short length of grass
with a smaller diameter has been telescoped into the central canal of the larger shaft, and
the tapered bone point inserted into this inner tube . A repair to a split in the shaft is also
evident in the form of a sinew binding extending to a distance of 4·5 centimetres above the
nock .
Arrow No. 2251 is marked 'non-poisoned' and No. 2252 'poisoned'. However, a
close inspection of the tips suggests the reverse more likely to be correct, although neither
specimen has the thick , dark encrustation of the Cathkin Park arrows. No. 2251 has a
white latex-like substance on the bone tip, and the junction between bone point and grass
shaft shows a shiny, blackish substance which also occurs in spots on the shaft. The weight
of the longer arrow is 6·1 grams, and that of the shorter 5·3 grams.
Another cache of 7 arrows said to be ' Bosjesman ' and presented by Miss Henderson
in 1896 (Museum No. 78) are simply labelled as coming from 'Drakensberg caves, Natal'.
Unfortunately, no more specific details are recorded . These arrows are far larger and heavier
th a n the specimens already described , the shafts being cut from Berg Bamboo (Arllndinaria
lesse/lala) with substantial all-metal heads of various designs inserted into the central
a perture and bound with coarse untwisted sinew. The tips of three of the arrows are missing,
and the shafts of these are feathered down one side. The total lengths of the arrows vary
from 49·5 centimetres to 66 centimetres, and the heights from 18·5 to 31·8 grams. The bow
required to put these arrows to flight would have to be far larger and more robust than that
624
A N ALS OF TH E
ATAL MUSE U M, VOL. 20(3) , 1971
found at Cathkin Park , and the possibility is raised that these heavier weapons incorporating
a greater use of iron were used by Bush/ Bantu admixtures rather than by pure Bushmen.
Museum specimen No. 83 consists of two ' Bosjesman metal spear heads' dug up in
the locality of Estcourt and presented to the Natal M L1seum in 1897 by Charles Harding.
Again , no further details survive, but both the shafts and heads of these specimens are
more substantial than the metal tips in the Henderson arrows, therefore they probably are
spear heads.
Even heavier arrows (35 grams and 40·7 grams) are included among a set of two
' Hotlentot' bows and four arrows collected from Kokstad , East Griqualand , and presented
to the Natal M useum between 1926 and 1928 (No. 2573) . Again the heads are all-metal
and coated with poison , while the shafts are elaborately feathered. The bows are 1·09 and
1·58 metres long, the larger of the two being provided with a string composed of five thinly
cut leather thongs twisted into a cord . Clearly these weapons are quite distinct from the
light-weight and relatively fragile Bushman equipment recovered from Lombard's Cave in
Cathkin Park.
DISCUSSION
One of the most noteworthy features of the Cathkin Park hunting kit is the bow-case
and very shallow arc of the strung bow-stave, a design whjch may have been adapted to
facilitate carriage in a case. No certain depictions of bow-cases have yet been observed
among the rock-paintings, but it is hoped that a wider awareness of the existence of this
item of equipment among recorders and painting enthusiasts will bring some examples to
light.
The weight of the hunting kit as at present preserved (the fact that a few items are
apparently missing has already been noted), is 944 grams, the heaviest single item being
the bow-case which constitutes more than a third of the total weight. When compared
with any other form of hunting equipment, this is indeed remarkably light, and is well
suited to the requirements of mobile hunter-gatherers of small stature. Arrows of similar
design to those included in the kit were collected from Bushmen in the Cape during the
last century and have been described and illustrated by various authors (Sparrman , 1786 (I) :
199 ; Stow, 1905: 70 ; Schapera, 1930: 128- 131), and another has been found in an archaeological context at Tafelberg Hall in the Middelburg district, Cape Province (Hewitt, 1931).
This would lend weight to suggestions that the Bushmen living in the Drakensberg, that is
from the eastern Transvaal down to the Transkei , have more marked cultural as well as
skeletal and linguistic affinities with the Southern Group of Bushmen than with the Central
or Northern Groups (Lanham & Hallowes, 1956; Wells, 1960, Anders, 1935 ; Bleek in
Orpen, 1874).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Although details of the Cathkin Park hunting kit in the Natal Museum were known
to me in 1960, acknowledgement is due to the J. A. Swan Fund administered by the PittRivers Museum in the Unjversity of Oxford , for making a return visit to South Africa
possible when the present paper was written. I am also grateful to the Director of the Natal
Museum, Dr. J. A . Pringle, for providing facilities and allowing access to the hunting kit.
VI NNECOMBE : A BUS HMA N H UNTI NG KIT
625
Mi ss L. M . K elsall, fo rmerly Educa ti o n Officer a t the N ata l Museum, kindly too k the
photog ra phs a t my request.
R EF E R EN CES
A , DERS, H ., 1935: ' A note of a Sou th Eastern Bushma n dia lect', Z eitschrift /iir Eillgeborellell-Sprachell ,
25(2) : 8 1- 9.
BLEEK, D. F ., 1924: The M alltis alld his fr iellds: Bushmall / olk lore. Lo ndo n : Ba sil Blackwell Ltd .
HEWI", J., 193 1: ' Discoveries in a Bushma n cave a t Ta felberg Ha ll', TrailS. Ray . Soc. S. A/r., ]9 : 185-96.
LAN HAM. L. W . & H ALLOWES, D. P., 1956 : 'Linguist ic relatio nships a nd contacts expressed in the vocabulary,
of Eastern Bushman ', Africall Studies, 15( 1) : 45- 8.
ORP EN, J . M ., 1908: R emilliscellces o/ Ii/e ill South Africa. Durba n : P. D avis & Sons.
1874: 'A glim pse int o the mytho logy of the Ma luti Bushmen', Cape M OIIIMy M ag., Ju ly 1874,
1- 13 . Repro. Folk lore (T ra ns. Folklore Soc.), 30 : 19 19.
PAGER, H ., 1969 : ' The rock a rt of the Ndedema Gorge a nd neighbo uring val leys', S . A/r. S ci. Assoc. COllgress.
ln press.
ROG ERS, G . M ., 1937 : I . . . alolle. Pieterma ritzburg: Shute r & Shooter.
SOIAI'ERA , I. , 1930 : The Khoisall peoples 0/ South Africa. L o ndon: Ro ut ledge & Kega n Pa ul Ltd.
SCHOFIELD, J . F ., Primitive pottery . Ha ndbook series 3, S. Afr. A rc/weal. Soc. Cape T own .
S PARRMA N, A., 1786: A voyage to the Cape 0/ Good Hope. Lo ndon: R o binson.
SHAW, E. M . & WOOLLEY, P. L. , 1963 : ' Bushman a rrow po iso ns', Cilllbebasia No. 7, 2-4 1.
STOW, G. W ., 1905: The Ilative races 0/ South Ajdca. Lo ndon: Swan, Sonnenschein & Co . Ltd.
WELLS, L. H., 1933: 'The arc haeo logy o f Cath kin Pa rk ', Balllu Studies, 7 (2): 11 3- 29.
- -- 1960: Bushma n a nd H ottentot statures, S . A/r. J . S ci. 56 ( I): 277- 8 1.