Capturing the spoor: Towards explaining kudu in San rock art of the Limpopo-Shashi confluence area

Images of kudu predominate in the San rock art of northern South Africa and in Zimbabwe, whereas eland are the most commonly painted animal in other p arts of South Africa. The selection of kudu, rather than eland, by the San of the Limpopo-Shashi Confluence Area (LSCA) is examines with reference to the distribution, the biological and behavioural characteristics of the kud u and its significance in San thought. Two bodies of evidence contribute to an understanding of the significance of kudu in the rock art of the LSCA. First there are the ethnographic sources. Second are the context and associ ations of the kudu in the art itself that provide primary evidence for the social, ritual and metaphoric importance of the kudu for San hunter-gathere rs who once occupied this area.