Bahi Rock-Art Sites
Bahi Rock-Art Sites is located in Tanzania
Bahi Rock-Art Sites
Location of Bahi Rock-Art Sites in Tanzania
TypeCultural
LocationBahi District,
Dodoma Region,
 Tanzania
Coordinates05°57′10″S 35°18′43″E / 5.95278°S 35.31194°E / -5.95278; 35.31194
Governing bodyAntiquities Division, Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism [1]
Official nameBahi Rock-Art Site

The Bahi Rock-Art Sites or Bahi rock paintings are rock art located at three sites in the Dodoma region of Tanzania.[2][3][4] These white paintings are believed to be products of the Wamia people, who occupied the region before the Wagogo people (the current residents). The paintings, which depict cattle, human figures, stools, gourds, a bird, and an arrow, among other symbols, were supposedly executed during important occasions such as funerals.[2][3] The Wagogo people, though not fully aware of the original significance of the paintings to the Wamia, have continued to use the sites as sacred locations for rain-making ceremonies. The Bahi paintings are estimated to be at least 340 years old based on the genealogy of the Bahi chief in 1929, which revealed the estimated time of his ancestor Kimanchambogo's arrival in the area.[2] The white painting method is generally associated with Bantu-speaking farming populations.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Antiquities Division". Retrieved 21 Jul 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Culwick, A. T. (1931). "Some Rock-Paintings in Central Tanganyika". The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. 61: 443–453. doi:10.2307/2843931. ISSN 0307-3114. JSTOR 2843931.
  3. ^ a b Culwick, A. T. (1931). "Ritual Use of Rock Paintings at Bahi, Tanganyika Territory". Man. 31: 33–36. doi:10.2307/2789532. ISSN 0025-1496. JSTOR 2789532.
  4. ^ Willcox, A. R. (1984). The rock art of Africa. New York: Holmes & Meier Publishers. ISBN 0841909059. OCLC 9761731.
  5. ^ Bwasiri, Emmanuel J.; Smith, Benjamin W. (2015-10-02). "The rock art of Kondoa District, Tanzania". Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa. 50 (4): 437–459. doi:10.1080/0067270X.2015.1120436. ISSN 0067-270X.


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