Issue

Vol. 11 No. 1 (2022)

Challenges and Prospects for the Rock Art of Mumba Rock-shelter

https://doi.org/10.56279/jhss.v11i1.194
Pastory M. Bushozi
Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Corresponding Author(s) : Pastory M. Bushozi

pbushozi@gmail.com

Journal of Humanities & Social Science (JHSS), Vol. 11 No. 1 (2022)

Abstract

The Mumba rock-shelter and its surrounding landscape are places where evidences for
the evolution of human cognitive behaviour and other cultural practices have been
uncovered. Deep and stratified archaeological deposits recorded at Mumba have shown
unique distinctive technological and behavioural traits with possible connections
between Middle Stone Age (MSA), Later Stone Age (LSA), Neolithic, and Iron Age
cultures. Archaeological records were found associated with symbolic-revealing objects
such as ochre pigments, beads, and stone rubber stained with red ochre, which express
the cognitive ability of ancestors who inhabited Mumba rock-shelter and the
surrounding landscape from the MSA to the present. Ochre pigments are believed to be
one of the ingredients for painted figures executed globally on Precambrian and gneiss
rock-walls. Despite being a significant part of human intellectual achievements, the rock
art images depicted at Mumba have been severely affected by physical weathering and
anthropogenic actions. This paper explores the extent to which the rock art of Mumba
reference cultural processes, conservation challenges, and prospects for future uses.
The presented data were collected through in-depth documentation using modern
analytical techniques such as ImageJ and Adobe Photoshop C5 softwares to trace the
paintings. Two traditional systems of hunter-forager and Bantu speaking paintings were
identified at Mumba. However, the conservation status of the rock art of Mumba is not
ideal, which necessitates collective management approaches.

Keywords

sustainable management, conservation plans, rock art heritage
Challenges and Prospects for the Rock Art of Mumba Rock-shelter. (2022). Journal of Humanities & Social Science (JHSS), 11(1). https://doi.org/10.56279/jhss.v11i1.194
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Challenges and Prospects for the Rock Art of Mumba Rock-shelter. (2022). Journal of Humanities & Social Science (JHSS), 11(1). https://doi.org/10.56279/jhss.v11i1.194
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