The Bahi Rock-Art Sites or Bahi rock paintings are
rock art
In archaeology, rock art is human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type also ...
located at three sites in the
Dodoma region
Dodoma Region (''Mkoa wa Dodoma'' in Swahili language, Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative Regions of Tanzania, regions. The regional capital is the city of Dodoma. The region is located in central Tanzania, it is bordered by Singid ...
of Tanzania.
These white paintings are believed to be products of the Wamia people, who occupied the region before the
Wagogo
The Gogo/Gongwe (singular: mgogo, plural: Wagogo) are a Bantu ethnic and linguistic group based in the Dodoma Region of central Tanzania. In 1992 the Gogo population was estimated to number 1,300,00The Gogo have historically been predominantly pa ...
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.
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.
The white painting method is generally associated with Bantu-speaking farming populations.
See also
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Kondoa Rock-Art Sites
The Kondoa Rock-Art Sites or Kondoa Irangi Rock Paintings are a series of ancient paintings on rockshelter walls in central Tanzania. The Kondoa region was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2006 because of its impressive collection of rock ...
*
National Historic Sites in Tanzania
National Historic Sites of Tanzania is an official list of places in Tanzania that have been designated as National Historic Sites as per the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism of Tanzania under the Antiquities Division. The list is not com ...
References
Archaeological sites in Tanzania
Rock art in Africa
Geography of Dodoma Region
Archaeological sites of Eastern Africa
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