It is tradition for the men to go out hunting meat, sometimes for days on end. The woman’s task are limited to going into the veld and gathering seeds, plants for medicinal, cosmetic or food purposes and small beetles and birds to cook. Like all societies it is woman’s task to decorate their huts, bodies, children and costumes for celebrations or ritual dances.

The Modern bushmen woman do not only use ostrich egg shells but since the early 60”s also modern plastic beads as found by many African tribes ( the Zulus and Xhosa’s etc.). Here is a classical example of a bead apron as worn by young girls in spring. Its beautiful simplicity and clean line work makes for a striking decoration.

In true Katunga method, he portrays the animals traditionally seen in the veld and the ever-present baobab tree. Ironically enough, this is the only traditional element in this painting, as the hunters are clothed in Western fashion, placing emphasis on the cultural pull modern Bushmen are experiencing. The traditional loincloth made from softened skin are clearly abandoned for conventional attire. Even more unconventional is the dress like figure at the back, could that be a wife joining in on the hunt? There are some entertaining artistic elements with the hunter dislocated from his bow and arrow in mid hunt due to a background sky intruding - And a new visitor to the sandy plains of Katunga’s world – Male Kudu makes a central but welcome appearance.

There is nothing more majestic in the Kalahari than Baobab tree, its higher than any animal and carries a magical presence in an otherwise dry grassy plain. Katunga, like his fellow tribes men, spent many a day out in the blazing heat tracking down prey. If you are thirsty and have been walking for miles, there is nothing better than finding water trapped in the hollows of a baobab tree.

Surprisingly, you won’t find solitude under its high branches: On a scorching day, animals will gather in its shade and wait for the rays of the sun to turn pink and orange before they can retreat to the watering hole for a last drink.

Katunga was fascinated with this phenomena, man and animal taking shelter under baobabs protection. Some animals climbing up the trunk and others simply lazing about, oblivious to the hunter amongst them...And him patiently bidding his time to make the kill.

This is a playful celebration of the veld after the rain. The illuminated painting carries a strong aboriginal presence combined with a mischievous infiltration of Western culture with a few dinosaurs happily frolicking between traditional animals.

It is the Bushmen’s belief that all living creatures, from the smallest moth to the biggest elephant, must be treated with the same respect. When hunting in the veld, they would quite often hunt the older or injured animals first and thereby keep the herd strong in a natural conservationist way. Even snake, who is believed to be the spirit of the ancestors walking amongst men gets treated with respect - rather waiting for its retreat and not killing unnecessarily.

In this painting Katunga is celebrating all animals and the equal space they share in his trademark manner with simple line work and bold use of colour. The animals are all travelling where the water goes , hence them all going in the same direction...

Imagine a world where man and animals live in harmony. Man and animals respect each other and are friends. Then comes another man and separates them into different camps. Man is not allowed to live in the land outside the fence and Animal is free inside his camp only. This is the story of game reserves and how Bushmen like Monto had to flee their ancestral land. This is one of the stories of the Bushmen.

Another story is the Angolan Civil War. The !Xun & Khwe bushmen were used by both the Portuguese Angolan Army and then the South Africa Army for their tracking and hunting skills in a war that had nothing to do with them. After the war they were outcast by society, relocated to South Africa and forced to give up their traditional way of life.

In this painting Monto is remembering the old days, with woman happily working away in the village, men smoking a pipe after the hunt and the animals gathering nearby at a watering hole - when it was just Bushmen and Animals and all was perfect. It’s a postcard of sorts that reminds us of what was lost.

This painting has a touch of innocence with Katunga commenting on ancestral rock paintings. The animals are literally “captured” on each rock and there is no chance of escape. Surrounded by decorative debris and the eternal Baobab tree, this is a simple analogy with great meaning...Modern Bushman longs to stay connected to the “old” ways, there’s great pride in the traditions and abilities of their ancestors.

In this painting Monto is depicting an ordinary day in the life of the Kalahari. The Springbok are grazing peacefully, the giraffe are eating from the tree tops and one lonesome baboon is playing the fool.

One can never fully appreciate the observational power of the Bushmen, and what artists like Monto must have seen in their lifetimes. This is a classical postcard of a short, but truly sweet event - bound to be told with great gusto at the fire gathering that night

In typical Masseka style, we witness the Honey Badger folklore come to life, combined with an old traditional hunting story of the importance of family. There is also an image of a Bushman making music. This rare image is a treasure, showing the way they held their musical bows between the teeth making clicking noises while plucking or stroking the taught strings in rhythm. A classical image of Meerkat coming up to listen only adds to the charm of this painting.

For Katunga this is more than just a painting depicting animals and trees, this is a story of survival. Kutunga explains that all animals have a way of surviving, elephant with is size and tusks, rhino with its horns, gazelle with its speed. Man survives because he has hands and can use tools. Only due to this is man ahead of the animals.

Julietta paints because it makes her happy. Her paintings show the beauty of nature and how man fits in. She uses bold lines and a great use of colours.

For Bushmen, trees are central to all life in the veld. It is a gathering place, a shelter from the sun and a hiding place from lion. It bears fruit and seeds that one can use in medicine, beading work and decorations. Their branches makes tools, bows and arrows, furniture and fire. In this painting Kashivi very cleverly illustrates all the animals visiting the majestic baobab tree. It’s spring and the tree is in full bloom.

Rumao is like his fellow bushmen, documents the past for future Bushmen generations. There is a treasure chest of information in Rumao’s work though, unlike his peers, his detail is unrivalled and he is truly skilled in figure proportions and spatial layout. There is a daytime scene, the sun rising over baobabs and animal, with huntsman gathering twigs. There are twilight scenes with men lazing around the fire, making fire with sticks and night time talking away and exchanging stories while falling asleep. There is a lot of movement and dialogue in this painting and it invites you to explore every corner and experience something new. Bernado’s trademark double signature is not a sign of an emboldened ego, but a manifestation of being proudly bushmen in a forgotten time.

Kunyanda is a Khwe Bushmen from Angola. Traditionally, they lived close to the rivers and practiced fishing and subsistence farming. Like the other bushmen communities they learned the stories of previous generations from their parents and grandparents. These stories were an important part of their education.

This is the story of how the tree is the source of life. Under the tree the insects gather to feed on the fallen fruit, small reptiles, birds and animals gather to feed on the insects. Larger animals come to feed on the reptiles and mammals. Eventually the bigger carnivores gather to feed on them. Many animals feed on the leaves and fruits, some others take shelter. Man however makes the biggest use of the tree.

This is a bright and light-hearted painting of an everyday moment in the veld. Its spring and most of the trees have delicious fruit and flowers hanging from them, giraffe is bending back in accurate proportional detail to take the fruit of his choice while buffalo is lazily grazing away at the green tufts sprouting up after the rain.

Most beautiful is two Kalahari birds disputing about a worm when their peers are peacefully pulling worms behind them. As is custom in Donna’s work there is always a subtle comment made in a playful manner, in this case about fighting about one worm in a land of plenty.

Manual likes to remember his “previous” life. He is surrounded by the beauty of nature; life in the village is simple. His heart is at peace.

There is a lot of activity in the amber sun of the Kalahari. We have mother and baby Rhino crossing the plain with buck. In the lower section we have a beautiful moment when an Aardvark snatches its prey with its long tongue.

Joao was a great hunter and remembers hunting and all the animals. He recalls hunting the rhino and tells how they used every piece of the animal. The thick skin was dried and made into furniture. It was also ground into a powder and stored in ostrich eggs in the ground, in times of hunger they would dig it up and mix it with water and eat.

This is an early work of Flai and very little is known of this piece. Great care was made in creating these geometric patterns. Unfortunately we will never know its meaning.

For Bushmen the rain season brings about many wonderful things. They can catch the catfish after they miraculously emerge from the dried up river bed. There’s also plenty of springbok to hunt. This painting also tells an extensive bushmen story.

They say there is nothing that compares with the spring flowers in the Kalahari Desert. This painting is simple celebration of all things beautiful at such a time. Everything is wrapped up in spring colours with even Giraffe getting some colourful treatment. The spontaneous exploration of background forms elevates the floral shapes in true trademark Kashivi style.

“A lot of our culture is lost in our lives—the old stories that were told by mothers and fathers who would go into the bush and then return to tell the others what they had seen. The problem now is that no one goes out and does anything, so we have no stories to tell our children...We only have the stories of our mothers and fathers...”

These words by Mahongo, the leader of the !Xûn Traditional Council summarises the importance of painters like Rumao’s work. Bernardo imitates a man who is teaching his children how to survive in the wild, choose a place to live, find water and animals and which trees have honey. Exquisite brush work and an innocent sophistication makes this a Bushmen master piece.

This is a beautiful window on Bushmen life from many years ago - several windows to be exact. These are four different bushmen stories which Flai likes to tell. Each story is from the beginning were man and animals can talk to each other.

The stories always have a meaning which is not always apparent at first. The stories often reflect how the small animals (people) outsmart the larger ones. The stories were acted out around a camp fire in the clear Kalahari night.

Every nation in Africa had an identity and belief system before being introduced to other religions. This painting is provocative and meant to be. Flai is not taunting us, but asking us a question, which road to choose...As this is ultimately a cross road. For thousands of years Bushmen have been carrying ancestral beliefs in their hearts and then Western man comes along with a very different belief. They were told that the old beliefs were wrong but in their hearts they still believe whilst accepting the new religion.

“When I think of the eland inside me, I just take a sheet of paper and draw it”...

Joao’s words betray’s the feelings of almost every artist on the art project. They were all victims of war, hardship and suppression. And bravely enough, they want to remember and treasure the “Eland”, the symbol of Bushmen spirituality despite all its consequences. Joao’s painting is innocent, no sub text or hidden messages: It’s a painting of himself hunting in the veld. Joining him in the veld is a selection of buck, tortoise and trees.

This painting could also be called migration, as all the animals - big and small - are travelling towards another area. One cannot help but wonder if there is drought, judging by the red background it is a hot day in the Kalahari. The only creature staring right at us is the hunter, with his bow and arrows, spear and axe beside him, he is ready for the hunt.

The drought will drive the animals further away. Should he move with them or stay and dance the rain back to his land? The bushmen believe that through dancing they communicate with the spirit world and can change the weather.

Ogam is Naro Bushman, seperating him from the !Xun Bushmen in mythology and visual style. Its is the dramatic use of movement that most elevates him from his artistic peers.Here is beautiful marriage between past and present. It is the Bushmens belief that one can communicate with the ancestors, heal the sick and bring the clouds through dancing alone. Through rythmic chanting, they reach a trance state allowing them to enter the spirit world. In this painting Ogam is illustrating modern Bushmen, in Western fashion, accessing the spirit world through dance and movement. But all is not lost as the Elephant god morphs from the colourful shapes above and Heron patiently waits for this modern hunter’s request.

This painting could also be called migration, as all the animals - big and small - are travelling towards another area. The animals are going to the pan, it’s the only source of water around. The turtle symbolizes the pan as it has to live in water. Man has set up home near the pan until the rains return.