Nyero Rock paintings destroyed
May 19, 2010
The architects of the paintings remain as mysterious as the time they were painted, but one thing is certain – they already existed when the Iteso, the present-day inhabitants of the region, arrived in the area about 300 years ago. The skill in which they were painted demonstrates a high degree of
By Simon Naulele
The architects of the paintings remain as mysterious as the time they were painted, but one thing is certain – they already existed when the Iteso, the present-day inhabitants of the region, arrived in the area about 300 years ago. The skill in which they were painted demonstrates a high degree of appreciation of their artistic values.
Archaeologists say the site is of a Later Iron Age period.
The Nyero Rock Paintings, with three-tiered rock-shelters, and primitive paintings on their inner surfaces, is one of the many UNESCO World Heritage sites.
But, today are fears rife that these famous ancient sites in Kumi district, eastern Uganda will be no more in few years to come if nothing is done to protect them.
Jacqueline Nyiracyiza, an official from the Uganda Department of Museums and Monuments, says illegal stone quarrying, charcoal burning and smearing with oil, reportedly for ritual purposes is a big threat to this historical site. She says they will be very difficult to restore.
There are 3 different sites: Site 1 has some damage. Some paintings have been scrubbed away. The site was initially protected by a wall which is now half demolished.
Site 2, the main site, also called Osigiri, is the most impressive, with a huge rock face covered in red painted circles, what look like two men in a boat and possibly seed pods and animals.
Site 3, also known as Otwalaimula, is a few hundred metres north. Here the modest paintings are not easy to notice unless someone shows you.
They are only viewed by getting on your back and looking up at the ceiling of the cave.
The white circles look like a sun, or moon with legs
“Unless we stop stone quarrying, charcoal burning and the use of oil in Nyero rock, there will be no tourists,†she says.
Nyiracyiza made these remarks on Thursday May 13, during the launch of an exhibition of Africa’s unique rock art heritage at Moru-Ikara Primary School in Kumi district.
The two-week exhibition was organised by the Department of Museums and Monuments in conjunction with Trust for African Rock Art (TARA) aimed at working with local communities to preserve this cultural heritage.
Origins of painting unknown
The rock paintings, believed to be the only known stone age rock paintings in Africa, are shrouded by mystery.
They are inscribed in red, white and purple pigments.
Erimano Ikara, 80, the former caretaker of the rocks for 27 years (from 1966 to 1993) claims they were drawn by the ancient yellow hairy bushmen who lived at that time.
The paintings are a silent voice seemingly telling a story about the life, tradition and values of our ancestors.
“Those people seemed to have been fishermen and hunters, because some of the paintings have drawings of men sailing in a boat and wild animals like zebras and giraffes,†says Ikara.
Who discovered the rocks?
Elderly women used to go pounding their potatoes inside the caves on hot days in the early 1950s. It is believed these were the first people to see the painting, Ikara says.
Some white men used to go to the area to pick flowers. As they kept visiting the rocks, the women showed them the paintings. It did not take long before another group of Americans came.
“When these Americans came, they surveyed the place and started excavating the rock. Local people were chased away during the second week of the excavation. We saw them go away with glittering things filled in a sugar bag,†says Ikara.
Later, when the community went to check the excavated area, they found the stones had not been tampered with.
National heritage
“In 1962, we heard that the Government was going to fence off the rock. This was done in 1966 and I was recruited as the caretaker by the culture ministry,†says Ikara.
As Ikara was digging holes for the fence, he unearthed a human hand (from the elbow up to the fingers) which his colleague smashed.
He says the place was a habitation for traditional herbalists, who took demon-possessed people for ‘healing’ by performing rituals and prescribing traditional medicine for them.
The site abandoned
It is difficult to understand why the artists painted and engraved pictures on these rocks.
As a national asset, Nyero is a beautiful place with gigantic rocks balanced on each other.
It is also a sacred place where some local religious groups hold ceremonies.
However, Nyiracyiza says visitors now find piles of granite chips everywhere, giving the impression of stone quarrying taking place in this sacred or cultural site. Many of the paintings have been covered by graffiti, people scrawling their names, dates and messages.
The Otwalaimula site, which is engraved with white centric and was once believed to have been used by medicine men for rain making, is now covered with modern graffiti.
The locals are using fire to destroy rocks and boulders that have been there for millions of years. Some of these rocks are adorned with paintings.
Struggle to survive
Such activities have seriously scarred the natural and the cultural landscape of this exceptional area and have destroyed large quantities of priceless archaeological material.
“We have not seen the benefit of that rock at all. How can they say that we should not break the stones and yet we need to eat. If they want their paintings, they should take them away and leave us with those that don’t have the paintings,†says Sam Omaje.
He says it is through stone quarrying and the burning of charcoal that they get money to send their children to school and feed themselves.
“Our mission is to create greater global awareness of the importance and endangered state of Africa’s rock art.
We need to survey sites, monitor their status, be an information resource and promote and support rock art conservation measures,†says Gloria Borona, an official from TARA.
An official historical site?
Rose Mwanja, the acting commissioner, Museums and Monuments in the tourism ministry, says Nyero was gazzetted as a national monument in 1972.
“We have historical sites in Karamoja, Katakwi, Kapir, Ngora and Mukongoro (all in Kumi), but Nyero is one of its kind and we should preserve it,†she says. She adds that the community is key in the preservation of such sites.
She says the white engravings on site three depict the bright sunshine in Uganda.
Ismail Orot, the LC5 chairman for Kumi, says the paintings are a sign that as early as as four hundred years ago, the Iteso knew how to read and write.
Similar paintings have been found in the southern Africa, lending credence to the ancient population migrations.
Lawrence Esiagu, the retired senior cultural officer for Kumi, says Nyero is used as a study centre by scholars and scientists.
Concerning the origins of the painting, he says: “The paintings are not from the Iteso. They are believed to have been drawn by people who had yellow skins.â€
William Opio Ilakut, the current caretaker, says the lack of facilities like accommodation and hotels scare tourists away.
Officiating at the function, Rev Fr. Simon Lokodo, the state minister for industry, appealed to the people of Nyero to guard the heritage if they are to get revenue from it.
He says once the heritage is well protected, more visitors from all over the world will be attracted to Nyero and the proceeds will assist in developing the area.
“This heritage should not be left to disappear because it helps us interpret the past. We need our past in order to enjoy the present and to build the future,†Lokodo says.
He says the Government will take charge of the heritage by introducing a number of social facilities that can attract the tourists and urged the leaders to create awareness of the importance of the heritage.
The architects of the paintings remain as mysterious as the time they were painted, but one thing is certain – they already existed when the Iteso, the present-day inhabitants of the region, arrived in the area about 300 years ago. The skill in which they were painted demonstrates a high degree of appreciation of their artistic values.
Archaeologists say the site is of a Later Iron Age period.
The Nyero Rock Paintings, with three-tiered rock-shelters, and primitive paintings on their inner surfaces, is one of the many UNESCO World Heritage sites.
But, today are fears rife that these famous ancient sites in Kumi district, eastern Uganda will be no more in few years to come if nothing is done to protect them.
Jacqueline Nyiracyiza, an official from the Uganda Department of Museums and Monuments, says illegal stone quarrying, charcoal burning and smearing with oil, reportedly for ritual purposes is a big threat to this historical site. She says they will be very difficult to restore.
There are 3 different sites: Site 1 has some damage. Some paintings have been scrubbed away. The site was initially protected by a wall which is now half demolished.
Site 2, the main site, also called Osigiri, is the most impressive, with a huge rock face covered in red painted circles, what look like two men in a boat and possibly seed pods and animals.
Site 3, also known as Otwalaimula, is a few hundred metres north. Here the modest paintings are not easy to notice unless someone shows you.
They are only viewed by getting on your back and looking up at the ceiling of the cave.
The white circles look like a sun, or moon with legs
“Unless we stop stone quarrying, charcoal burning and the use of oil in Nyero rock, there will be no tourists,†she says.
Nyiracyiza made these remarks on Thursday May 13, during the launch of an exhibition of Africa’s unique rock art heritage at Moru-Ikara Primary School in Kumi district.
The two-week exhibition was organised by the Department of Museums and Monuments in conjunction with Trust for African Rock Art (TARA) aimed at working with local communities to preserve this cultural heritage.
Origins of painting unknown
The rock paintings, believed to be the only known stone age rock paintings in Africa, are shrouded by mystery.
They are inscribed in red, white and purple pigments.
Erimano Ikara, 80, the former caretaker of the rocks for 27 years (from 1966 to 1993) claims they were drawn by the ancient yellow hairy bushmen who lived at that time.
The paintings are a silent voice seemingly telling a story about the life, tradition and values of our ancestors.
“Those people seemed to have been fishermen and hunters, because some of the paintings have drawings of men sailing in a boat and wild animals like zebras and giraffes,†says Ikara.
Who discovered the rocks?
Elderly women used to go pounding their potatoes inside the caves on hot days in the early 1950s. It is believed these were the first people to see the painting, Ikara says.
Some white men used to go to the area to pick flowers. As they kept visiting the rocks, the women showed them the paintings. It did not take long before another group of Americans came.
“When these Americans came, they surveyed the place and started excavating the rock. Local people were chased away during the second week of the excavation. We saw them go away with glittering things filled in a sugar bag,†says Ikara.
Later, when the community went to check the excavated area, they found the stones had not been tampered with.
National heritage
“In 1962, we heard that the Government was going to fence off the rock. This was done in 1966 and I was recruited as the caretaker by the culture ministry,†says Ikara.
As Ikara was digging holes for the fence, he unearthed a human hand (from the elbow up to the fingers) which his colleague smashed.
He says the place was a habitation for traditional herbalists, who took demon-possessed people for ‘healing’ by performing rituals and prescribing traditional medicine for them.
The site abandoned
It is difficult to understand why the artists painted and engraved pictures on these rocks.
As a national asset, Nyero is a beautiful place with gigantic rocks balanced on each other.
It is also a sacred place where some local religious groups hold ceremonies.
However, Nyiracyiza says visitors now find piles of granite chips everywhere, giving the impression of stone quarrying taking place in this sacred or cultural site. Many of the paintings have been covered by graffiti, people scrawling their names, dates and messages.
The Otwalaimula site, which is engraved with white centric and was once believed to have been used by medicine men for rain making, is now covered with modern graffiti.
The locals are using fire to destroy rocks and boulders that have been there for millions of years. Some of these rocks are adorned with paintings.
Struggle to survive
Such activities have seriously scarred the natural and the cultural landscape of this exceptional area and have destroyed large quantities of priceless archaeological material.
“We have not seen the benefit of that rock at all. How can they say that we should not break the stones and yet we need to eat. If they want their paintings, they should take them away and leave us with those that don’t have the paintings,†says Sam Omaje.
He says it is through stone quarrying and the burning of charcoal that they get money to send their children to school and feed themselves.
“Our mission is to create greater global awareness of the importance and endangered state of Africa’s rock art.
We need to survey sites, monitor their status, be an information resource and promote and support rock art conservation measures,†says Gloria Borona, an official from TARA.
An official historical site?
Rose Mwanja, the acting commissioner, Museums and Monuments in the tourism ministry, says Nyero was gazzetted as a national monument in 1972.
“We have historical sites in Karamoja, Katakwi, Kapir, Ngora and Mukongoro (all in Kumi), but Nyero is one of its kind and we should preserve it,†she says. She adds that the community is key in the preservation of such sites.
She says the white engravings on site three depict the bright sunshine in Uganda.
Ismail Orot, the LC5 chairman for Kumi, says the paintings are a sign that as early as as four hundred years ago, the Iteso knew how to read and write.
Similar paintings have been found in the southern Africa, lending credence to the ancient population migrations.
Lawrence Esiagu, the retired senior cultural officer for Kumi, says Nyero is used as a study centre by scholars and scientists.
Concerning the origins of the painting, he says: “The paintings are not from the Iteso. They are believed to have been drawn by people who had yellow skins.â€
William Opio Ilakut, the current caretaker, says the lack of facilities like accommodation and hotels scare tourists away.
Officiating at the function, Rev Fr. Simon Lokodo, the state minister for industry, appealed to the people of Nyero to guard the heritage if they are to get revenue from it.
He says once the heritage is well protected, more visitors from all over the world will be attracted to Nyero and the proceeds will assist in developing the area.
“This heritage should not be left to disappear because it helps us interpret the past. We need our past in order to enjoy the present and to build the future,†Lokodo says.
He says the Government will take charge of the heritage by introducing a number of social facilities that can attract the tourists and urged the leaders to create awareness of the importance of the heritage.