Talk: Anne Solomon (Independent scholar)

Anthropological studies of Kalahari hunter-gatherers have been a rich  source of ethnographic analogies in archaeology, underpinning the notion  of a 'pan-San cosmology' that has been fundamental in rock art  research. However, the analogical method's focus on commonalities tends  to occlude differences. This is especially evident in relation to  beliefs, rites and lore regarding rain and water, with apparently  significant divergences between the Juǀ'hoansi and southern San (e.g.  the  ǀXam). Analytical problems include the assessment of difference, as  opposed to variation, and explaining both commonalities and divergences.  In particular, interpretations in terms of interactions-based  borrowings, and the assumptions and premises of those explanations,  require critical attention.