History through non-written sources

In the continent of Africa, there is not much history that was written down that people can refer back to today. Because of this, most history has been passed down orally. This is the most common form of passing it down, but in some countries there are alternative methods. Lesotho is a country that has a history that is passed down in many different non-written aspects. This nation state is full of culture and history that is passed down through cave drawing, songs, and even blanket making. In each of these examples there are stories that are told even though not all can be explain.

Throughout Africa there are several places one can find cave painting. One of these places is in the Drakensburg Mountains that span across Lesotho. On the left their is a picture of these paintings. Looking at this cave painting that I have personally seen etched by the San people thousands of years ago can tell a vast story through their drawings. Even though specific detail cannot be brought out from all of the cave paintings, many of them are religious which is  the case in this particular drawing.

In Lesotho culture, music is a very popular activity. It is used for entertainment, worship, story telling and even gang war. The Basotho (people of Lesotho) use string instruments which are similar to guitars, a five gallon barrel with rubber spread over the top for a drum with a mounted wire which bottle caps are stuck through for a tambourine, and typically something similar to an accordion. These instruments come together to form their music which contains lyrics of history and story telling.                                                                                                                                                      

Along with their music, the Basotho use something important that shows their history. This item is the Basotho blanket. This blanket is used as a coat, a baby wrap, a bed, a tent, and of course a blanket. This blanket has symbols on them and designs that represent their particular clan. This is an essential for every Basotho to promote and show their heritage and what clan that they are proudly part of. This blanket would contain stories of their past villages and history of their nation depending on the clan.