The oldest art objects in the world were discovered in a South African cave. Dating from 75,000 years ago, these small drilled snail shells could have no other function than to have been strung on a string as a necklace.

South Africa was one of the cradles of the human species. One of the defining characteristics of our species is the making of art.

The scattered tribes of Khoisan / San / Bushman peoples moving into South Africa from around 10000 BCE had their own fluent art styles seen today in a multitude of cave paintings

Common subjects include hunting, often depicting with great accuracy large animals which no longer inhabit the same region in the modern era, as well as: warfare among humans, dancing, domestic scenes, multiple images of various animals, including giraffes, antelope of many kinds, and snakes.

The last of these works are poignant in their representation of larger, darker people and even of white hunters on horseback, both of whom would supplant the 'Bushman' peoples.

More modern African traditional tribal art typically has a range of recognisable forms within which the artisans work and which allows recognition of their tribal origin.

A few examples include: the wall decorations of the northern Ndebele of South Africa, the beaded aprons worn by Zulu and Xhosa girls (and other tribes) before marriage, the patterns on the Dhlo-dhlo headband, Sotho blanket designs and various other fairly rigid genres showing typical tribal influences

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