Ethiopia has been referred as the ‘Land of Origin’ for a number of reasons. It is the origin of human kind; home to over hundred endemic animals and thousands of plants. However, this article introduces the reader to three caves which prove that Ethiopia is not only the origin of natural resources but also the owner of caves with highly sophisticated and admirable paintings.
Laga Oda Cave
Laga Oda Cave got its name from its riverside location surrounded by Oromo people sacred tree named Oda. It is seven kilometers away from the main highway linking Dire Dawa to Harar. The road to it is a standard gravel road leading about 30 km. It is situated near a river on a steep cliff partly covered by bushes.
The cave faces west and measures 60m high, 3m width and 4m depth. It looks like a two story building with painting on both the upper and lower floors. Most of the pictures are concentrated in the middle of the ceiling. Totally, there are more than 500 pictures comprising of varied specimens which were originally depicted in the cave.
The paintings in this cave demonstrate cattle, human and other symbols of which the hump-less longhorn cattle is dominant. In addition, other domestic animals like sheep, goats, camels and dogs are drawn on the walls. There are also wild animals like giraffes, ibex (the wild mountain goat) and rabbit are painted in the walls and floors. As well, style wise humans are depicted in an H shape while the symbols include sun-like figures.
Furthermore, the paintings in this rock shelter are executed in red, white and black colors. With their naturalistic and expressive characters, the paintings pertain to what is commonly known as the Ethio- Arabian style and they are dated to 3000-5000 years.
People living around Laga Oda Cave earn their livings from farming and grazing animals such as cow, sheep, goat and hens. Women are seen from far carrying children on their back and water or household materials on their head supported with one of their hands. They are the key responsible person to care for the children, cook and keep their house as many other Ethiopian women.
Porc-Epic Cave
Porc-Epic Cave is the other very impressing old property of Ethiopia. It is located 2km on the south of Dire Dawa, a few meters below the top of the cliff named Garad Erer. It is 140 m above the city’s deepest place-wadi (Dachatu Wadi in Afan Oromo). And it is 14m wide and 3m high commanding the view of open terrain on the north of the city with wadi leading to the south.
In addition to the archeological findings and paintings in the cave, the scenic landscape and nature of the cliff makes it one of the trekking sites around the city.
This cave is a site with many discoveries that are nurtured with lithic industry, rock art and faunal bone assemblages. Tens of thousands of stone tools were discovered and some are protected in the Ethiopian National Museum while some were taken to Paris’ Institute de Paleontologie Humaine and Chicago Field Museum.
As well, a 60,000 to 70,000 years old homo-sapiens’ lower jaw fragment discovered in this cave indicates the importance of the region in the discoveries of the modern human. And discoveries of the large mammals bone fragments make the site the largest of all known Middle Stone Age faunal assemblages in Africa.
Thus, it is a key site for understanding the evolution of human in Ethiopia and East Africa offering a new way to recognize the development of artisan works and tool formations.
Likewise, in 2017, archeologists have claimed that the pieces collected from this cave show alteration, cracking and fracture patterns are indicatives to heat exposure. And the heat treatment presumably resulted in the production of differently colored paintings, symbolic activities and stamps. The paintings of human, domestic and wild animals are schematic figures that are monochromatically red and have been stylistically dated to 5,000 to 7,000 years.
Consequently, the site is the world’s earliest art workshop as large amounts of ochre were continuously processed in a manner which is similar to a modern day paint workshop.
Goda Agawa Cave
The last and third earliest cave found near to Dire Dawa is Goda Agawa Cave. It is located on about 38 km south west of Dire Dawa along a gravel road on east of the main way to Harar. The area is mountainous with magnificent vegetation and an astounding landscape.
Like the Laga Oda Cave, it is a site near a river though it is set on more of a steep slope than a cliff. However, it still possesses a commanding position over its surroundings as it faces to the northwest.
Goda Agawa is home to a variety of rock art paintings including domestic and wild animals along with schematic figures. The paintings are concentrated on the ceilings, outer walls and entrance. They exhibit cattle, camels, giraffes, tortoise and others. Some of them seem to be performed by fingers. The colors of the paintings in the cave are highly dominated by black, white, red and reddish brown.
Ranging from naturalistic to semi naturalistic characters, Goda Agawa’s paintings seem to fit what is commonly referred to as the second phase of the Ethio-Arabian style. And the rock art this cave is more dichromatic as red and white dominate across the paintings estimated have dated 5000 to 7000 years. For all these facts of the caves, it is reasonable to conclude that Ethiopia is the earliest art workshop in the world and justifiably origin of paintings.
(Source: Observation and Dire Dawa-Book)
The Ethiopian Herald, June 14/2019
BY DIRRIBA TESHOME
