Dumbbells and circles: Symbolism of Pygmy rock art of Uganda

This article offers an interpretation of dumbbell and circular shapes in the rock art repertoire of Uganda using a contextual interpretive approach based on Pygmy ethnographies. It provides a key to unlocking how Pygmy groups experienced their cosmos and demonstrates the associations of rock art images in Pygmy thought in an attempt to explain their symbolism. In so doing, the rock art in Uganda is placed into a new conceptual framework stressing Pygmy affiliations. This approach unlocks aspects of geometric rock art hitherto not understood.