Learning through practise: Cheŵa women’s roles and the use of rock art in passing on cultural knowledge

•Women had multiple roles in the creation and use of rock art.•Cheŵa women created and used rock paintings during girl’s initiation ceremonies.•Rock paintings served as a visual prompt to convey lessons on proper behaviour.•Rock art and objects in the context of initiation shared symbolic associations.•The production of present-day objects allows envisioning how rock art was used.

Stereotypes that confine women’s roles to duties within the domestic sphere, such as food preparation and child care, have been challenged in the last 40 years by the introduction of gender as an analytical tool. To advance knowledge of the range of female activities and capabilities, I explore the role of Indigenous women in the creation and use of rock art for girls’ initiation ceremonies in south-central Africa. Rock paintings are no longer employed during these ceremonies. Instead, objects created for this occasion are used to pass on specific knowledge. I find that the analysis of the actions behind the production of ritual objects in present-day girls’ rites of passage provides a common ground to understand the past uses of rock paintings. Rock art served as visual prompts to convey intergenerational cultural knowledge exclusive to women participation and use. Some aspects of the ceremony are restricted to initiates and only permitted material is discussed.