Abstract:
Sacred sites are the preferred space for ritual performances and identity construction
from which the issue of sensitive structures, distinctive features, individual
interpretations, and symbol and meaning emanates.
The history and importance of Motouleng, Mautse and Mantsopa caves (Eastern Free
State, SA) for different religious persuasions, indigenous knowledge and ancestral
veneration of Africans and traditional healers, were investigated apropos of the
following: namely, how sacred sites are exemplifications of African indigenous religion;
why they form locations of cultural and spiritual expression, and why they may be
regarded as pertinent nodes of identity construction in a vibrant, changing, South
African society.
This study explored the way in which interpersonal experiences of the cave dwellers
shape their sense of self, and the conflict they encounter in the context of interaction,
in which identities are constructed and deconstructed in various ways. African religion,
landscape and social identity theories are the basis of all theoretical claims utilised
here. An interpretative phenomenological analysis research method was explored, to
provide a detailed personal experience and examination of the participant’s life world
on various issues pertaining to contestation and identity construction at the sacred
space of the Eastern Free State.
The existence of these sites poses a number of challenges to cave dwellers, land
owners, heritage practitioners, and to continued preservation, management and
restoration of the said sites. Crucial to this debate is how these sites may be protected
both physically and legally. The study used qualitative findings to discover new ideas
on identity construction and adjunct belief systems. The study also used thematic
analysis to evaluate the research findings and make predictions on the effects on
protest and contestation by cave dwellers around sacred spaces.
