Glen Skye I 121

• Meiringskloof

Brief description of site: The rock paintings are located in the steeper part of the kloof on the eastern side - (the site thus faces north-west) - in a large (35 m long) rock shelter on the 1760 m contour in a band of Clarens Formation sandstone, with some travertine on the shelter floor. The site is surrounded by montane vegetation and straddles several biomes that would have made it attractive as a home both now and at times in the past.

There are a number of places in the shelter that may have in excess of 1 m of archaeological deposit. Surface scatter of bone, stone tools and daga flooring. These stone tools are made from mostly of crypto-crystalline silicates (also known as opalines) that are volcanic in origin and which are brought to the lowlands by mountain streams and rivers. There are also some hornfels (also known as lydianite or indurated shale) lithics that are made from river cobbles. The types of lithics encountered range from chips and chunks struck from stone cores that are the residue of the stone tool manufacturing process to finished products such as flakes, scrapers and adzes. The flakes were used for a variety of cutting purposes while scrapers were primarily used to removed hair from hide and to soften the hide before making it into clothing, thongs, shoes, bags and so forth. Adzes were used for woodwork. There are two areas on rock tumbles that appear to have been used as platforms for grinding seeds, ochre and the like. The site looks to have been visited regularly in the past. There are also traces of historic occupancy of the shelter in the form of stone walling.
Brief description of art: The RSA GNS1 rock paintings are executed in the 'Classic' or older manner and relate strongly to Bushman religion, which is known as shamanism. The most commonly depicted animal is the eland (Taurotragus oryx) are particularly well painted in red, ochre, white and black. There are also traces of red human figures, some of which may be involved in a Medicine Dance.