Item IZI-RSA-KIP1-3.jpg - IZI RSA KIP1 3

Brief description of site: These mountains represent an area of significant topography of between 1000 m - 1 400 m in an otherwise predominantly flat region. The presence of water and varied biomes both now and at times past made this a favoured home for southern Africa's First People - the Bushmen as well as later settlers such as Khoe herders and White farmers. Each of these cultures has left their mark on the landscape. One of the most striking of these marks is the presence of 'rock art' - specifically rock engravings. At the many sites in the RSA KIP Site Complex - and many more sites have yet to be re-located - there are at least three different rock engraving traditions are present - Bushman - Khoe - Historic Period.

There is abundant evidence of Later Stone Age (c. 30 000 years ago until approx. CE 1850) Bushman campsites throughout the region and at RSA KIP1 in particular. This evidence consists of numerous lithics (stone tools) located on the surface of the sites. These stone tools are mostly made from both semi-precious opalines and from lydianite of 'hornfels' - also known as indurated shale. Among the stone tools are flakes - which were general purpose tools used to cut, scrape and so forth. There is no bone preserved but a few ostrich eggshell pieces and beads were observed. There may be pockets of archaeological deposit among the rocks but generally not. There are also some lower grindstones - usually on the surface of large, flat dolerite boulders. There are some upper grindstones that may date to within the last 2 000 years when the Bushmen had contact with Khoe herders. Grinding was, however, always an important part of Bushman food-processing. There are also Historic Period stone walled kraals (stock enclosure).
Brief description of art: Bushman rock engravings: These form the majority of the engravings. Most engravings have been made in the pecked technique. This includes pecked outlines and pecked infills, though there are also some images that have been scraped into the rock surface. There are also engravings that have been incised into the rock with a sharp stone or perhaps even a metal object that the Bushmen would have obtained by trade with Bantu-speaking farmers, Khoe herders or White settlers. The way in which the engravings were made involves removing the black outer layer or cortex of the rock, exposing the lighter, almost white heart rock beneath. Over time this white heart rock weathers through exposure to the elements and becomes browner and sometimes it even becomes black. As a general rule, the darker the engraving, the older it is - though a lot of this also depends on whether the engraving is made in a sheltered or exposed position. RSA KIP1 has more than a dozen engravings of animal spoor and human footprints. At one time thought to represent fossilised footprints of real animals, microscopic examination of the spoor shows typical engraved peck marks. Spoor engravings are, in fact, a feature of Northern Cape and Namibian rock art and relate to Bushman concerns with the extra-ordinary animals and people that are lived in the Spirit World, which was believed to have been located behind the engraved rock surface. There are many other engravings such as of the large antelope the eland (Tragelaphus oryx) as well antelope, buffalo, elephant, equids (probably zebra), felines, giraffe, human figures, jackal-like animals, ostrich, rhinoceros and so forth. The engravings cover a wide area but are concentrated in several clusters with isolated outliers.

Extinct animal: One exceptional engraving at RSA KIP1 is of a large bovine that may represent the extinct Giant Buffalo, Pelorovis antiquus. First recorded by the noted Northern Cape archaeologist Dr. Gerhard Fock in the 1960s, the Giant buffalo became extinct at some point between 2 000 - 12 000 years ago and is a rare representation of an extinct animal in Bushman rock art.

Gong rocks: RSA KIP1 is notable for the large number of 'gong rocks' encountered there. 'Gong rocks' are naturally-occurring dolerite (also known as 'ironstone') boulders that either rest on top of other such boulders or have a natural crack through them that acts as a natural resonator. Some of these boulders show signs of having been hammered by people with stones to produce a metallic-sounding noise. These gong rocks are often associated with Bushman rock engravings and current research indicates that sound was a very important part of rock 'art' sites.

Khoe herder rock engravings: There are fewer of these engravings - but they are still numerous and detailed. These engravings have few representational forms and are dominated by geometric forms such as circles (with or without internal divisions), sunburst-like motifs, grids and so forth. There are also some Khoe engravings mixed in with the Bushman engravings and these take the forms of a few bags, at least one apron and a number of 'spread-eagle' animal skins.

Historic Period rock engravings: Usually fresh-looking there are a number of instances of 'graffiti' where people have pecked out names and dates. This 'graffiti' often has historical value as it chronicles the arrival and occupation of this landscape by White settlers as well as latter-day KhoeSan groups such as the Nama. Thus, much of this 'graffiti' is, in fact, Historical period rock art. A number (perhaps 20) of the animal engravings have been made by non-Bushman people. These include a horse, dog and some of the larger megaherbivores like elephant, buffalo and rhino. There are also numerous depictions of trains - not surprising as the railway line is visible from many of the engraving sites. Horses are also commonly depicted.