Item NASMUS-RSA-EEN1-13.jpg - NASMUS RSA EEN1 13

Brief description of site: The shelter measures 15 m x 3 m and is between 1.5 m - 3 m high. The shelter has formed out of (?Molteno) Formation sandstone and has 4 large rock blocs collapsed at the South end. There is a fair amount of montane vegetation surrounding the site, but not excessive.

There is a thin layer of deposit in the site - 0.5 m thick; perhaps a bit thicker under and between the rock blocs. The site looks to have been visited regularly in the past and there is little surface scatter though there are some hornfels and opaline lithics on the slope in front of the shelter, but few. There are also traces of historic occupancy of the shelter. One rock on the floor has 4 + 2 cut/sharpening marks on it. In 1968 Georgina Rautenbach visited the site and reported a possible excavation in the N end, where there has been a disturbance. There are also 2 lower grindstones (pan-shaped and flat). There is a lot of hydrous ferrous oxide trapped in the shelter's rock strata.
Brief description of art: The RSA EEN1 rock shelter measures 15 m x 3 m and is between 1.5 m - 3 m high. The shelter has formed out of Clarens (? Molteno) Formation sandstone and has 4 large rock blocs collapsed at the South end. There is a fair amount of montane vegetation surrounding the site, but not excessive.
There is a thin layer of deposit in the site - 0.5 m thick; perhaps a bit thicker under and between the rock blocs. The site looks to have been visited regularly in the past and there is little surface scatter though there are some hornfels and opaline lithics on the slope in front of the shelter, but few. There are also traces of historic occupancy of the shelter. One rock on the floor has 4 + 2 cut/sharpening marks on it. In 1968 Georgina Rautenbach visited the site and reported a possible excavation in the North end, where there has been a disturbance. There are also 2 lower grindstones (pan-shaped and flat). There is a lot of hydrous ferrous oxide trapped in the shelter's rock strata. The RSA EEN rock paintings are executed in the 'Classic' or older manner and relate strongly to Bushman religion, which is known as shamanism.

The eland panel: The 18 ochre (orange), white and red eland (Taurotragus oryx) are particularly well painted. They form a 2.5 m x 1.0 m panel with perspectives from above (1), lying down (4), kneeling (1), front view (2 - including a big 44 cm tall specimen) and from the side (9). Interestingly, the dewlaps of most eland have been emphasised in red paint. There is also a short red line connecting two of the eland. One eland has 3 short red lines indicating the folds of skin on the dewlap. Most of the other eland touch each other. These eland are painted in a manner similar to those from RSA TEP.

Other paintings: There are 3 tall (30 cm) red human figures with 3-5 white flywhisks and 1 long white stick. There are a number of paintings in bright hydrous ferrous oxide, including Rautenbach's 'baboon', which is probably an eland. 4 small red animated human figures.