Item NASMUS-RSA-WAD1-14.jpg - NASMUS RSA WAD1 14

Brief description of site: RSA WAD1 is a huge and very high (> 10 m) krantz over 30 m long just below the dam wall (60 m) with some inner recesses on the 1 400 m contour with sandstone overlying a mudstone layer. The shelter has a very uneven floor of rock blocs. Riverine vegetation grows densely right up to the site. Localised view.

The floor is very dusty and gritty. Despite flooding, many stone artefacts were visible - both hornfels (indurated shale) as well as agates (crypto-crystalline silicates). A good quantity of ash has helped to preserve the bone and freshwater mussel remains. There are also many historic and recent tins, buttons and so forth. There is no great depth to the deposit, but pockets do occur. The site has clearly been a long-term focus for Bushman and Khoekhoen (previously 'Khoi' or 'Hottentot') communities - a case of topophilia or 'love of place'. Lithics (stone tools) of the Later Stone Age, which covers the period from about 25 000 years ago until historic times, are found here. Every stage of stone tool manufacture is present. There are cores - large lumps of rock from which stone tools are made. There are flakes - general-purpose cutting tools. Adzes are present and were used for woodworking in much the same way as a spokeshave. End and side-scrapers, often in the shape of a thumbnail were used to prepare leather. There are also rare burins and awls - used to pierce.
Brief description of art: Finger dots and Snakes.

This was once a major painted site but dust, flooding and unstable rock has obliterated the majority of the paintings. Here-and-there pockets of imagery survive such as a horse and rider, eland, smaller antelope, human figures, cattle, spears, baboon and a 500 mm tall human figure; these all mostly in red. There is one stand out panel however:

Entoptic Eland and Khoe Finger-painting panel: This 1.1 m x 0.2 m image cluster has very fine detail with two painting episodes. The first is of a tusked eland painted in red outline with paired parallel lines within its body forming a grid-like pattern. There is also an orange and with eared and tusked serpent that emerges from a step in the rock. Around these two creatures are at least 19 red human figures in extremely contorted body postures - arms held back, people bending over holding their hands to noses. At least two of these figures also have tusks. Their white faces and red bodies also have dots and stripes painted on. The second painted episode in a lighter red paint consist of rows of finger dots and a zigzag red line that are painted on top of the human figures and two creatures. A very large and faded white animal is also seen and which belongs to Episode 1.