Sites

A series of stone built ‘cottages’ spread out along a small valley. The individual structures were built with loose stones stacked on top of each other. As this was not very well done, i.e. very little interlocking of the stones took place, the walls are prone to topple over. The removal of fittings such as the roof and door frames probably also contributed to their current state. In some of them internal features such as shelves were built into the corner of the walls Based on their location near a natural spring, as well as the fact that some of them had what seemed like fences around them, gives the idea that they were used by small stock (sheep and goat) farmers as accommodation. This is supported by the presence of a very well-built sheep dip located close by. Its proximity to the natural spring also raises the possibility that this might have been a site of cultural significance, i.e. where young Griqua girls are isolated during their initiation. Such pools are usually seen to be the home of the waterslang, a mythological snake which plays a significant role in the initiation of young girls (Waldman 2003). The watersnake is not only associated with the Griqua but is found amongst most indigenous communities in southern Africa (Van Schalkwyk 2016).