Summary: A significant Aboriginal engraving site at Cottage Point, with two deity (Baiame) figures. Both have a rayed headress and vertical stripes on their bodies.

On a small rock platform in the middle of a ridge at Cottage Point are two Aboriginal engravings of deities.

AWAT1032 LR Smiths Creek Two Deities

Both deities, most likely representations of Baiame, have a rayed headdress, and multiple vertical stripes on their body.

Engraving PLATE XX Fig4 Smiths Creek Two Deities

The larger of the two Baiame figures is sixteen feet (over five metres) in height.

AWAT1044 LR Smiths Creek Two Deities

The figure has six vertical stripes on its body. Bob Pamkhurst compares these striped Baiame figures to some in WA:

These large figures with stripes down their body are similar to artwork from the Kimberley region in Western Australia showing legendary figures called the Lightning Brothers. Two brothers who could control lightning and cause it to strike any where they chose. One of the brothers usually has two stone axes which he strikes together to cause great thunder.

Cultural Heroes of the Guringai and Dargingung Areas
montage3 LR LR Smiths Creek Two Deitiesmontage3 LR highlighted LR Smiths Creek Two Deities

The smaller Baiame is 14 feet high (just under five metres), and has three vertical stripes on his body.

AWAT1195 LR Smiths Creek Two Deities

Both the Baiame figures have very detailed rayed headresses.

AWAT1162 LR Smiths Creek Two Deities

The sacred site was interpreted by McCarthy as a place where “these heroes have come down from the sky to the earth during a ritual”. A line of mundoes at an Aboriginal engraving site near Taber Trig points to this site. Another Baiame figure on Mount Murray Anderson is said to be pointing to this site.

A kangaroo was also recorded by Campbell about twenty metres north-west of the two deities.

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