randall henderson petroglyphs - Desert Magazine of the Southwest

number of those well preserved are
in Southwest desert lands.
Because of its distribution, it's apparent
that painted and pecked prehistoric
rock art was a world-wide
practice. Whether or not there existed
a common meaning, archaic
trading period, or cultural manifestation
is unknown. To establish this,
complete data would have to be collected
and an intercontinental analysis
of designs, techniques and ages
instituted. This has not been done.
Certain known patterns do conform,
but so do the elemental needs
of man. It is not surprising that
likenesses of animals and sun signs
should dominate the rock art of all
stone age peoples. Nor is it significant
that symbolic abstract patterns
are repeated continents apart. After
all, a line will go in only so many directions
— square, curved, straight,
or angled. More indicative of association
than subject matter itself would
be similarities in combinations of design
elements and their relationship
to independent facts such as location
and climatic restrictions.
As for the meanings of these mysterious
symbols, a number of interpretations
are rampant, each vehemently
contradicted by one authority
or another. A recently published
treatise suggests that all Nevada petrography
concerns magic symbols intended
to lure game into cul de sacs
where ancient hunters could ambush
it. However, we know Nevada sites
where such a motive appears unlikely.
Differing archeologists believe
petrography served ceremonial or religious
purposes, while interpretations
of others are divided among
clan signs, water hole markers, maps,
house plans, signs to mark a shaman's
cache, messages, patterns for weaving
designs, directions, treasure locations,
or just plain doodles. Present-day Indians
claim no credit for the markings,
some stating that the early work
was created by "brownies," and "has
always been there."
There is, however, conclusive evidence
in regard to some petrography
recent enough to reach into our historic
past. Early Navajos pecked star
groups and constellations, such as the
big dipper and Cassiopeia, which suggests
that their glyphs carried ceremonial
significance. Groups of petroglyphs
located at a few scattered sites
depicting men on horseback and carrying
shields and spears very likely
denote the coming of the Spaniards,
since it was the Conquistadores who
introduced horses to this land.
At Willow Springs near Tuba City,
Arizona, is a glyph-covered slab
Notice similarity of design among these
three sets of glyphs. (Top) upper Arroyo
Grande of Baja California. (Bottom) Poway
Valley. (Center) Grapevine Canyon. Curvilinear
symbols and exfoliation of rock
surface suggest extreme age.
marked with clan symbols of Hopi
pilgrims who incised a permanent
record to mark trips along the ancient
"salt trail" leading to a rock salt
ledge deep in the canyon of the Little
Colorado. Hundreds of years old,
the symbols of cornstalks put there
by Corn clansmen mingle with symbols
of the Sun clan, Spider, Katchina,
Coyote, Eagle, Lizard and
scores of other clans, including the
Oak clan and others now extinct.
These are unique in that their
meaning is known, but for the most
part petroglyphs of the ancients defy
translation and the only thing dependable
about them is their inconsistency.
One popular petroglyph
publication, for instance, suggests
that the picters didn't peck and the
peckers didn't pict; that if pictographs
and petroglyphs happened to