Amazing Rock Art in the High Desert

For the last month we've been in a variety of desert and chaparrel (shrub) desert environments. Along with the amazing rock formations and the view into the history of the Earth through the layers of sediment from ancient seas and sandunes is the presence of past peoples. What is amazing is that ALL of these parks and surrounding areas have rock art. And not just one small scratched image (though there were less in the more Western edges of parks like Mojave and Joshua Tree) but tonnes. And both Pictographs (rock paintings) and Petroglyphs (scratches into the rock). Here are a few of the sites that have inspired me and left me in awe thinking about the messages left by these peoples 1000, or even 2000 years prior to today. Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada Valley of Fire is not too far from Las Vegas but shows the contrast between that built environment and what is really going on in Nevada. It is HOT! Temps hit 38C when we were there though the 'fire' part is not because of the heat but because of the striking red rocks. It is an interesting place and one that people lived in for hundreds of years at a time with evidence from the Archaic period and a few other periods. There was even farming in this Valley though other than the interesting melon species I found, you'd never suppose--the climate has warmed and dried over time to a point no one could live here anymore, let alone farm.

Up the huge staircase to see the petroglyphs However, when they did those that came left their mark in many ways, one of them rock art. We had to climb ~80 stairs to reach this panel of rock art and even then you would have had to use ladders for those to paint what they did. These are petroglyphs and in amazing condition. While many of the stories are left to you to decide you can clearly see bighorn sheep and the Atlatl--a tool that came before the bow and arrow where an arrow-like projection is launched with the Atlatl. If you want to try it out, go to Camp Thunderbird where it is an activity you can try! Carvings with Atlatl date to the group before the farmers so ~1000BC to? So neat.

Petroglyph Panel. See the Joshua Trees on the left and the Atlatl thrower at the top. Palatki and Honanki village sites and the Sinagua Peoples, (Sedona, Arizona) We did a day trip on gravel roads from Sedona to these sites. Both are in the very large Coconino National Forest so have volunteers and staff to talk to you and in the case of Palatki a tour by docents. These were village sites for the Sinagua people, a 3 sisters (beans, corn & squash) farming group that lived in this beautiful amphitheatre-like area--with their cliff homes right up against the mountain to get shade in Summer and sun in winter. A lush-for Arizona valley surrounded them where farming occurred both when they were there (1100-1400AD) to recent. Though the cliff dwellings were amazing the rock art even more so. The docent was so good at pointing out even the early scratch marks made from Archaic people as well as those of the Sinagua which included an outline of the mountains with the sun where summer soltice would be, the "monster" coming up from the underworld and neat designs which may have been inspired by the reflection of the pool there.

At Honanki, another nearby village the rock art was within the village. (Sinagua villages were spaced a few miles apart to lesson the burden on the environment and close enough to run in 20-30mins in an emergency). Chris wondered how they had managed to preserve OLDER art while living there and add their own but then again, it is something we still do today save for a few vandals. I particularly enjoyed learning about the white insignia that villages had so people knew the village from a distance. It looked like someone had recently spray painted the one at Palatki it was so clear.

Insignia from Honanki near the village -paint from over a 1000yrs ago. Newspaper Rock, Bear's Ears National Monument, Utah This was my favourite so far although I hear there is another newspaper rock simialar in Arizona. These rocks are called so as many groups passed through leaving lots of carvings. And these ones, even from the Archaic (see the trapezoidal people figures) are very clear. This one, as others had lots of animals but lots of grizzly bear prints & bison! It is more grasslandy here in places with more rivers (the Colorado and Green bisect this area plus others) so I can imagine them. I'll have to check to see what the historical range of bison was but certainly only deer and goats showing up in the more southern areas. The swirls we've learnt may have to do with the several world that many of the indigenous peoples in this area believed to have passed through to get to this world (4 I believe). This is something we learnt about at the Experience Navajo museum (the Dine people who's territory and reservation is the largest today in the USA) but also holds true to many others (Paiute, Ute?) of today and yesterday?

I am left to wonder many things, not just about the messages but also WHY are the carvings and rock art so abundant here versus in Western Canada? It must be in part the rock, so much easier to carve and the climate, so much easier to preserve with less rain! But perhaps, these cultures were more into leaving their messages than others, maybe it is in part, culture?