MY STUDIES IN ROCK ART

WHILE I WAS AN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT IN DAYTON,OHIO, I DECIDED TO STUDY ROCK ART AND NATIVE AMERICAN MYTHOLOGY.  I WAS ALWAYS INTERESTED IN THIS TOPIC AAND I HAD SEEN MUCH ROCK ART IN THE SOUTHWEST, HAWAII AND MEXICO.IN GRADUATE SCHOOL I RESEARCHED MANY PETROGLYPH SITES THAT WERE PECKED OR INCISED ON ROCK FACES WITH OBSIDIAN TOOLS OR CHERT TOOLS. PICTOGRAPHS ARE SOMEWHAT MORE RARE AND I HAVE SEEN MANY IN CAVES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, THE COSO RANGE, ZUNI,NEW MEXICO AND SOME SITES IN ARIZONA.

THEY ARE OF GREAT INTEREST TO ME BECAUSE THEY ARE THE ONLY REMAINS OF THE PREHISTORIC NATIVES OF MAN'S IDEOLOGY  ABOUT HOW THEY THEY CARED FOR THE WORLD.  THEY REPRESENT RECENT REMAINS FROM GROUPS  WHO RELATED TO THE SUPERNATURAL WORLD, SOME OF THESE FOLKS WERE SHAMAN ACCORDING TO DAVID WHITE (2008).ARCHAEOLOGISTS SPECULATE THAT PEOPLE MADE THESE PICTURES AS THEY WERE COMMUNICATING WITH SPIRITS.

PREVIOUSLY MANY ARCHAEOLOGISTS RTHOUGHT THEYU ERE1000'S OF YEARS OLD HERE.  THE DATING OF PETROGLYPHS IS STILLDUBIOUS.  MANY RESEARCHERS STUDY THIS TOPIC IN AUSTRALIA.  PETROGLYPH SYMBOLS IN ARIZONA REPRESENT MANY SYMBOLS FOUND ON CERAMIC PIECES.  SOME ARE GEOGLYPHS OR CURVILINEAR SHAPES THAT MAY REPRESENT THUNDER, RAIN, AND THE SUN AND MOON.  OTHERS MAY REPRESENTCALENDARS AND OTHERS MAY REPRESENT MTHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS. SUCVH AS KOKOPELLI- A FERTILITY SYMBOL AND A MAKER OF BABIES; EARTH MAJICIAN - A DIETY OF THE YUMANS AND PIMA CULTULTURE WHO COULD HEAL OR CAUSE DISEASE TO SOMEONE. MANY PETROGLYPHS ARE FOUND NEAR WATER OR ON HILLS OVERLOOKING LARGE VISTAS OR GREAT EXPANSES.  IN THE SOUTHWEST THEY COULD THEY CAN BE FOUND ON CAVES, NEAR WATER OR ON BOULDERS NEAR CEREMONIAL SITES.  THEY ARE ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH BASALT CLIFFS ASSOCIATED WITH VARIOUS SITES.

SOME PRESENT DAY INDIANS STILL USE THESE SITES AS PLACES OF WORSHIP , BUT RARELY KNOW THE MEANING OF THE GLYPHS.  I HAVE VISITED SITES IN ALBUQUERQUE, PETYROGLYPOH NATIONAL MONUMENT HERE THEY HAVE PARROTS AND EXOTIC ANIMALS INDICATING SOME TRADE WITH MEXICO.  INTERESTING ENOUGH THEY ALSO HAD NO INDICATION AS TO THE AGE OF THESE GLYPHS WHEN WE VISITED THEM 10 YEARS AGO.

DAVID WHITE'S BOOK SAYS THAT MOST OF THE WESTERN GLYPHS ARE ONLY 2-300 YEARS OLD.====CHECK THIS

IN BAJA THERE ARE SEVERAL PICTOGRAPH SITES IN CAVES THAT HAVE AN INTERACTION  WITH THE SOLSTICES.    ONE SITE I RECORDED NEAR YUMA, AZ HAD ARCHAEOASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIASTIONS WITH THE SUMMER SOLSTICE!   THESE SITES STILL FASCINATE MEI HAVE REPRODUCED MANY ROCK PAINTERS AS I ENJOY MAKING NATIVE AMERICAN DESIGNS.

AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINES STILL MAKE THE PAINTINGS .  IN EUROPE IN FRANCE THE PALEOLITHIC CAVE ART IS THOUGHT TO BE 10,000 YEARS OLD AND INDICATE HUNTING MAGIC WITH HOPED FOR GAME ANIMALS IN THE STONE IN CAVES.