![]() ![]() ![]() It is estimated 90% of the monument’s petroglyphs were created by the ancestors of today’s Pueblo people. Other images date from historic periods starting in the 1700s, with petroglyphs carved by early Spanish settlers. A small percentage of the petroglyphs within the park pre-date the Puebloan period, perhaps reaching as far back as 2000 B.C. At the monument, archaeologists have estimated there may be over 25,000 petroglyph images along the 17 miles of the escarpment. The site that has the most is the Petroglyph National Monument in New Mexico. The United States has thousands of pictographs and petroglyphs, with the greatest concentration in the American Southwest. Petroglyphs still have contemporary meaning, while the meaning of others is no longer known but are respected for belonging to “those who came before.” Some are religious entities, and others show who came to the area and where they went. Others represent tribal, clan, kiva, or societal markers. Some petroglyphs have meanings that are only known to the individuals who made them. Today’s native people have stated that placing each petroglyph image was not a casual or random decision. The context of each image is extremely important and integral to its meaning. Petroglyphs in the Petrified Forest of Arizona by the National Park Service. Petroglyphs are powerful cultural symbols that reflect the complex societies and religions of the surrounding tribes. They should not be confused with hieroglyphics, symbols used to represent words, nor thought of as ancient Indian graffiti. Petroglyphs are more than just “rock art,” picture writing, or an imitation of the natural world. There were many reasons for creating the Petroglyphs, most of which are not well understood by modern society. Consequently, many of these practices went underground, and much of the image-making by the Puebloans decreased. As a result of their return, there was a renewed influence of the Catholic religion, which discouraged participation by the Puebloans in many of their traditional ceremonial practices. In 1692 the Spanish resettled in the Albuquerque, New Mexico, area. In 1680 the Pueblo tribes rose in the revolt against Spanish rule and drove the settlers out of the area and back to El Paso, Texas. The arrival of Spanish people to the Southwest in 1540 dramatically impacted the lifestyle of the pueblo people. These images are a valuable record of cultural expression and hold profound spiritual significance for contemporary Native Americans and the descendants of the early Spanish settlers. Symbols were also used to decorate homes, were painted on buffalo hides, and recorded important events of the tribe. With the multiple languages spoken by Native American tribes, symbols or “picture writing” was often used to convey words and ideas. Varying from tribe to tribe, it can sometimes be challenging to know their meanings, while other symbols are obvious. Native American symbols were like words and often had one or more definitions and contained different connotations. This carving could produce a visible indentation in the rock or cut deeply enough to reveal unweathered material of a different color below. Curtis, 1924.Īnother similar form of communication, called petroglyphs, was carved, pecked, or abraded into stone surfaces. Paviotso Paiute making petroglyphs by Edward S. Historic pictographs are usually found under protective ledges or in caves protected from the weather. ![]() These natural pigments were mixed to produce a palette of yellow, white, red, green, black, and blue. These natural pigments included iron oxides in hematite or limonite, white or yellow clays, soft rock, charcoal, and copper minerals. These symbols, called pictographs, are created by painting on rock surfaces with natural pigments. Historic pictorial symbols for a word or a phrase have been found dating before 3000 BC. This type of communication is not unique to Native Americans, as long before writing was developed, people recorded events, ideas, plans, maps, and feelings worldwide by drawing pictures and symbols on rocks, hides, and other surfaces. Instead, they told stories (oral histories) and created pictures and symbols. When European explorers arrived in America, Native Americans did not communicate through writing as we know it. Native American Symbols Postcard at Legends’ General Store.įrom The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ![]()
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