2012 Conference Program Issue

Volume 38, Number 2

 Welcome to St. George
39th Annual ARARA Conference, 2012
We are pleased this year to be in St. George, Utah, over • Audio/Visual: Sandy Rogers and Daniel McCarthy
this Memorial Day weekend, May 25-28, 2012, for the 39th • Children’s Art Workshop and Poster Note Cards: Barbara
Annual Conference of the American Rock Art Research As- Bergman, Susannah Nilsson, Sandra Sandberg, Nina Bowen
sociation at the Lexington Hotel and Convention Center. It Auction Coordinator: Shelley Rasmussen, Barbara Grone-
is exciting to be holding our meeting in Utah, where we will mann, Trudy Mertens, Linda Dorsey, Glenda Simmons and
be given an opportunity to experience Southwestern Utah Julie Michler
Archaic, Basketmaker, Fremont, Ancestral Puebloan, and • Auctioneers: Dell Crandall and Larry Evans
Paiute rock art. • Program Chairs: Carol Ormsbee and Steve Schwartz
St. George is one hour from Zion National Park, three • Vendor Room: Marglyph Berrier and Anne Carter
hours from Bryce Canyon National Park, three hours from • Conference Program Layout and Book Transportation:
the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and four hours from Ken Hedges
Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument with its red • Awards: Janet Lever-Wood and many anonymous reviewers.
rock canyons, rock art, and ruins. • T-Shirt Design: Chris Gralapp and Paula Reynosa, Kat and
The Saturday and Sunday sessions of research papers and Boma Johnson (photo)
site reports and interesting topics will be presented in the 36 • Flute Players: Zion Flute Circle
papers scheduled, and our Banquet speaker Don Christensen • Blessing: Benn Pikyavit, Tribal Elder of the Southern Paiutes
will present “One Thousand Sites and Counting: Reflections • Publications Sales and Mailing: Jim Keyser and the Board
on Rock Art Research. of Directors
Be sure to visit the Vendor Room with its unusual selection • AIRA Vol. 38 Editors: Eric Ritter and Melissa Greer, Volume
of great items for sale, and join in the always lively bidding Coordinator Peggy Whitehead
for treasures in our annual Auction. • Public Lecture: Breen Murray
Field trips will be rewarding and the weather in south- • Banquet Speaker: Don Christensen
western Utah will be glorious. I am looking forward to seeing • Field Trip Leaders: Jeff Allen, Rich Cline, Joe Brame, Anne
you all in St. George this year. Carter, Anne McConnell, Keith Rhea, Sandra Sandberg,
—Ron Smith, ARARA President John Mangels, Mel Langness, Jeff Feldman, Penny Feldman,
Lois Mansfield, Garth Norman, Nina Bowen, Troy Scotter,
A special corps of volunteers comes forward each Boma Johnson, Mark Nilsson, Paula Reynosa, John Macum-
year to assume the often herculean tasks of organizing the ber, Marilyn Macumber, Feather Robinson, Jerry Gilmore,
Annual Conference. Please take time to thank your fellow Susannah Nilsson, Ron Greenlee, Nal Morris, John Ciardi,
members who have donated their time and talents to make and Elaine Holmes
this Conference a special gathering. • BLM: Dawna Ferris-Rowley and William Banek of the St.
• Local Hosts: John Mangels and the Dixie Archaeology George Field Office
Society • Property Owners for Field Trips: Dorothy and Gordon
• Local Volunteers: Mark Nilsson, Susannah Nilsson, Karen Zitting
Monsen, Marilyn Macumber, Susan Harty, Marie Langness, • Volunteer Coordinator: Priscilla Murr
Mel Langness, Susan Javery, Rich Cline, Dave Ritch, Chris • Volunteers: Agnes Walker, Del Crandall, Larry and Iris
Oravec, Barbara Bergman, Joan Mangels, John Mangels, Evans, Leroy Unglaub, and John Yard
and Jeff Allen • ARARA Online: Carol Garner
• Field Trip Coordinators: Jeff Allen and Jennifer Huang • Davi Marie Gadd, Lexington Hotel & Conference Center
• Membership and Registrar: Donna Yoder and Jane Kolber, • Conference Coordinator: Donna Gillette
Sandi Riggs, Carol Bury • ARARA President: Ron Smith

The 2012 ARARA Conference Logo

Our logo for the 2012 Conference is from a panel at Anasazi Ridge. This site
is located in Santa Clara Canyon, west of St. George and Ivins, Utah, at a general
location known as Land’s End to the BLM. Nearby are several Virgin Anasazi vil-
lages and their fields along the river bottom. The panel features two fine bighorn
sheep and a small animal interpreted by traditional consultants as a coyote singing
or speaking. Photograph by John Mangels, courtesy Dixie Archaeology Society.
 ARARA 2012 Conference Program
Lexington Hotel and Conference Center, St. George, Utah
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
10:30 a.m. IFRAO Meeting – The Board Room
Thursday, May 24, 2012
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Board Meeting – The Board Room
4:00 – 6:30 p.m. Conference Registration –Lobby
5:00 p.m. Required Meeting for Friday Field Trip participants – Lobby
5:15 – 6:30 p.m. Get Together – Sabra A, B, C, D
No-host Bar and Snacks
6:45 – 8:45 p.m. Public Lecture by Breen Murray:
“The Mexican Rock Art Connection”: A Broad Survey of Several Mexican Rock Art
Sites in Different Settings and Regions of the Country
Event Tent
Friday, May 25, 2012
All day Field Trips – meeting times and places to be announced
1:00 – 5:30 p.m. Registration – Lobby
6:00 – 8 :00 p.m. Reception – Sabra A, B, C, D
Entertainment by The Zion Flute Circle – No-host Bar
8:30 – 9:30 p.m. Auction items may be delivered to the Auction Committee – Vendor Room, Sabra E, F, G
8:30 – 9:30 p.m. Vendor Room Setup – Sabra E, F, G
8:30 – 9:30 p.m. Poster set up – Sabra E, F, G
8:30 – 10:00 p.m. Presenters bring presentations to AV Coordinator Sandy Rogers – Sabra A, B, C, D
Saturday Morning, May 26, 2012
6:30 – 8:30 a.m. Vendors and Poster Room Set Up – Sabra E, F, G
Posters will be set up at the beginning of the meeting and left until Sunday afternoon.
Authors will be at the posters 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Saturday
7:30 – 8:30 a.m. Publication Committee Meeting –Mezzanine
7:30 – 8:30 a.m. Conservation Committee Meeting – The Board Room
7:30– 8:30 a.m. Vendor Room Open – Sabra E, F, G (also open during breaks, lunch, and until 6 p.m.)
Auction items accepted in the Vendor Room when open.
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Registration – Sabra A, B, C, D
8:30 a.m. Welcome and Announcements – Sabra A, B, C, D
Ron Smith, ARARA President
Blessing to be given by Benn Pikyavit, a Tribal Elder of the Southern Paiutes and a member of
the Kaibab Band
John Mangels, local host, Dixie Archaeology Society
8:40 a.m. Session 1: Local Rock Art
(Announcements and introductions: Ron Smith)
Boma Johnson: Rock Art of the St. George Basin, Southwest Utah: An Overview
Don D. Christensen: A Preliminary Assessment of Rock Art in Washington County, Utah
 4 Conference Program May 25–28, 2012
Carolynne Merrell: Exploring the Cave Valley Style, Utah
V. Garth Norman: Parowan Gap Narrows Rock Writing as History: Interpretation in
Archaeology District Contexts
10:10 a.m. BREAK
Vendor Room Open – Sabra E, F, G. Auction items may be dropped off until 1:30 p.m.
10:40 a.m. Session 2: Utah/Nevada
(Announcements and introductions: Ron Smith)
Janet Lever-Wood and Ann Phillips: Rock Art Recording at Upper Sand Island, Utah
Ruth Musser-Lopez: The Mountain North of Las Vegas: Rock Art Style Distribution on the
Periphery of the Sheep Range
Scott McDonald: Multiple Use Paleoarchaic Sacred Sites, Pancake Range, East Central Nevada
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Poster Presentations – Sabra E, F, G
Authors will be by their posters
Jon Picciuolo: Pictographs at Swordfish Cave (CA-SBA-503) Suggestive of Human-Swordfish
Shamanistic Transformation
Farrel W. Lytle: Determining Age of Petroglyphs by XRF Chemical Analysis: Dated Petroglyph
Frequency Tracks Climate Eras
V. Garth Norman: Parowan Gap Narrows Rock Writing as History: Interpretation in
Archaeology District Contexts
Noon LUNCH
Vendor Room Open
12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Education Committee Meeting – The Board Room
Saturday Afternoon, May 26, 2012
1:30 p.m. Session 3: Arizona
(Announcements and introductions: Ron Smith)
Scott Seibel: New Rock-Art Discoveries on Fajada Butte, Chaco Culture National Historical
Park
Janine Hernbrode: Gender in Hohokam Imagery and Landscape: Sutherland Wash Rock Art
District, Coronado National Forest, Arizona
Ken Hedges: Red Rock Canyon: Investigating the Sinagua Connection in Lower Gila Rock Art
Michael Terlep: A Multifaceted Analysis of Cup and Channel Petroglyphs from the Arizona
Strip
3:00 p.m. BREAK
Vendor Room Open – Sabra E, F, G
3:30 p.m. Session 4: Techno Geeks
(Announcements and introductions: Ron Smith)
Jennifer Huang, Robert Mark, Evelyn Billo, and Jannie Loubser: Experimentation with iPad
2 Technology in Petroglyph Documentation at the Watson Site, Southeastern Oregon
Chris R. Loendorf and Lawrence L. Loendorf: Analyzing Red Pictographs with Portable X-ray
Fluorescence
Amanda Castenada, Charles Koenig, Grant Stauffer, Carolyn Boyd, Karen Steelman, Jon
Russ, and Marvin W. Rowe: Portable X-ray Spectroscopy Analysis of Rock Art Pigments in
the Lower Pecos River Region
 Conference Program May 25–28, 2012 5
Elizabeth (Beth) Velliky: Rock Paintings of Squamish Valley: An Analysis of Pigments and
Ochre Sources using Portable X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry
Karen Steelman, Lennon N. Bates, and Carolyn E. Boyd: Radiocarbon Dating a Rock Painting
from Black Cave, Texas
6:00 – 8:00 p.m. AUCTION and NO HOST BAR – Event Tent
Sunday Morning, May 27, 2012
7:00 – 8:00 a.m. Website Committee Meeting – The Board Room
7:30 – 8:00 a.m. Vendor Room Open – Sabra E, F, G
Posters will be left up until 3:00 p.m.
8:00 a.m. Registration – Sabra A, B, C, D
8:00 – 8:55 a.m. BUSINESS MEETING – Sabra A, B, C, D
All members welcome
9:00 a.m. Session 5: Paradigms Galore
(Announcements and introductions: Ron Smith)
Leanna Flaherty: The “Costliness” of Petroglyph Manufacture: An Experiment Conducted
to Determine the Energy Expenditure of Rock Art Production and an Evaluation of its
Potential as a “Signal”
Livio Dobrez and Patricia Dobrez: Canonical Form and the Identification of Rock Art Figures
Steven J. Waller: Illusions of the Supernatural: Archaeological Remnants of Pre-Scientific
Paradigms Attempting to Explain Ambiguous Audio/Visual Phenomena in the Landscape
10:00 a.m. BREAK
Vendor Room Open – Sabra E, F, G
10:30 a.m. Session 6: The Great Northwest
(Announcements and introductions: Ron Smith)
Don Hann: Searching for the Story in Picture Gorge, Eastern Oregon
James D. Keyser, Livio Dobrez, Don Hann, and David A. Kaiser: When is a Picture a
Narrative? Interpreting Different Types of Rock Art
Lawrence Loendorf: The Horned Headgear Site, Montana
Julia Altman: Warriors in Stone: A Study of the Shield Bearing Warrior Motif in Idaho Rock
Art
Kathy Hamlet and Carolynne Merrell: Cowboys with Time on their Hands
Noon LUNCH
Vendor Room Open – Sabra E, F, G
Noon Board Meeting (to include newly elected officers) – To be announced
Sunday Afternoon, May 27, 2012
1:30 p.m. Session 7: The Californias, North and South
(Announcements and introductions: Ron Smith)
Steve Freers: Southern California Style—It’s Elemental
Alexander K. Rogers: Early Reports on the Coso Petroglyphs of Southern Inyo County,
California
David Lee: A Decade of Documentation: Current Status of the Owens Valley Rock Art Project
Jon Harman: Abstract Pictograph Sites near Mission San Borja, Baja California
 6 Conference Program May 25–28, 2012
Elanie Moore: At Cueva Pintada, Baja California Sur, the Proof is in the Pole
Eve Ewing: Birds of Rain and Other Avian Forms in Great Mural Art of Baja California
3:00 p.m. BREAK
Vendor Room Open
3:30 p.m. Session 8: Alternate Perspectives
(Announcements and introductions: Ron Smith)
Geri Schrab: Addressing the Sacred: An Artistic Exploration of Rock Art
Bruce Ross: Traveling to Other Worlds: Visitation to the Heavens as Transpersonal Experience
in Rock Art
John A. Ruskamp: Asiatic Echoes: The Identification of Chinese Pictograms in North
American Rock Writing
Bill Whitehead: Why We Will Never Be Able to Interpret Rock Art or Anything Else For That
Matter, Part 3
5:00 p.m. Required Meeting for Monday Field Trip Participants – Lobby
5:00 p.m. No Host Bar – Lobby
6:30 p.m. BANQUET – Sabra A, B, C, D
Wellman Award for Distinguished Service: James Keyser
Bock Award for Extraordinary Achievement: Ann Phillips
Conservation and Preservation Award: City of Ivins, City of Santa Clara, BLM - St George Office
“Keepers of the Gate” Stewardship Award: Dorothy and Gordon Zitting
Oliver Photography Award: Dave Manley
Banquet Speaker, Don D. Christensen:
One Thousand Sites and Counting: Reflections on Rock Art Research

Monday, May 28, 2012
All day Field Trips – meeting times and places to be announced

2012 ARARA Conference Abstracts

Sorted Alphabetically by Author
Julia Altman (University of Idaho)
Warriors in Stone: A Study of the Shield Bearing Warrior Motif in Idaho Rock Art
Shield bearers have been illustrated and reported for many years as figures holding round shields in rock art throughout
western North America. The distribution of shield warrior figures in Idaho is examined and its stylistic relationship to shield
bearers in the adjacent Great Plains is established. Using a combination of field work, ethnographic research and searches of
State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) records, shield bearing warrior locations throughout Idaho were located, mapped
and analyzed quantitatively, contextually and stylistically. (Paper)
Amanda Castenada, Charles Koenig, Grant Stauffer, Carolyn Boyd, Karen Steelman, Jon Russ, and Marvin W. Rowe (Texas
A&M University and Conservation Laboratory of the Museum of New Mexico)
Portable X-ray Spectroscopy Analysis of Rock Art Pigments in the Lower Pecos River Region
Pictograph pigments from the Lower Pecos River, Texas were analyzed at 10 rock shelters. Red paintings from reddish-brown
to dark purple are always iron-based. Hyman and Rowe (1997) found the only black pictograph in the region without manga-
nese pigments until now. The present work found manganese was used as pigments in all Pecos River Style black pictographs.
However, we found apparent charcoal in small paintings that are difficult to assign to the three accepted styles: Pecos River,
Red Linear and Red Monochrome. (Paper)
 Conference Program May 25–28, 2012 7
Don D. Christensen (Western Rock Art Research)
A Preliminary Assessment of Rock Art in Washington County, Utah
Western Rock Art Research documented 49 prehistoric rock art sites in some of the newly designated wilderness areas in
Washington County, Utah for the Bureau of Land Management. The St. George region is at the nexus of three major phys-
iographic regions: the Mojave Desert, the Great Basin, and the Colorado Plateau. As such, the rock art reflects a number
of different influences across a broad temporal spectrum within a diverse physical setting. The environmental context, the
cultural associations and the stylistic affiliations of the sites will be described based on the work completed to date. (Paper)
Livio Dobrez and Patricia Dobrez (Australian National University)
Canonical Form and the Identification of Rock Art Figures
Is there a particular perceptual modality, i.e. a particular way of seeing rock art figures (anthropomorphs and zoomorphs)
which simply involves basic recognition and is distinguishable from the recognition of these same figures in other contexts,
e.g. scenes? Such a modality would depend on elements of a figure and of perception which make preliminary identification
easy and rapid, for example visual “invariants” (Gibson), “typical contours” (Deregowski), etc. This paper critically reviews
the literature on the subject of figure recognition, taking the discussion in a new direction, and one which includes neuro-
physiological considerations. (Paper)
Eve Ewing
Birds of Rain and Other Avian Forms in Great Mural Art of Baja California
Birds have long played important symbolic roles in the beliefs of native cultures. This presentation will focus on some ex-
amples from the rock art that appear to portray birds as bringers of rain, birds as messengers and birds as transformation
motifs. (Paper)
Leanna Flaherty (California State University, Chico)
The “Costliness” of Petroglyph Manufacture: An Experiment Conducted to Determine the Energy Expenditure of Rock Art
Production and an Evaluation of its Potential as a “Signal”
This paper explores the energetics associated with petroglyph manufacture to address the question of whether some rock art
imagery can be understood as evidence of prehistoric peoples participating in costly signaling or “show-off ” behavior. One
condition of Costly Signaling Theory is that signaling must have some sort of disadvantage in order to maintain its “honesty”.
Drawing on the basic principles of exercise physiology, an experiment was conducted using open-circuit indirect calorimetry
to determine the energetic expenditure of rock art production, the results of which are compared to other activities in order
to evaluate its potential as a costly signal. (Paper)
Steve Freers (Independent Researcher)
Southern California Style—It’s Elemental
There are three identified painted rock art styles in southern California, each with its own set of defining characteristics and
geographic distribution. The extent of the La Rumorosa Style agrees strongly with the Kumeyaay cultural map. However,
the geographic distribution of the San Luis Rey and Rancho Bernardo Styles spans several cultural groups. The purpose of
this investigation is to explore the idiosyncratic variances within these rock art styles that mirror conventional assumptions
regarding ethnographic divisions. (Paper)
Kathy Hamlet and Carolynne Merrell (Archaeographics)
Cowboys with Time on their Hands
Cattle and sheep ranching dominated much of southern Idaho from 1866 to the mid 1900s. With it came the cowboy, who
tended cattle on land that was previously home to tribes of Shoshone, Bannock, and Paiute Indians. The cowboys left their
marks by incising brands and other art on boulders and rocks at the same location as prehistoric rock art. The fact that these
engravings did not appear as graffiti over the obvious Native American rock art suggests a respect for the earlier art while at
the same time contributing cowboy related images to the landscape. (Report)
Don Hann (Malheur National Forest)
Searching for the Story in Picture Gorge, Eastern Oregon
Picture Gorge in eastern Oregon contains one of the largest concentrations of pictographs in the state. Site 35GR12 stands
out in the number and complexity of designs. There are several paired images related to distinctive geologic features. Al-
though in clear association with each other, the images do not show the formal attributes to be identified as a scene or a
true narrative. Formal and informed analysis of the images suggests they still tell a story, an implied narrative. By weaving
 8 Conference Program May 25–28, 2012
together strands of evidence from Columbia Plateau history, ethnography, archaeology and mythology the broad outline of
a story is presented. (Paper)
Jon Harman (DStretch)
Abstract Pictograph Sites near Mission San Borja, Baja California
Mission San Borja lies at the southern limit of what Ritter and Ewing have called the Northern Abstract rock art zone in
Baja California. This paper documents three pictograph sites: Las Tinajitas and two sites near Rancho Viejo San Gregorio.
All are within 10km of San Borja. Las Tinajitas has been mentioned in the literature. The other two sites have not been
reported previously. Many of the paintings at these sites are faded and some are very difficult to see. DStretch enhancement
technology is used to help visualize the paintings at these sites. (Paper)
Ken Hedges (Independent Researcher)
Red Rock Canyon: Investigating the Sinagua Connection in Lower Gila Rock Art
Red Rock Canyon is a unique petroglyph site located in a small sandstone canyon a short distance west of the Gila River
between Gillespie Dam and Gila Bend in southwestern Arizona. Design elements form a distinctive set unlike those in sur-
rounding rock art of the Hohokam Gila Petroglyph style or the Patayan Sears Point style. Certain historic motifs suggest
a late Patayan connection, but the site in general resembles rock art from the Sinagua area to the north, and may provide
explanations for unusual aspects of certain lower Gila sites. (Paper)
Janine Hernbrode (Volunteer, Coronado National Forest and Arizona Site Stewards)
Gender in Hohokam Imagery and Landscape: Sutherland Wash Rock Art District, Coronado National Forest, Arizona
Hohokam anthropomorphs in Tucson area rock art have been characterized as having little detail and rare indications of
female gender. New information from 28 sites in the Sutherland Wash Rock Art District and the completion of comprehen-
sive recording has given us an opportunity to compare 419 anthropomorphs, of which 134 (32%) were clearly gendered in
approximately equal numbers, either male or female. Apparent attempts to illustrate “family” and “birthing” also are pictured
repeatedly. In addition, the site includes a granitic landscape with natural yoni and phallus formations and boulders with
a large number of cupules. (Paper)
Jennifer Huang (Bureau of Reclamation), Robert Mark, Evelyn Billo, and Jannie Loubser
Experimentation with iPad 2 Technology in Petroglyph Documentation at the Watson Site, Southeastern Oregon
In 2011, the Bureau of Reclamation contracted with Stratum Unlimited and Rupestrian CyberServices to complete docu-
mentation of an extensive petroglyph site in southeastern Oregon. Recording of this site began in 2002, but only half was
completed because of its immense area and density. The contract specifies the use of iPad 2 technology in the recording process
to test its usefulness in the field. This paper outlines the history of recording techniques at this site, the experiences using iPad
2 units, and the plan to study the resulting data to determine the full significance of this enormous Great Basin site. (Paper)
Boma Johnson (Bureau of Land Managment, Arizona; Retired)
Rock Art of the St. George Basin, SW Utah: An Overview
This presentation has two purposes. First will be a quick visual visit to some of the more interesting rock art sites in the St.
George Basin. Secondly will be a short examination of a few outstanding story/song panels created and used by the Virgin
Anasazi and Paiute as initiation or teaching stations. These panels express core concepts and beliefs as held by southwest
Utah and other Southwestern tribal peoples, and as shared with the author over the years. (Paper)
James D. Keyser, Livio Dobrez, Don Hann, and David A. Kaiser (Indigenous Cultures Preservation Society)
When is a Picture a Narrative? Interpreting Different Types of Rock Art
The concept of narrative in rock art is widely used, even though often poorly defined. The result is that single images, where
the “story” lies solely with the observer are equated with complex scenes, involving multiple actors engaged with each other
and with inanimate objects by complex “story-telling” conventions. In between these opposites are rock art compositions
whose story is suggested by factors evident both in the art and in the site setting. We describe and define three expressions of
narrativity—explicit, implied, and inferred—that rock art scholars can use to differentiate these three types of rock art. (Paper)
David Lee (Western Rock Art Research)
A Decade of Documentation: Current Status of the Owens Valley Rock Art Project
The “Deepest Valley” in America is located between two 14,000 foot mountain ranges in California, and has been home to
Native Americans for over 10,000 years. The archaeological resources here are rich and varied; from village sites to rock
 Conference Program May 25–28, 2012 9
art sites ranging from one to a thousand elements. Western Rock Art Research has been collaborating with the Bureau of
Land Management since 2000 to document these resources as a first step towards effective management, and in an effort
to understand these enigmatic images. The status of the project will be presented along with some of the trends that are
emerging. (Report)
Janet Lever-Wood and Ann Phillips (Bureau of Land Management)
Rock Art Recording at Upper Sand Island, Utah
A summary of the rock art recording project at Upper Sand Island, Bluff, Utah will be presented. New photographic tech-
nology, a remarkable crew of volunteers, and excellence in cooperative documentation will be emphasized. The rock art at
this site ranges from paleolithic images to proto-historic narratives. (Report)
Lawrence Loendorf (Sacred Sites Research)
The Horned Headgear Site, Montana
Horned Headgear, 24ML0508, is located on the Musselshell River in central Montana. The site is relatively small with six
panels, but two of these exhibit an important story about a battle between an Assiniboine warrior and a Crow warrior. The
site is significant for the quality of the imagery but more importantly it is an example of a rock art site that can be assigned to
specific tribal groups. Archaeologists try to establish ethnicity for past remains and the Horned Headgear site is an example
of how researchers can use rock art to identify tribal affiliation. (Paper)
Chris R. Loendorf and Lawrence L. Loendorf (Gila River Indian Community, Sacred Sites Research)
Analyzing Red Pictographs with Portable X-Ray Fluorescence
Portable X-Ray Fluorescence (PXRF) is one of the few analytical techniques that allows in situ and non-destructive assess-
ment of pigments used in pictographs. Previous research with this technique has successfully identified minerals in rock
paintings of different colors including red (iron) and green (chromium). In our recent PXRF analysis of paintings at Picture
Cave, Texas, we were also able to establish that at least two different batches of paint were used at the site. This compositional
variation allows previously unavailable insight into the associations among different figures at the site. (Paper)
Farrel W. Lytle (The EXAFS Company)
Determining Age of Petroglyphs by XRF Chemical Analysis: Dated Petroglyph Frequency Tracks Climate Eras
Petroglyph age was measured by XRF chemical analysis. Age calibration based upon DV manganese concentration (corrected
for base rock content and slope) vs. the cosmogenic-isotope-dated age. Range and 1 sigma accuracy were XRF vs. Age from
1,000 to 40,000 +/- 25% years BP. Accuracy on basalt, tuff and sandstone agreed with known ages. Glyph ages agreed with
subject archaeological context, e. g. bow and arrow vs. atlatl. Dated glyph frequency peaks and valleys from extended sites
correlated with wet and dry climate eras. Demonstrated for Anasazi Ridge and Little Creek. (Poster)
Scott McDonald (McDonald Geologic)
Multiple Use Paleoarchaic Sacred Sites, Pancake Range, East Central Nevada
Five spaced-stone geoglyphs are found in three sites in the Pancake Range of Nevada: The Circle Site, a pink volcanic boulder
surrounded by stones. The Snake Site, a large snake-human conflation figure with two short entopic lines nearby. And the
Hero Site: a figure of a human or star constellation. These sites may have had disparate and multiple uses. Puberty initiation,
hunting magic, shamanic initiation and hero myth may have united these nearby sites in a pilgrimage journey of religious
and political significance. (Report)
Carolynne Merrell (Archaeographics)
Exploring the Cave Valley Style, Utah
Cave Valley is a distinct style of rock art thought to have had its genesis in a cave located in Zion National Park. It is best
described as a humanoid figure constructed from six interconnected triangles. Variations on this theme include head adorn-
ments, more naturalistic appendages, and other body decoration. Little is known about the distribution of this style element or
its possible cultural affiliation. Recent research leads to a better understanding of this design element, its variations, cultural
affiliation and geographic distribution. (Paper)
Elanie Moore (Citrus College)
At Cueva Pintada, Baja California Sur, the Proof is in the Pole
This paper revisits the mystery of painting the upper images, some as high as 35 feet above the floor of this ancient cave, La
Pintada, found in the Sierra de San Francisco, B.C.S., Mexico. After experimenting with a variety of natural poles that grow
10 Conference Program May 25–28, 2012
in the canyons nearby, trying other researchers’ ideas, and taking into account the physical properties of painting with a
‘brush’, Carrizo Phragmites is the most likely instrument used for mural production. (Paper)
Ruth Musser-Lopez (Archaeological Heritage Association, River Branch)
The Mountain North of Las Vegas: Rock Art Style Distribution on the Periphery of the Sheep Range
Five rock art sites, ranging widely in motif style, potential function, and age are also widely dispersed physically along the
periphery of the Sheep Range north of Las Vegas. A model for distinguishing the motifs of Uto-Aztecan speakers from motifs
likely made by Hokan speakers is utilized. A tentative age range is assigned employing the strategy proposed by Gilreath for
associating Gold Butte stylistic motifs with age. Images are also compared against the absolute chronological framework for
six motifs established for Coso Range rock art by Rogers (2010). (Paper)
V. Garth Norman (ARCON Inc.)
Parowan Gap Narrows Rock Writing as History: Interpretation in Archaeological District Contexts
The Parowan Gap, Utah, archaeological project (1993 to 2007) took the rich Gap rock art archive research to new levels
for constructing Fremont history with a multi-disciplinary research design. Tasks including site survey, excavation, rock art
analysis, ethnology, archaeoastronomy survey, and site comparisons, maximized interpretive data. Research results identi-
fied a massive calendar observatory with over 25 horizon/sun watch stations, corresponding petroglyph shadow marks,
and extensive petroglyph calendar numeral records, all centered on the 260-day calendar. Discovery of distant contacts
with turquoise trade introduced Mesoamerican Toltec culture that moved Parowan Fremont village life on the path toward
higher civilization. (Paper and Poster)
Jon Picciuolo
Pictographs at Swordfish Cave (CA-SBA-503) Suggestive of Human-Swordfish Shamanistic Transformation
Two small pictographs at Vandenberg Air Force Base’s Swordfish Cave seem to display a mixture of human and swordfish
characteristics, possibly suggesting shamanistic transformation. The poster presents the two pictographs and the site’s famous
swordfish, pointing out human and swordfish characteristics of the two featured pictographs. A very brief discussion of the
swordfish’s cultural significance to the Chumash is included. No assertion is made that the two pictographs indeed represent
shamanistic transformation; however, their apparent mixture of human and swordfish characteristics is intriguing. (Poster)
Alexander K. Rogers (Maturango Museum)
Early Reports on the Coso Petroglyphs of Southern Inyo County, California.
The Maturango Museum, in Ridgecrest, California, holds in its files what appears to be the earliest academic report on the
Coso petroglyphs. The report was prepared for the US Navy in 1946 by Virginia Hitchcock, a student of Robert Heizer
at the University of California. The report is type-written, in memorandum format, and includes Polaroid photographs
of the rock art. In addition, the Museum recently received photographs and a typewritten narrative from a visit to Lower
Renegade Canyon in 1923 by a man named Herb Summers. This paper will present the photographs and briefly summarize
these two reports. (Report)
Bruce Ross
Traveling to Other Worlds: Visitation to the Heavens as Transpersonal Experience in Rock Art
Relying on a model of entoptic behavior, the paper examines the transpersonal experience of traveling to the “heavens” as
expressed in world rock art. The most common direction of a shaman’s passage to the other worlds is to the “upper” one.
Representations of this passage are sometimes representational (a human figure connected by a line to an object in the sky)
but more often metaphoric expression (lines arched around a human figure’s head). Examples are presented from worldwide
rock art, areas (including the “Wedding Rocks” of coastal Washington and several sites in Morocco). (Paper)
John A. Ruskamp (Epigraphic Research, AAS-Little Colorado Chapter)
Asiatic Echoes: The Identification of Chinese Pictograms in North American Rock Writing
This paper introduces pictorial and written evidence that in pre-Columbian times, multiple intellectual exchanges took
place between Asiatic and North American populations. Using a novel integration of the legal construct of substantial
similarity with the comparative statistical tool of Jaccard’s Index of Similarity, the Chinese origin of 24 North American
petroglyphs is established. Analytical comparative statistics are provided for the similarities shared by studying glyph line-
strokes with corresponding features of equally ancient and complex Chinese script pictograms. Here is epigraphic proof
that Asiatic explorers interacted positively with Native North American people long before any European exploration of
the continent. (Paper)
 Conference Program May 25–28, 2012 11
Geri Schrab (Rock Art in Watercolors)
Addressing the Sacred: An Artistic Exploration of Rock Art
Rock art sites are often referred to as sacred. What exactly makes a site sacred? Going beyond transits or tape measures into
a human region that can only be measured by the beat of the heart, artistic exploration shifts the sacred from intellectual
concept to modern practice. This presentation explores that mystery veil through a personal and expressive paint on paper
approach to rock art sites in the upper Midwest, the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota and greater Lake Superior
region. (Report)
Scott Seibel
New Rock Art Discoveries on Fajada Butte, Chaco Culture National Historical Park
As part of the ongoing Chaco Canyon Rock Art Reassessment Project, detailed rock-art site recording was done on Fajada
Butte in the Spring and Fall of 2011. Previously unknown rock-art galleries were discovered, including panels found in an
area inaccessible without technical mountaineering assistance. This presentation describes the new discoveries and describes
the technical challenges in recording these difficult-to-reach areas. (Paper)
Karen L. Steelman, Lennon N. Bates, and Carolyn E. Boyd (University of Central Arkansas)
Radiocarbon Dating a Rock Painting from Black Cave, Texas
A Pecos River Style image from Black Cave (41VV76) was radiocarbon dated using plasma oxidation and accelerator mass
spectrometry. The date was obtained from a paint sample from an image of a black deer impaled by a red spear. We obtained
an age of 1465 ± 40 years BP. Although many radiocarbon dates have been obtained for rock art in the Lower Pecos River
Region of southwest Texas, detailed stylistic information for these dates is unknown. This younger result for the Pecos River
Style suggests that additional dating studies are needed. (Paper)
Michael Terlep (Northern Arizona University/ Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument)
A Multifaceted Analysis of Cup and Channel Petroglyphs from the Arizona Strip
This paper examines the spatial distribution and stylistic variability of cup and channel petroglyphs from the Arizona Strip.
The age, origin, and function of these enigmatic petroglyphs have fascinated archaeologists for decades. The petroglyph size,
up to 2 m long, and placement at prominent points contributes to the intrigue of cup and channel glyphs. Previous hypoth-
eses for the age and function of the petroglyphs include prehistoric navigational markers to water sources, solstice markers,
and historic tar burners. Using geographical information systems and archaeological and landscape methods I argue the
petroglyphs are prehistoric water channels dating to the early/mid Formative period. (Paper)
Elizabeth (Beth) Velliky (Simon Fraser University)
Rock Paintings of Squamish Valley: An Analysis of Pigments and Ochre Sources using Portable X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry
There are two known sources of red ochre in the Squamish Valley, B.C., which were likely utilized in the creation of numer-
ous pictographs in the area. The aim of this project is to geochemically analyze the sources in Squamish and other sources
from within and outside British Columbia, and to analyze the pigments in the Squamish rock paintings using Portable X-ray
Fluorescence Spectrometry (PXRF). The results of this research will show if PXRF can confirm the provenance postulated
for ochres, and if it is possible to attribute mineral pigments used in rock paintings to their origins using this methodology.
(Paper)
Steven J. Waller (Rock Art Acoustics)
Illusions of the Supernatural: Archaeological Remnants of Pre-Scientific Paradigms Attempting to Explain Ambiguous
Audio/Visual Phenomena in the Landscape
Pre-scientific peoples did not possess accurate theoretical models of complex natural phenomena. E.g., sound wave reflection
gives the illusion of a virtual source behind the reflecting surface, and was modeled as answers emanating from non-corporeal
beings dwelling within the rocks, as attested by ancient myths of echo spirits. Audio measurements reveal that cave art was
often placed at locations with particularly intense reverberation that mimics thunder. A wide variety of other illusions can
originate from ambiguous natural phenomena (light/shadow interactions, etc.). In the absence of scientific knowledge these
inexplicable phenomena were considered supernatural, evoking spiritual responses in the landscape. (Paper)
Bill Whitehead
Why We Will Never Be Able to Interpret Rock Art or Anything Else For That Matter, Part 3
Part 3 implies a part 2, which may or may not exist. This will be a continuation of last year’s paper, musing on rock art in-
terpretation, including a plea for assistance interpreting some modern rock art. (Paper)
 12 La Pintura May 2012

DAS Welcomes Banquet Keynote Speaker

ARARA 2012 1,000 Sites and Counting
By John Mangels
President, Dixie Archaeology Society

A S president of the Dixie Archaeology Society, I welcome

you to scenic St. George.
St. George is truly a unique location. It is located at the
confluence of three separate geological regions, the Mojave
Desert, the Great Basin, and the Colorado Plateau, with the
Santa Clara and Virgin rivers bisecting the area. This diverse
geology creates the diversity of flora and fauna observed in the
area. The geological past is what has created the magnificent
and diverse scenery of the area, the deserts, the mountains,
the canyons, and the red rocks!
The archaeology of the St. George area dates to
Paleoindian/Archaic periods with many Basketmaker sites
predating the Virgin Branch Ancestral Puebloan sites.
This diversity of geography and archaeology is represented
in the rock art of the area. You have a chance to view this
variety in the field trips offered. You will observe the stylistic
changes from Lincoln County, Nevada, in the northwest,
to the Gold Butte area in the Southwest, to the Colorado
Plateau in the east, and the Arizona Strip in the south and
southeast, with St. George in the middle. You will see rock
art from the Archaic period to the Ancestral Puebloan and
Paiute periods.
The Dixie Archaeology Society has documented many of
the sites offered in the field trip program which may be viewed
T HE featured speaker for this year’s banquet is Don
Christensen. His documentation of and publications
on rock art throughout the American Southwest and
at www.dixierockart.webs.com. We have also summarized southern California are well known. This presentation will
many of the technical lectures given to the society that detail be a personal reflection on the experiences gained through
rock art, archaeology, and Native cultures of the area on our fieldwork, community outreach, and the publication process.
web site. This site is updated monthly and can serve as a It will also touch on one man’s perspective of the state of rock
reference regarding the rock art of the area. art research in the 21st century. The focus will mainly be on
I know you all (or most of you) have lives outside of rock the lessons learned on the Arizona Strip, with its complex
art. I encourage you to view the beautiful scenery of the area, cultural history and challenging physical environment.
and did I mention the red rocks. Snow Canyon State Park is Don has a B.A. in History and an M.A. in Education.
a one-half-hour drive from the hotel and is one of the most He has now retired after 34 years in public education as a
popular state parks in Utah. Zion National Park is a one-hour social science instructor and a cross-country and track coach.
drive and is a must see—2.5 million visitors per year can’t be He is currently a Research Associate with Western Rock
wrong! The north rim of the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon Art Research, a nonprofit organization. He has 21 years of
National Park, and Lake Powell are all three-hour drives. St. survey and excavation experience with a number of cultural
George is called the Gateway to the National Parks. And if resource management firms in California and with the
you want to relax after your hectic time in St. George, Las Western Archeological and Conservation Center in Tucson,
Vegas is only a two-hour drive. Arizona. He has documented rock art for over 37 years in
I hope you enjoy your time in St. George and enjoy your California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona for the Bureau of
desert experience. However, to fully enjoy your time, you Land Management, the National Park Service, and the U.S.
must always be aware of the temperature and ALWAYS drink Forest Service. He is the author and coauthor of numerous
plenty of water. Locals will always have water with them. rock art articles in a variety of publications.
...continued on next page
 La Pintura May 2012
13

Keepers of the Gate - 2012 Conservation Awardees - 2012

T HE recipients of the 2012 Keepers of the Gate Award
are Dorothy and Gordon Zitting, owners of the Quail
Creek Ranch. They were nominated by our local hosts, the
T HIS year , ARARA’s Conservation Award goes equally to
the St. George Field Office of the BLM, the City of Ivins,
Utah, and the City of Santa Clara, Utah, for their cooperative
Dixie Archaeology Society. creation of the Santa Clara River Reserve.
The Quail Creek Ranch is located at the junction of Quail The Santa Clara River Reserve is the outcome of a
Creek and Virgin River, and holds a number of important cooperative agreement between the St. George District Field
Archaic and Ancestral Puebloan rock art panels. The ranch Office of BLM and the cities of St. George, Santa Clara, and
is surrounded by subdivisions and is adjacent to a major Utah Ivins, Utah. The Santa Clara River Reserve protects Anasazi
highway, Route 9. Ridge petroglyphs, the Santa Clara Canyon petroglyphs, and
The Quail Creek Ranch with its fencing and secure gates a variety of excavated and unexcavated archaeological sites
forms a protective barrier to keep the general population along the Santa Clara River and above it on what is called
away from the rock art panels. However, the Zittings do allow “Anasazi Ridge.” The Santa Clara River Reserve protects
groups of people such as the Dixie Archaeology Society, the not only important archaeological sites but also important
Utah Rock Art Research Association (URARA), ARARA, biological resources in an expansive area that is now subject
and others access to their property to view and study the to use restrictions.
rock art. As such, the rock art at Quail Creek Ranch is in
good condition and does not suffer the vandalism that has
damaged some rock art panels in the area.
Congratulations to this year’s award recipients!
Examples of the rock art found on Quail Creek Ranch
have been described by Kenneth Castleton in his book,
Petroglyphs and Pictographs of Utah, Volume 2, Utah Museum
of Natural History, 1987, on pages 122-125. He refers to the
site as Harrisburg Creek.

Santa Clara Canyon

(photograph courtesy of the Dixie Archaeological Society).
Important petroglyph sites have now been fenced, an
ADA-accessible trail has been constructed, interpretive signs
are provided, and parking lots have been paved.
Prior to protection, this area was subject to dumping,
partying, and uncontrolled access that made it possible to
drive up to (or over) archaeological sites and didn’t impede
vandalism. Up until a few years ago, the directions to one
Quail Creek Ranch, Site 2 petroglyph site was “go to the large boulder past the rusted
(photograph courtesy of the Dixie Archaeological Society). cars and the white washing machine.”
Specific information about the Santa Clara River Reserve,
ARARA 2012... continued from page 12 its formation, the partnership between the cities and BLM,
and the results of this collaboration can be found at: http://
Please ask any of the Dixie Archaeology Society Volunteers www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/st__george/ blm_special_areas/
for assistance with your questions regarding St. George or santa_clara_river.html
the surrounding area. Examples of the rock art found on the Santa Clara River
Enjoy St. George! Reserve have been described by Kenneth Castleton in his
...continued on next page
 14 La Pintura May 2012
Conservation...
continued from page 13

A panel at Anasazi Ridge (photograph courtesy of the Dixie Archaeological Society).

For information on one interpretation of this panel, go to:
http://dixierockart.webs.com/Technical%20Presentations/Tales%20from%20the%20Ridge.pdf
book, Petroglyphs and Pictographs of Utah, Volume 2, Utah on pages 140-143. He refers to the Anasazi Ridge site as
Museum of Natural History, 1987. He refers to the Santa “Three Mile—Santa Clara,” and it is described on pages
Clara Canyon site as “Santa Clara River,” and it is described 143-147.

IFRAO 2013 Report

By Peggy Whitehead

T HE web site is up! ifrao2013.org is the official conference

web site. The individual Call for Papers is posted there
as are all accepted thematic sessions. If your research topic
visiting www.facebook.com/Ifrao2013. However, to post to
the page, you do need to join Facebook. The individual Call
for Papers is posted there, and we will be posting much more
fits within one of the session themes, please contact the conference information there. Conversations regarding the
Session Chair about joining them. Their contact information conference are encouraged, and if you have a question about
is included with the session abstract. If your topic is not the conference that needs attention, please post that there
found within the thematic sessions, please submit it as an also for a quick response.
individual contribution to the general Program Chair. Also In Albuquerque, New Mexico, there will be only one day
posted on the web page is a draft schedule for the week of of Conference Sponsored field trips (Wednesday, May 29,
the conference; this will be updated as more details become 2013). Attendees will receive field trip information after they
available. The hotel where the oral and poster presentations register. The selection of which to site visit will be made on a
and reception will be held is linked to the web page for your first-come basis. As field trips fill, they will be dropped from
ease in making a reservation. It is great to be in one location. the list sent to new registrants. Thus, the earlier you register,
No matter where you are—an elevator, the exercise room, the better your chances are for visiting the site of your choice.
or at the well-stocked bar—there are people with the same The web site has the registration form to download and fill out.
interests. Conversations on the latest research and techniques You then have the choice of email or regular mail to complete
for recording abound. the process. Pre-conference and post-conference field trips
IFRAO 2013 is also on Facebook. It is an open site, so you are being offered to attendees by Tour New Mexico and by
can visit us whether or not you are a facebook member by Destination Southwest. These companies also have trips that
...continued on next page
 La Pintura May 2012
15

Upper Sand Island Recording Project Completed

By Pamela Baker

T HE Fuels Shop of the Canyon Country BLM in Moab,

Utah, URARA, and the Monticello BLM Field Office
recently collaborated to record the rock art at Upper Sand
Upper Sand Island is a multi-component site with possible
Paleoindian panels, as well as Archaic Glen Canyon Linear,
Puebloan, and historic Ute/Navajo imagery. The area also
Island. Many members of ARARA also participated. The contains fragile middens with the potential to yield further
0.6-mile-long cliff face was exposed to increased visitation information. Many of the panels are very high, which presented
when the Fuels Shop removed the tamarisk and Russian olive a challenge to the photographer as well as the drawers. At
on the floodplain in the area in front of the panels. The BLM times, Dave Manley’s camera was 40 feet off of the ground and
provided professional support, a group campground at Sand remotely computer controlled on an extended tripod.
Island for the volunteers, indoor space during the fieldwork The project will present a short report at the ARARA
sessions, and miscellaneous supplies. URARA provided a meetings in St. George in May and more detailed information
grant to cover costs of direct expenses such as photography, when analysis is further along at URARA’s symposium in
printing, mylar, pens, and scanning of images. Vernal, Utah, next September.
Ann Phillips and Leigh Grench
(BLM Fuels Archaeologist) led
the project, assisted by a four-
member team: Pamela and Quentin
Baker, Janet Lever-Wood, and Dave
Manley. It was, however, the serious
commitment and devotion on the
part of Ann Phillips which inspired
and motivated the project. The entire
team spent weekends in January and
February and then a week in March
preparing for the volunteer drawers to
join them for a week in April. During
the April session which included over
30 volunteers from seven states, Dell
Crandall and Claudia Berner acted
as campground hosts. Several local
professional archaeologists also joined
the recording effort. Elaine Holmes
and Anne McConnell anchored the
office and kept up with data entry.
Preparing for the Upper Sand Island Project. Dave Manley by the tripod, Quentin Baker under
the hood with the computer, and Janet Lever-Wood to the right (photograph by Pamela Baker).

IFRAO 2013... continued from page 14

your non-rock art enthusiast traveling partner can participate will present many opportunities to visit rock art in both the
in during the week of the conference while you are attending private and public sector, and we encourage you to make
papers, panels, and posters. See the IFRAO2013.org web site your plans to attend this international event.
for links to these companies and their schedule of events. If you do not have email and wish to have a copy of the
New Mexico is rich in images, and ideally we want registration form mailed, please contact:
everyone to see all of the sites. But that is not reality. Most Donna Yoder <[email protected]>
sites have a limit of less than 25 people per day, but there are IFRAO 2013 Registrar
some great public access rock art sites that can accommodate 2533 W. Calle Genova
more visitors, such as Petroglyph National Monument and Tucson, AZ 85745-2526 USA
Bandelier National Monument. Thus, a trip to IFRAO 2013
 16 La Pintura May 2012

The Editor’s Corner architecture, like Labna—whose classic Maya Arch gateway
was drawn by Frederic Catherwood in the 1840s—where we
A Visit to Loltún had the site all to ourselves.
The karstic limestone landscape of the Yucatan peninsula

I N recent years, the Riviera Maya has become an ever more

popular tourist destination—especially for Americans.
Although the beaches and bars of Cancun and Playa del
is not too favorable for rock art and most of it is hidden under-
ground. Several cave sites in the Puuc region have rock art,
but Loltún cavern, near the town of Oxkutzcab, is the most
Carmen are usually the main attraction, archaeological famous and the only site managed for tourism. I first heard
tourism adds variety to any stay, and Maya sites like Uxmal, about it from Matthias Strecker, who documented the rock
Tulum and Chichen Itza are now big draws. On the day of my art there in the 1970s. This trip I finally got to see it myself.
most recent visit to Tulum during Mexican Holy Week break About 35 people were along for the mile-long guided walk
this year, about four times as many people filed through the through the spectacular chambers of this very active cave.
turnstile as ever lived inside the walls of this rather modest The cave consists of large irregular limestone blocks which
Post Classic site. (Ah, but the beach nearby is beautiful!) have collapsed into a series of interconnected open caverns
Other important sites have emerged from obscurity due of varying size. Pools of water fill the lowest parts and some
to recent archaeological work, like Ek Balam, just north of stalactites have rock basins underneath fashioned by earlier
Valladolid, with its spectacular full-figure statues in stucco, inhabitants to catch the drip water. The rocks were slippery
and Cobá, spread around the shores of a lovely lagoon—and so and the path and stairways included some steep climbs. In
close to the beaches too! Still other sites are rarely visited—a one room, two huge stalagmite columns send out distinctive
little off of the beaten path and sometimes lost like solitary tones when struck, which, according to our guide, sound out
phantoms in the forest. Some contain jewels of Maya the name of the place: Lol-tun. On the wall just behind are

Cavern within Loltún Cave (photograph by Nahum Solís Davila).

 La Pintura May 2012
17

and is itself an important testimony of this continuity.

Loltún... continued from page 16 There can be no question that the figure at Loltún is a rock
sculpture made by professional artisans with special skills.
Its placement, size, and orientation occupy a commanding
position at the main Hunacab entrance to the cave, and
its carving would have probably have required ladders or
scaffolding of some kind as well as many man-hours of
labor. The complexity of its motifs is similar to other Maya
aesthetic expressions and directly comparable to later Maya
stelae monuments. It is in fact an outstanding example of
early Maya art.
One perceives its rock art connection only when you
place it within the wider landscape. The cave entrance is
large and lies in the middle of an otherwise featureless and
waterless plateau. It leads to an underworld of water and
capricious rock formations whose natural darkness contrasts
dramatically with the sunlit aperture in its largest chamber.
At the end of the trail you reach a truly magical space with
constantly changing light conditions and green vegetation
sheltered in the middle. Although it was mainly in shadow
when I visited, the aperture provided enough light to see a
more diverse repertoire of petroglyphs on its most accessible
side wall—geometric shapes and schematic human faces
left by earlier visitors who reached this same world apart.
Handprints in Loltún Cave Cave Nowadays, these images are scarcely visible to the casual
(photograph by Nahum Solís Davila).
visitor; you have to know where they are or you would miss
the negative handprints in black which are one of the most them entirely.
prominent motifs inside this and other caves in the region. In fact, this magical world was probably discovered
The most spectacular (and distinctive) rock art, however, many thousands of years ago. In a section of the cave not
is outside at the entrance to the cave. It is a monumental accessible to the general public, archaeologists have found
representation of a Maya personage elaborately sculpted even earlier Archaic petroglyphs as well as other evidence
in low relief and about 2.5 meters high. According to Linda of early postglacial human occupation at Loltún. This totally
Schele and Nicolas Grube’s reconstruction of its inscription, separate place hidden below the earth surface may have
it is the earliest dated monument in the Maya lowlands, been a natural sanctuary or the destination of a pilgrimage,
somewhere in the range between 150 B.C. to A.D. 100. a refuge, or a trap, but it is also a purely rock world, shaped
You will need Linda’s drawing to see it well, however, as the not by human hands—however skilled—but by the natural
carving is heavily obscured by shadows and black streaks in processes of erosion and water, sunlight, and humidity, and
the parent rock. conditioned by air flows and living creatures. Its rock art is
The figure was first described by Teobert Maler in the all just another part of this larger world.
1880s, and its iconography has been an important object of So, in contrast to joining the many thousands who filed
study for Maya scholars ever since, usually under the rubric of past a continuous row of vendors to visit the famous Cenote
Maya art and iconography. It immediately poses the question Sagrado at Chichen Itza, where (according to the guides)
of the fine line between “rock art” and real “art.” No matter how winsome Maya maidens were once sacrificed to the gods, I
you define either term, in the Maya region (and elsewhere in recommend Loltún Cave if you’re heading to Yucatan, not
Mesoamerica) there appears to be an unbroken continuity just for the rock art but also for the opportunity to visit the
between the two. When does a petroglyph become a rock still living Maya underworld. During his introductory prep
sculpture? Just what carving techniques and design details talk, our local Maya guide heard the call of a particular
necessarily imply “artistic” intentions? When do mere dots tropical bird which correctly predicted that it would rain the
and tallies become a part of calendrical inscriptions? I think following day. No Maya Apocalypse! No end of the world!
the Loltún figure provides some guidance to these questions The Maya and their culture are still alive!
18 La Pintura May 2012

Call for Papers ARARA Addresses

for La Pintura ARARA has several addresses. To get the most timely
ARARA members would love to read about your response, please send your inquiry to the right place.
new rock art discovery, recording project, or new idea for
interpretation. La Pintura needs members to submit articles Membership
on current research or fieldwork. Doing so will make La
For all Membership matters, including new and renewal
Pintura a better journal. Editorial guidelines can be found
memberships (see full membership information on inside
on the inside back cover of every issue.
back cover), replacement of undelivered issues of La Pintura,
and corrections or changes in membership information and
addresses, contact:

Editorial Deadlines for La Pintura ARARA Membership

To insure timely publication of each issue of La Pintura, Donna Yoder
please follow the following schedule of deadlines for all 2533 W. Calle Genova
editorial copy and other submissions: Tucson, AZ 85745-2526
Issue 1: February 1 [email protected]
Issue 2: May 1
Issue 3: August 1 La Pintura Editorial Matters
Issue 4: November 1 For editorial matters relating to La Pintura, including
Send all materials for inclusion in La Pintura to: letters and articles for publication (see guidelines on inside
William Breen Murray, Editor back cover), preferred contact is by e-mail:
[email protected] William Breen Murray, Editor
[email protected]
Postal mail for the La Pintura Editor may be sent to:

International Newsletter on Rock Art ARARA

Attn: Editor, La Pintura
INORA — The International Newsletter on Rock Art, edited 3711 W. Deer Valley Rd.
by Jean Clottes and published in French and English three Glendale, AZ 85308-2038
times a year (February, June, November) — is available
to ARARA members for $25 a year. Subscribe through For matters regarding production of La Pintura, con-
ARARA and save the $10 French bank charge. The 32-page tact:
newsletter contains the latest international rock art news. To
subscribe, send a check for $25 made out to ARARA to: Amy Gilreath
Far Western Anthropological Research Group, Inc.
Donna Gillette 1180 Center Point Drive, Suite 100
1147 Vaquero Way Henderson, NV 98074
Nipomo, CA 93444-6657 [email protected]
[email protected]
Archive, Library, Book Orders
For information on the ARARA Archive, Library, and
La Pintura is the official newsletter of the American Rock publications available for sale, contact:
Art Research Association. Subscription to this publication ARARA Archive
is a benefit of membership in ARARA. Back issues of La 3711 W. Deer Valley Rd.
Pintura are available electronically on the ARARA website, Glendale, AZ 85308-2038
http://www.arara.org. (623) 582-8007
[email protected]
 La Pintura May 2012
19

The American Rock Art Research Association

is a non-profit organization dedicated to encour- ARARA Code of Ethics
age and to advance research in the field of rock The American Rock Art Research Association subscribes to the
art. Association members work for the protec- following Code of Ethics and enjoins its members, as a condition of
tion and preservation of rock art sites through membership, to abide by the standards of conduct stated herein.
cooperative action with private landowners and 1. All local, state, and national antiquities laws will be strictly adhered
appropriate state and federal agencies. to by the membership of ARARA. Rock art research shall be subject to
The Association strives to promote non- appropriate regulations and property access requirements.
destructive utilization of rock art for scientific, 2. All rock art recording shall be non-destructive with regard to the rock
educational, and artistic purposes. This is ac- art itself and the associated archaeological remains which may be present.
complished through a wide-ranging program No artifacts shall be collected unless the work is done as part of a legally
to inform and educate the members as well constituted program of archaeological survey or excavation.
as the general public regarding the rock art 3. No excavation shall be conducted unless the work is done as part of
heritage of the United States as well as world- a legally constituted excavation project. Removal of soil shall not be
wide. These goals are comunicated through undertaken for the sole purpose of exposing sub-surface rock art.
the quarterly newsletter, La Pintura. Annual 4. Potentially destructive recording and research procedures shall be
three-day conferences give both members and others interested in rock undertaken only after careful consideration of any potential damage
art the opportunity to share professional papers, slide presentations, and to the rock art site.
informal discussions. 5. Using the name of the American Rock Art Research Association,
Membership in the American Rock Art Research Association is the initials of ARARA, and/or the logos adopted by the Association and
open to all with an active interest in research, non-destructive use, and the identification of an individual as a member of ARARA are allowed
preservation of rock art, regardless of their nationality or country of only in conjunction with rock art projects undertaken in full accordance
residence. Membership fees are: with accepted professional archaeological standards. The name ARARA
Donor $120.00 may not be used for commercial purposes. While members may use their
Family $50.00 affiliation with ARARA for identification purposes, research projects
Individual $45.00 may not be represented as having the sponsorship of ARARA without
Society/Institution $60.00 express approval of the Executive Committee.
Student $35.00 The ARARA Code of Ethics, points 1 through 5, was adopted at the
annual business meeting on May 24, 1987. The Code of Ethics was
*Student rate requires photocopy of current student amended with the addition of the opening paragraph at the annual
ID. Foreign members please add $5.00 for Canada/
business meeting, May 28, 1988.
Mexico, $10 for other countries.
Membership runs from January 1 through December 31 of each year.
The Association is concerned primarily with American rock art, but
ARARA Officers & Board
e-mail: [email protected]
membership is international in scope. Benefits include La Pintura, one
President Ron Smith
copy of American Indian Rock Art for the year, reduced conference fees,
Vice-President Diane Hamann
and current news in the field of rock art. More importantly, membership
Secretary Caroline Maddock
means a shared concern for the ongoing conservation and preservation
Treasurer Garry Gillette
of one of the most significant elements of our heritage. Send member-
Conference Planner Donna Gillette
ships to:
Board Members Chris Gralapp
ARARA Membership
Jennifer Huang
Donna Yoder
Jim Keyser
2533 W. Calle Genova
Marvin Rowe
Tucson, AZ 85745-2526
e-mail: [email protected]

http://www.arara.org
La Pintura is published by the American Rock Art Research Association. All Editorial material for La Pintura should be sent via e-mail to the
Editor, William Breen Murray, at [email protected]. Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the authors and do not necessar-
ily represent the views of the American Rock Art Research Association. La Pintura solicits articles, news, letters to the editor, and other items of
interest to its readers. Please observe the following criteria for all manuscripts submitted. Letter to the Editor: No special format necessary. News
Items: Please indicate all pertinent information such as the event, time, place, cost (if any), group or person in charge, who to contact, addresses,
and deadlines. Rock Art current events and news items of interest to our members that need public notice prior to the next issue of La Pintura
should be sent to ARARA’s monthly electronic newsletter “ARARA Online.” Contact Amy Gilreath at [email protected]. Articles: Manuscripts
of original research are always welcome. They should embrace sound principles of investigation and present data in a clear and concise manner.
Consult American Antiquity for body copy, notes, literature citations, and the proper format for References Cited. Articles are subject to editing for
length. Please submit all materials intended for publication via e-mail ([email protected]). Please include author’s name, title or profes-
sion, affiliation, city, state, and return e-mail address. Send illustrations as e-mail attachments. Submit line drawings as 1200dpi bitmap .tif files
and black-and-white or color photographs as grayscale 300dpi high-quality-level .jpg images. Materials that cannot be e-mailed may be sent to the
mailing address: ARARA, Attn: Amy Gilreath, Far Western, 1180 Center Point Circle, Suite 100, Henderson, NV 89074.
 La Pintura is the Official Newsletter of the American Rock Art Research Association
Address all editorial materials via e-mail to William Breen Murray, Editor, at [email protected]
Our mailing address is: ARARA, Attn: La Pintura, 3711 W. Deer Valley Rd., Glendale, AZ 85308-2038

ARARA 2012 Conference Program Issue

1-11 ARARA 2012 Conference Program and Abstracts
12 DAS Welcomes ARARA 2012
12 Banquet Keynote Speaker – Don Christensen
13 Keepers of the Gate - 2012
13 Conservation Awardees - 2012
14 IFRAO 2013 Report
15 Upper Sand Island Recording Project Completed
16 Editor’s Corner: A Visit to Loltún

Volume 38, Number 2

La Pintura
American Rock Art Research Association
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Lemon Grove, CA 91945-3000

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