Great Basin Rock Art: Archaeological Perspectives

199 Pages·2007·3.99 MB·English

by  Angus R. Quinlan

anthropology/native american studies GREAT
Q
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BASIN
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Praise for N
,
G R E AT B A S I N R O C K A R T e ROCK ART
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.
Angus R. Quinlanholds a Ph.D. in the Rock art is one of humankind’s most
archaeology of religion from the Univer- “This book deals with new research directions in rock art studies. The es- ancient forms of artistic expression, and
G
sity of Southampton, England. He is cur- says are diverse and present views that are at the forefront of rock art re- R one of its most enigmatic. For centuries,
rently deputy director of the Nevada Rock search in western North America and elsewhere. Overall, the book is a E A R C H A E O L O G I C A L scholars and other observers have strug-
Art Foundation, where he supervises the significant and relevant contribution to rock art literature.” A P E R S P E C T I V E S gled to interpret the meaning of the myste-
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archaeological documentation of rock art —Colleen M. Beck, Desert Research Institute rious figures incised or painted on natural
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sites in Nevada. He is also the editor for A rocks and to understand their role in the
Summit Envirosolutions, a cultural re- “The essays in this book share a common theme of exploring the archae- S lives of their creators. The Great Basin of
A N G U S R . Q U I N L A N,
I
sources management company. ological and landscape context in understanding and interpreting rock N the American West is especially rich in
art as opposed to relying primarily on a consideration of imagery. The R Editor rock art, but until recently North American
different approaches used by the authors return to a recurring conclu- O archaeologists have largely ignored these
sion, that it is a mistake to start with the assumption that rock art is re- C most visible monuments left by early Na-
ligious art. This book moves rock art research forward from its current K tive Americans and have given little atten-

stalled state arguing about shamanic theory and rock art interpretation.” A tion to the terrain surrounding them.
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—William D. Hyder, University of California, Santa Cruz In Great Basin Rock Art,twelve well-
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established rock art researchers examine a
number of significant sites from the dual
perspectives of settlement archaeology and
UNIVERSITY OF
contemporary Native American interpreta-
NEVADA PRESS tions of the role of rock art in their cul-
tural past. The authors demonstrate how
modern archaeological methodology and
interpretations are providing a rich physi-
cal and cultural context for these ancient
and hitherto puzzling artifacts. They also
offer exciting new insights into the lives of
North America’s first inhabitants. This is
essential reading for anyone interested in
Jacket Illustration:
the petroglyphs of the American West and
Background texture © 2005 JupiterImages. Foreground
in the history of the Great Basin and its
texture, line drawing of south portion (Panel A) of
buried panel, Long Lake, Oregon. Drawing by M. Ricks. original peoples.
NEVADA
Great Basin Rock Art

Great Basin Rock Art
Archaeological Perspectives
angus r. quinlan
edited by
university of nevada press reno & las vegas
University of Nevada Press, Reno, Nevada 89557 usa
New material copyright © 2007
by University of Nevada Press
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Great Basin rock art : archaeological perspectives /
edited by Angus R. Quinlan.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn-3: 978-0-8747-696-4 (hardcover : alk. paper)
. Indians of North America—Great Basin—Antiquities.
2. Rock paintings—Great Basin. 3. Petroglyphs—Great
Basin. 4. Great Basin—Antiquities.
I. Quinlan, Angus R., 968–
e78.g67g74 2006
979'.0—dc22 2006023848
The paper used in this book is a recycled stock made
from 50 percent post-consumer waste materials and
meets the requirements of American National Standard
for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for
Printed Library Materials, ansi z39.48–984. Binding
materials were selected for sgtrength and durability.
First Printing
5 4 3 2  0 09 08 07 06
5 4 3 2 
“The Study of a Rock Art Site in Southeastern Oregon”
by Keo Boreson is a heavily revised version of a report
compiled under contract with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
Contents
List of Illustrations vii
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
1 I ntegrating Rock Art with Archaeology: Symbolic Culture
as Archaeology 1
angus r. quinlan
part i. ethnographic perspectives
2 S tories as Old as the Rocks: Rock Art and Myth 
melvin brown and alanah woody
3 T he Mountain Maidu Homeland: Native and Anthropological
Interpretations of Cultural Identity 20
helen valborg and farrell cunningham
part ii. rock art’s social contexts past and present
4 T oward a Gender-Inclusive View of Rock Art in the
Northern Great Basin 37
william j. cannon and alanah woody
5 G rinding Stone and Pecking Rock: Rock Art of the High Basins,
Spanish Springs, Nevada 52
signa w. pendegraft
6 A Regional Settlement System Approach to Petroglyphs:
Application to the Owyhee Uplands, Southeastern Oregon 69
myrtle p. shock
7 T he Study of a Rock Art Site in Southeastern Oregon 92
keo boreson
8 C ontexts in the Analysis of Rock Art: Settlement and Rock Art in
the Warner Valley Area, Oregon 07
william j. cannon and mary f. ricks
9 P etroglyph Dating on the Massacre Bench 26
eric w. ritter, alanah woody, and alan watchman
10 R ock Art as an Artifact of Religion and Ritual:
The Archaeological Construction of Rock Art’s Past and
Present Social Contexts 40
angus r. quinlan
References 5
Contributors 79
Index 8
vi contents
Illustrations
figures
Figure .. Map of the Northern Great Basin and Adjacent Areas
Showing Tribal Territories and Places Mentioned in the Text 6
Figure 2.. The Agai-Pah Pictograph Site, Nevada, April 2005 2
Figure 2.2. The Agai-Pah Pictographs, Nevada 4
Figure 4.. Milling Stones Recovered from Excavations at the
Long Lake Site, Oregon 47
Figure 4.2. Bedrock Milling Stone and Rock Art in Direct
Association, Long Lake, Oregon 48
Figure 5.. Rock Art, Rock Rings, and Ground Stone at the
Crow’s Nest, High Basins, Nevada 60
Figure 5.2. Rock Art Incorporated in a Large Rock Ring, High
Basins, Nevada 62
Figure 5.3. Rock Art Incorporated in a Rock Ring with Ground
Stone in the Foreground, High Basins, Nevada 64
Figure 6.. Relationship Between Rock Art, Other Archaeological
Sites, and Perennial Water in the Owyhee Uplands, Oregon 80
Figure 6.2. Landscape Context of Site 35ml044, Owyhee
Uplands, Oregon 84
Figure 6.3. Diagrammatic Profile of an Owyhee Uplands Mesa
Top Petroglyph Site Type 87
Figure 6.4. Characteristic Abstract Imagery in the Basin and
Range Tradition, Owyhee Uplands, Oregon 88
Figure 6.5. Anthropomorph, Owyhee Uplands, Oregon 88
Figure 7.. View of a Portion of the Study Area Showing Owyhee
River Channel, Looking West, May 5, 2002 96
Figure 7.2. View of Slope in Study Area with Boulders 23–32,
Looking North-Northeast 97
Figure 7.3. Comparison of Intersected Elements at Site 35ml09,
Southeastern Oregon 99
Figure 7.4. Use of Curvilinear Elements in Rock Art Panel
Compositions at Site 35ml09, Southeastern Oregon 00
Figure 7.5 Anthropomorph Forms at Site 35ml09, Southeastern
Oregon 02
Figure 8.. South Portion (Panel A) of Buried Rock Art Panel,
Long Lake, Oregon 5
Figure 8.2. Line Drawing of South Portion (Panel A) of Buried
Panel, Long Lake, Oregon 6
Figure 8.3. Line Drawing of North Portion (Panel B) of Buried
Panel, Long Lake, Oregon 7
tables
Table 4.. Associated Materials at Rock Art Sites in the Warner
Valley Area 43
Table 5.. Rock Art Sites and Associated Archaeology in the High
Basins, Nevada 59
Table 6.. Rock Art Sites and Associated Archaeology, Owyhee
Uplands 82
Table 6.2. Types of Rock Art Styles Present at Owyhee Uplands
Rock Art Sites 86
Table 6.3. Designs per Rock Face in Owyhee Uplands Rock
Art Sites 90
Table 7.. Frequency of Stylistic Attributes in the Owyhee
Reservoir Study Area 98
Table 8.. Warner Valley Rock Art Styles 4
Table 9.. Summary of Sample Sizes, Locations, ams4c
Measurements, and Calibrated Age Estimates for Organic
Material at the Base of Varnish Coatings on and near Panel 6,
Massacre Lake Site (26wa78) 36
viii illustrations
Preface
This book is a collection of essays by twelve scholars that explores Great
Basin rock art from an archaeological perspective. The goal of the vol-
ume is to show how archaeology has helped us understand the meaning
and purpose of rock art in the daily lives of the Great Basin’s indigenous
peoples. In the past decade, the archaeological examination of the physi-
cal environment and cultural associations of rock art has provided some
important insights into the social context of this enigmatic art form. In
addition, rock art has a contemporary cultural resonance to Native Ameri-
can peoples (its traditional custodians) and is of considerable interest to
the general public. These contemporary contexts of rock art’s use-life are
also explored in this volume and illustrate how interpretation, heritage
conservation, and professional research are intertwined.
The essays were inspired by a session presented at the 2002 Biennial Great
Basin Anthropological Conference in Elko, Nevada. The session, which
was organized by Alanah Woody and sponsored by the Nevada Rock Art
Foundation and the Nevada State Museum, explored archaeology’s role in
constructing rock art’s contemporary heritage value, as well as the kinds
of interpretations popularly presented to the public. The Nevada Rock Art
Foundation and the Nevada State Museum are committed to the preserva-
tion of Nevada’s (and more generally the Great Basin’s) archaeological her-
itage. They sponsor programs of public and professional interpretation to
raise awareness of heritage issues (thereby building community capacity),
as well as fostering professional debate to develop archaeological research.
It is a pleasure to acknowledge their role in providing the original venue
for the research and ideas expressed in this book.
Angus R. Quinlan
Minden, 2005