Sandals as Icons: Representations in Ancestral Pueblo Rock Art and Effigies in Stone and Wood

22 Pages·2016·30.34 MB·English

by  Polly Schaafsma

arts
Article
Sandals as Icons: Representations in Ancestral Pueblo
Rock Art and Effigies in Stone and Wood
PollySchaafsma
ResearchAssociate,MuseumofIndianArtsandCulture/LaboratoryofAnthropology,
SantaFe,NM87505,USA;[email protected];Tel.:[phone]
AcademicEditor:RobertBednarik
Received:30June2016;Accepted:5August2016;Published:6October2016
Abstract: Datingthelate1000stothemid-1200sCE,petroglyphsofsandalimagesareamongothers
thatdistinguishancientPueblorockartintheSanJuanandLittleColoradoRiverdrainagesonthe
ColoradoPlateaufromAncestralPueblorockartelsewhereacrosstheSouthwest. Thesandal“track”
alsohascounterpartsaseffigiesinstoneandwoodoftenfoundinceremonialcontextsinPueblosites.
Theserepresentationsreflectthesandalstylesofthetimes,bothplainincontourandthejog-toed
variety,thelattercharacterizedbyaprojectionwherethelittletoeispositioned.Theserepresentations
arebothplainandpatterned,asaretheirmaterialsandalcounterparts. Theirsignificanceassymbolic
iconsistheirdominantaspect,andaritualmeaningisimplicit. Asacomponentofasymbolsystem
thatwasradicallyalteredafter1300CE,however,thereisnoethnographicinformationthatprovides
cluesastothesandalicon’smeaning. Whilethereisnosignificantpatternofitsassociationswith
othersymboliccontentinthepetroglyphpanels,insomewesternSanJuansitescasesarelationshipto
thehuntcanbeinferred. Itissuggestedthatthetrackitselfcouldrefertoadeity,amythologicalhero,
orthecarver’ssocialidentity. Inconclusion,however,noclearmeaningoftheimagesthemselvesis
forthcoming,andfurtherresearchbeckons.
Keywords: sandal;icon;jog-toed;effigy
Ancientrockartcontainsiconsorsymbolsgroundedinmythologiesandnarrativesthatwere
oncesharedamonggroupmembersbymeansoforaltraditionsandrituals. Iconicshapesandvisual
imagescondensemeaningsnowlosttous,thesepicturedcomponentsbeingmereremnantsofformer
ideologiespersistingtodayonlyintheirmaterialforms. IntheAmericanSouthwest,AncestralPueblo
rockartintheFourCornersregionoftheColoradoPlateaudatingbetweenca. 1000sand1250CE
includesimagesofsandalsorsandaltracks,someofwhicharedistinguishedbyajoginthevicinity
ofthelittletoe. Contemporarywiththerockart,jog-toedandplainsandalsiconsrepresentedinthe
archaeologicalrecordaswoodandstonetablets,nottomentiontheprototypicalsandalsthemselves,
havelongbeenrecognized[1–3];[4](p. 106);[5](p. 38);[6](p. 67). Thisessayplotsthedistributionof
thesandalicon,withafocusonthejog-toedvariety,throughtimeandspaceandexploressomeofthe
contextsinwhichtheyappearinanattempttocallattentiontothesefiguresandestablishabasisupon
whichfutureworkcanproceedinordertobetterunderstandtheirsignificance.
Whileearlierexamplesofsandalsdepictedinrockartexist,theyareextremelyrare,thusraising
the question of whether or not the subjects of this paper represent a new element in the regional
ideology or were part of an ancient tradition. Regardless, the sandal image gained importance
sometimeafterthe1000s,andajog-toedform,distinguishedbyaprotrudingbumpwherethelittle
toeispositioned,becameaspecializeddevelopment(Figure1). Bothplainandjog-toedsandalsare
visuallypresentedsingly,paired(perhapsjoinedbyaline),oronrareoccasionsingroups. Sandal
imagesofbothgenresmaybeenhancedwithformalabstractpatterns. Theimagesunderdiscussion
seldomimplypathsortrails,andtheirsignificanceasstand-aloneiconswithsymboliccontentistheir
salientcharacteristic. TheycontrastwithpetroglyphsofbarefootprintsthatareprevalentinAncestral
Arts2016,5,7;doi:10.3390/arts5040007 www.mdpi.com/journal/arts
Arts2016,5,7 2of22
Pueblorockartpriorto1300CE.Thesymbolicstatusofthesandalimageinrockartissupported
bytheminiature,life-size,andgreaterthanlife-sizeeffigiesinwoodorstonefromlatePuebloIIto
mid-PuebloIIIsites(ca. 1000–1200CE)intheSanJuanandLittleColoradoRiverdrainages,wherethey
arefoundinkivasorcachesassociatedotherritualparaphernalia(Figure2). Itissurmisedthatthese
mayhavefunctionedasaltarfurnishings.
(cid:87)
Figure1.Incisedjog-toedsandalpetroglyph,westernMesaVerderegion,Utah.
Figure2.Sandalstones,largerthanlife-size.LongHouse,MesaVerde.[7](Figure339).
Asanelementwithinarockartcontextandsymbolsystemthatwasradicallyalteredafter1300CE,
thereislittleethnographicinformationthatprovidesaninsightastothesandalicon’smeaning. While
several potential relationships it might have are offered, no clear interpretation has been reached.
Whetherthejog-toedasopposedtotheplainsandal“track”carriesanyspecialsymbolicimplications
remainsamootpoint. Betterwoventhantheirplaincounterparts,jog-toedsandalfootgearalongwith
thenon-jog-toedtypewerebothingeneraluseintheSanJuanregionaround1200CE[8](p. 265);[9]
(p. 325);andFigure3. Thecommonuseofjog-toedsandalfootgearasdocumentedatAntelopeHouse
byMagersarguesagainstanysocialexclusivityofthissandaltype. Itisworthyofnote,thatthereare
noknownexamplesofthesandalimage,muchlessthejog-toedvariety,depictedon/asthefootofa
humanfigureinrockartasiftosignifyaspecialstatus.
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(cid:87)
Figure3.Twinedjog-toedsandals,PuebloBonito,room24.[6](Figure34.)
1. TheSandalasGraphicImage
Itisimportanttonotethatwhilethesandalimageinanyformisarelativelyuncommonrock
artmotif,ithasbeendocumentedfromChacowestwardtotherightbankoftheColoradoRiverin
GlenCanyonaswellasintheLittleColoradoRiverdrainages(Figure4). The“jog”itselfisavariable
featureintheareaofthelittletoeandmayvaryfromasimpleflourishorslightflareattheouteredge
ofthefootinlieuofanormalslopingcontour,toanactualsharpupwardprojection. Bothjog-toedand
non-jog-toedsandalimagesfrequentlyoccurtogether,confirmingtheircontemporaneity. Attimesthe
presenceofajogisevenuncertain,callingintoquestionwhetherornotthejog-toedversionhasany
specialsignificance.
Figure4.MapofFourCornersregionoftheColoradoPlateauwheresandalrockartandeffigiesoccur
(Adaptedfrom[10](Figure1.4)).
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Although commonly obscure, sandal representations are well documented in Chaco Canyon
in New Mexico where intensive rock art surveys have been conducted over a period of decades.
Mostjog-toedexampleshavebeenreportedfromthecentralpartofthecanyon,theareawithheaviest
occupancy[11]. Todate,thetightline-upoffivecarefullygroundandabradedjog-toedsandalsat
theSombreadasite(29SJ400)isthemost“formal”representationoftheseimagesinChacorockart
(Figure5). CharacteristicallyatChaco,sandalimagesarenotprominentinthepanelswheretheyoccur.
Theyareoftenisolated,sporadicdepictions,casuallyincisedorevenscratchedwithlittleinvestmentin
timeorskill(Figure6). Insomecases,stickfigures,fluteplayers,spirals,animalsmaybepicturedon
thesamerockface,butthereisnoconvincingrelationshipbetweenthesandaliconsandotherfigures.
Onepairofwell-rendered,linkedsandalimageslackingthejogispeckedalongwithspiralsinacrack
alignedtothesettingequinoxsun(Figure7). Thesignificance,ifany,oftheseassociationsisunknown.
Severalofthejog-toedsandalpetroglyphsitesatChacoCanyonarelocatedcloseto“McElmo”
style great houses (i.e., Casa Chiquita, Kin Kletso) defined by their blocky masonry construction.
Talus unit cliff-side sites with which jog-toed sandal tracks are associated have similar masonry,
includingtheaforementionedSombreada. Greathouseswiththistypeofstoneworkdatebetween
ca. 1110and1140CE[12](p. 267),andwhileitmaybeassumedthatthetalusunitsiteshavesimilar
dates[13](p. 42),littleinformationisavailableonthesearchitecturalcomplexesatChaco.
Above the San Juan west of Chaco, casually rendered non-jog-toed sandal petroglyphs were
recorded in a detailed survey of Pictured Cliffs above the San Juan River beyond Farmington,
NewMexico, onepairofwhichisembellishedwithinteriordesigns[14](Figure39). AsatChaco,
theseelementscommandnoparticularvisualimportancewithinthecontextofotherpetroglyphs.
Sandalimages,usuallylackingthejog,areonlyoccasionallyseeninKayentarockart[15],inCanyon
deChelly,andthecentralMesaVerderegion,includingHovenweep[16](Figure52);[17]. Nojog-toed
sandalimageshavebeenrecordedfromMesaVerdeitself[18].
InthewesternMesaVerderegionandintheGlenCanyonvicinity,however,thereareseveral
notablesandalsites(Figures8–12;andsee[19](Figure7.122),and[20](Figure48). InButlerWash,at
leastthirteencarefullyincised,square-heeledsandalsilhouettes,bothplainandwithdetailedinterior
designs,compriseasinglepanelbelowaPuebloIIIcliffstructure(Figure8). Therearetwolinked
pairsinwhichonesandalisplain,theotherdecorated. Bothsandalsinoneofthesepairsarejog-toed.
In other examples, the jog is absent. All are right-footed except for the two left-footed sandals of
thepairedsets. Apairofhandstencilsispresent,alongwithbirdtracksandhumanfigure,noneof
whichappeartobeinmeaningfulassociationwiththesandals. Thedefensivelysituatedroomsabove
thepetroglyphsbearpaintingsoflargeconcentriccircleshieldstypicalofthelatethirteenthcentury
sitesinthatregion[21](pp. 8–27). Abakedclayimpressionofajog-toed“print”wasalsofoundin
ButlerWashbearingapatterneddesignwithascrollatthetoebelowwhichfollowsaseriesoffinely
executedinterlockingfretpatterns[5](Figure17). Inthiscase,thepatterningresemblesthatofthe
incisedpetroglyphs. Itmaybefromthesamesite.
Arts2016,5,7 5of22
(cid:87)
Figure5.Jog-toedsandalset,Sombreadatalussite,ChacoCanyon.(Drawingbyauthor,adaptedfrom
fielddrawingbyJaneKolberandJennyHuang).
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(cid:87)
(cid:71)(cid:16)(cid:72)(cid:87)
(cid:87)
(cid:71)(cid:17)(cid:72)(cid:87)
Figure6.Cont.
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(cid:87)
(cid:71)(cid:18)(cid:72)(cid:87)
(cid:87)
(cid:71)(cid:19)(cid:72)(cid:87)
Figure6. Incisedsinglejog-toedsandalsfromvariouslocations, ChacoCanyon: (a)locationnear
groundlevelonboulder,nearCasaChiquita; blacklinepointsatimage; (b)detail: CasaChiquita
sandal;(c)isolatedincisedsandal;(d)incisedsandal:linesenhancedonphotoforvisibility.
Arts2016,5,7 8of22
(cid:87)
Figure7.Pairofpeckedsandalsincracklinedupwithequinoxsunset,viewtowest,ChacoCanyon.
Figure8.Incisedsandalpetroglyphs,westernMesaVerderegion.
(cid:87)
Figure9.Twojog-toedsandals,spiralsandothermotifs,lowerSanJuanRiver.
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(cid:87)
Figure 10. Possible patterned jog-toed sandal, Oljeto Wash. Utah. (Photograph courtesy of
ChuckLaRue).
(cid:87)
Figure11.Absenthunterpanelwithjog-toedsandals,bowandsheep,OljetoWash,Utah.(Photograph
courtesyofChuckLaRue).
Figure12.PetroglyphsalongtheColoradoRiver,BuriedOllaSite,SmithForkBar,Utah.(schematic
partialreconstructionafterKolbphotograph[22](p. 158)andScottFilephoto[23](Figure96),and
photographcourtesyofDonFowlerfromtheGlenCanyonProject,UniversityofUtah).
Sandal iconography continues westward down the San Juan. In some sites in the vicinity of
GlenCanyon,thesandalimagesaresuggestiveofnarrativescenesinwhichtheyplayasymbolicrole.
Amongtheseisanintegratedgroupinakindof“symbolicshorthand”featuringapairofjog-toed
sandalsthatinthiscasedoappeartorepresentthetracksofaninvisiblehunter(Figure11). Slightly
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aboveandtotherightofthetracksisabowandarrowaimedatasmallbighornsheep. Belowthepair
isathirdright-footedjog-toedtrack. Thistrack,however,isnotinlinewiththerightfootofthepair,
sothataprogressionofmovementisnotimplicit,oratleasttheperceptionofsuchisthwarted;andin
addition,thetracksareseparatedbyasmall,solidcircle. Asmallpeckedhandprintandgeometric
designscomprisetheremainderofthegroup. Ambiguitiesnotwithstanding,theoverallscenesuggests
thatahuntisinprogress. Furtherwest,fromasoutherntributaryoftheSanJuaninGlenCanyon,
inanotherintegratedcomplex,carefullydelineatedmotifsincludetwosetsofplainanddecorative
non-jog-toedsandaltracksfacingasmallsolidcircle,againwithpotentialnarrativeimplications[20]
(Figure48). Partialviewsofathirdandfourthsandalleadintothescene,andinthiscaseaprogression
ofmovementdoesappeartobeindicated.
AlsoinGlenCanyonontherightbankoftheColoradoRiver,animpressivedisplayof14vertically
oriented sandal images was recorded at Smith Fork Bar (Figure 12). The site is now under Lake
Powell. ThesandalsrepresentaPuebloII-IIIcomponentofthismulti-componentsitethatincludes
lateBasketmakerfigures. Thesandalimageswerewellexecutedasindependenticons,nonebeing
represented in pairs or in progressive sequence. Both right and left feet are depicted, and the toe
contour of one is fringed. Among elements appearing contemporary with the sandals are human
footprints,meanderinglines,asmallstickfigure,birdtracks,andalineofbighornsheepthatruns
throughthejog-toedimages. Atright-handsideofthepanel,ahunterpointsabowwithanarrow
surmountedbyasheeptowardasinglesheep,andpossiblythegroupofsheepnearthejog-toedicons
were also intended to be included in his hunt, a spatial gap notwithstanding. Equally significant,
perhaps,arethelightning-likezigzagspeckedalongwithseventracksattheupperleft. Oneofthese
designsresemblesalightninglattice,awoodenartifactfoundinacacheofwoodenartifactsinChetro
Ketl at Chaco [24] (Figure A.38). In one case an elaborate zigzag pattern seems to emerge from a
sandalimage.
Finally,jog-toedsandalpetroglyphsarecurrentlyknownfromthreewidelyseparatedsitesinthe
LittleColoradoRiverdrainage(Figures13and14;seealso[25](Figure98d). Whereasineverycasethe
imageisdepictedasanindependentelement,theoccurrenceofoneoftheseonapanelinwhichan
extensiveanimaldriveandabowhunterisportrayedaddstothehuntingassociationsdescribedat
leasttwoofthelowerSanJuansites.