Native American petroglyphs
Native American petroglyphs are designs carved into rock surfaces through techniques like pecking or incising, distinct from pictographs, which are painted images. Found across the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii, these petroglyphs are particularly concentrated in regions such as California, the Southwest, the Great Basin, and the Columbia Plateau. They encompass a variety of themes, including representations of animals, human figures, plants, and geometric shapes, showcasing a range of artistic styles from realistic to abstract.
Historically, there has been speculation regarding the origins of these petroglyphs, with various theories attributing them to different cultures; however, evidence firmly supports that they were created by Native Americans. Contemporary Indigenous traditions provide insights into their purposes, which include serving as clan symbols, fertility markers, and ritualistic elements tied to significant cultural practices. Some petroglyphs even functioned as astronomical calendars. Despite misconceptions that these artworks are mere doodles, they reflect deep cultural significance and are expressions of the values and beliefs of their creators. The importance of preserving this rich heritage has led to initiatives like the establishment of Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque, dedicated to honoring these cultural treasures.
Subject Terms
Native American petroglyphs
Tribes affected: Pantribal
Significance: Indian designs carved on rock represent a rich legacy of Native American culture, expressing myth, history, and ethnic identity
Petroglyphs are designs that have been pecked, abraded, or incised into a rock’s surface, frequently by direct percussion with a hammer stone or indirect percussion with a chisel. These are different from pictographs, which are images painted on rock surfaces. There are petroglyphs that have also been painted, but this is rare.
Petroglyphs are found throughout the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii. Some of the densest concentrations in the entire world occur in California, the Southwest, the Great Basin, and the Columbia Plateau. The content of petroglyphs includes images of animals, humans, plants, cultural items, and geometric designs. They are portrayed in an array of styles, from realistic to curvilinear or rectilinear abstract.
Ever since English settlers of the Massachusetts Colony first noticed petroglyphs at Dighton Rock in the 1600’s, a persistent question has been, “Who made them?” A number of fanciful explanations have been put forward through the years; they have been attributed to Egyptians, Phoenicians, Iberians, and many other Old World groups, and even to extraterrestrials. None of this is supported by the evidence, which has firmly established that Native Americans were the makers.
This is known partly because living Indian traditions regarding petroglyphs still exist today. Petroglyphs do not involve a hieroglyphic system or even a pictorial version of a sign language system. No one can walk up to a cliff face and “read” petroglyphs like a book. Contemporary traditions, then, give valuable insight into another common question, “Why were they made?”
The evidence shows they were made for a wide variety of cultural purposes. The Hopi identify images at the Willow Springs site near Tuba City, Arizona, as clan symbols made by members on journeys from their mesa villages to sacred salt deposits. In Northern California, so-called “baby rocks” of the Pomo and “rain rocks” of the Hupa, Karok, and Tolowa reflect a concern with human fertility and world renewal. Rites of passage for Interior Salish youth included portraying dream quest visions on the rocks, while nearby, petroglyphs were seen carved at Fort Rupert on the Northwest Coast in the context of a Hamatsa ritual.
Even where passing time and memory have erased cultural links, purpose is sometimes evident. For example, spiral petroglyphs on Fajada Butte carved by the Anasazi of Chaco Canyon have been shown to be astronomical calendars, recording the movement of the sun and moon. Evidence belies a common claim that this art is idle “doodling” or prehistoric graffiti. Exceptions occur, but the vast majority of it reflects a purposeful, patterned expression of the makers’ values, priorities, and worldview.
The most difficult question to answer is, “When were the petroglyphs made?” Relative and absolute dating methods have shown some to be recent, while others date back to the time of the first people in the Americas. The richness of such a legacy for all people should lead to its preservation and protection. A growing awareness of this fact was symbolized by the inauguration of Petroglyph National Monument near Albuquerque in 1990, the first national monument in America to be dedicated to a purely cultural resource.