The Keepers of the Canyons
Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 11:19PM Tweet By Bennett Owen
They are America’s ancient art form…
Newspaper Rock, Credit: Amy the Nurse
…the pictographs (painted onto the rock) and petroglyphs (pecked or carved into the rock) that adorn the sheer rock faces of the desert southwest…
More than seven thousand of these masterpieces have been catalogued in Utah alone
Petroglyphs, Capital Reef National Park, Credit: John Sternenberg
Inexplicable, quixotic and enduring...gestures from the past that call upon us to stop, to linger, to ponder their mysterious beauty...
Petroglyphs in Valley of Fire State Park: Credit: Alaskan Dude
Steeped in the aromas of the desert, the hum of stillness and the immeasurable nuances of red. The singularity of the petrogylphs cannot be separated from the vast environment in which they reside....
Credit: akseabird
They are every bit as mysterious as they are beautiful archaeologists and historians differ on their meanings and origins…
Credit: AlphaTangoBravo / Adam Baker
Some are maps and warnings, others chronicle actual event.
The Hunt, Credit: C. G. P. Grey
It seems early humans also sought immortality through art….
Their age is uncertain since carbon dating techniques are inaccurate on rocks...
Estimates range from hundreds of years to five millennia...
Credit: Beth M527
Otherwise, the who, why, how and what continue to confound the intellect and arouse the imagination.
Largo Canyon Petroglyph, New Mexico, Credit: Kurt Wagner
One thing the experts do agree on is the vital need to preserve these treasures from the relentless ravishing of nature.
The Great Gallery, Horseshoe Canyon, Utah, Credit: Matt Knoth
From the careless and malicious destruction wrought by treasure seekers and mindless saboteurs.
Newspaper Rock, Utah, Credit: Sam_Wise
The Canyonlands Natural History Association is at the forefront of that task…a private foundation working in concert with the national parks, lending expertise and funding to a broad variety of preservation efforts.
Detail Newspaper Rock, Credit: sfgamchick
The CNHA is mourning the loss of Bud Turner, an ingenious and intrepid chronicler of ancient art in the southwest. As chief investigator for CNHA’s Discovery Pool project, he spearheaded a ‘spectral imaging’ campaign that has revealed fascinating glimpses into the native masterpieces…documenting and aiding in their preservation and restoration.
An Indian elder once said, “In order to understand rock art, turn your back to the images and take in the surroundings. Only then will you begin to understand the message.“
Dead Tree, Credit: Matt Bargar