Membership Year 2018

Volume 44, Number 4

December 2018

La Pintura
The Official Newsletter of the American Rock Art Research Association
Member of the International Federation of Rock Art Organizations
https://arara.wildapricot.org

The Long, Strange Journey of the 2019 Conference—

Flagstaff at Northern Arizona University, June 14–17
By Troy Scotter

I T was our plan to hold the 2019 conference in Tucson.

However, at this year's membership meeting, the Board
was asked to explore alternatives to holding our conference
We explored various conference locations in Flagstaff
and determined that Northern Arizona University (NAU)
was the only viable facility. The local committee will consist
in Tucson due to concerns about temperature on the of Kelley Hays-Gilpin, Bob Mark, and Evelyn Billo. We
proposed dates. After researching potential locations and thank them and appreciate their willingness to help on
dates, the Board decided the most viable alternative was short notice. Evelyn Billo and Donna Gillette will co-chair
Flagstaff, Arizona. the overall conference.
On September 14 we sent out a membership poll request- This year is going to be a bit different from most previous
ing feedback on holding the conference in Flagstaff versus conferences since the conference facilities are not within
our planned location of Tucson. We had 161 responses with a hotel. However, there are wonderful accommodation
128 voting for Flagstaff. As a result, the Board has changed and food opportunities next door to the conference facil-
our 2019 plans. ity. The Board believes that these are going to be the best

...continued on next page

 2 La Pintura December 2018

President's Message

G REETINGS, ARARA members!

The 2018 year is winding down, and I’m certain
most of you are anticipating what ARARA will be doing
expensive but included the necessities of a conference area
such as accessibility, layout, meeting rooms, etc. To provide
local assistance in Flagstaff, three people have volunteered
in 2019. to be Local Chairs: Kelley Ann Hays-Gilpin, Bob Mark, and
After much consideration, examination of your mem- Evelyn Billo.
bership surveys and the 2019 Conference Poll, and lots of Donna Gillette, Conference Chair, and Evelyn Billo will
discussions in numerous conference calls, I am pleased to be the Conference Co-Coordinators this year, and we would
announce that our 46th Annual ARARA Conference, 2019, like to recognize and thank them for all of the hard work that
will be held in Flagstaff, Arizona. The Conference will be they have already been doing in putting together this confer-
June 14–17 on the Northern Arizona University campus. ence. Donna has consistently provided excellent conference
Your Board has been using “Wild Apricot” to help make coordination efforts for ARARA for many, many years.
our decisions. No, Wild Apricot is not the monthly flavor at I would like to remind you of what a great conference we
our local Brew Pub. It is a software application that allows had this year in Grand Junction, Colorado, and, again, it was
us to develop detailed information from our membership the result of Donna Gillette and Monica Wadsworth-Seibel.
surveys, and the 2019 Conference Poll. Your Board and I They were supported by volunteers from the Grand Junc-
would like to express our appreciation to Troy Scotter. Troy tion Chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society.
is not only a Board member, but our Webmaster and also the Specific details on the upcoming Conference will be
mastermind behind our successful use of the Wild Apricot forthcoming from Donna Gillette.
software. His countless hours of working on it are paying off. I would like to thank the ARARA membership and ev-
The comments obtained from the majority of the eryone who continues to volunteer to make this organiza-
membership surveys directed us toward Flagstaff. Once the tion so successful. The ARARA organization operates and
location was selected, we began to work on being responsive depends on our volunteers. The Board of Directors and I
to the comments made in the surveys. After looking at sev- would like to express our appreciation to all of you.
eral locations in Flagstaff, we excluded those that were too ~Ann Brierty, President

2019 Flagstaff Conference Call for Papers Coming Soon!

B EGIN now to prepare your paper's title and abstract. Then, in December, periodically check our ARARA
website for the electronic submission form and guidelines on presentation types and length. Papers relating to
the local conference area and to cooperative efforts with Native American Tribes and/or First Nations are especially
encouraged!

Flagstaff Conference... continued from page 1

accommodations for the majority of our membership. In describing their facilities, NAU touts the following:
The rooms are also a requirement for our use of the NAU Hotel Type Feel, Suite Style Rooms, Four bi-level lounges
conference facilities. As a result, we will contract for 120 with two study rooms in each lounge, Study rooms include
members to stay on campus. If there is additional interest, one white board, one 6-ft table with chairs, Laundry ac-
we can contract more rooms. cepts credit or debit, Housekeeping for public area, Theatre
Below is information about these accommodations from room available (by reservation only, seats 30, HDMI, VGA,
NAU material. Do not contact NAU to make reservations! Blue Ray compatible), Fireplace and game room, Business
We will do that through our own conference registration Center with computers, Wi-Fi available, ATM available,
process. and Fitness Room available.
 La Pintura December 2018 3
Lodging
The following describes lodging options.
Shared Room for Two People with One Bathroom: 2
twin-sized beds, 2 dressers (under the bed), 2 nightstands,
ceiling fans (no air conditioning), 2 desks and chairs, 2 clos-
›
ets, shelving, mini refrigerator, microwave, Kitchen (stove,
fridge), Ethernet outlet under the desks. $60.89 including
tax per person per night includes one breakfast, lunch, and
dinner per person per room night plus a single $8 charge
(not per day) for linen per person. Box lunches available
for field trip days are included in price. Parking $5/car/
weekday.
Two Private Bedrooms with Shared Bathroom: private
bedrooms, shared bathroom (one bathroom per suite), 1 Shared room for two people with one bathroom.
twin-sized bed per bedroom, 1 dresser per bedroom (un-
der the bed), 1 nightstand per bedroom, ceiling fans (no
air conditioning), 1 desk and chair per bedroom, 1 closet
per bedroom, shelving, 1 mini refrigerator per bedroom, 1
microwave per bedroom, Ethernet outlet under the bed.
$73.07 including tax per person per night for single rooms
including one breakfast, lunch, and dinner per person per
›
room night plus a single $8 charge (not per day) for linen
per person. Box lunches available for field trip days are
included in price. Parking $5/car/weekday.
There is also a private room package for $85.25 per night,
which includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner per room night,
plus a single $8 charge (not per day) for linen. Box lunches
available for field trip days, are included in price. Parking
$5/car/weekday. This package is for one person staying
alone in a shared room configuration.
The conference facility is next door to “The Suites” resi-
dential facility we will use. The conference facility (DuBois
Center) also hosts the DuB Dining District included in the Two private bedrooms with shared bathroom.
meal plan. The meal plan allows “all you can eat” at any or
all of several themed “stations” within the DuB. There will
be a broad range of food options that can deal with food There are many locations around Flagstaff that may pro-
allergies and special dietary needs. We have even heard that vide field trip opportunities. For example, Petrified Forest,
a Starbucks is available Monday through Friday for those of to the east, is just barely within our 2-hour driving range, as
you who find morning a challenge! is Agua Fria to the south. There may be some extra-special
opportunities on the Hopi and Navajo reservations. Other
Location sites outside this travel range may involve small fees.
Flagstaff is located in northern Arizona and has a popu- We will provide more information about Flagstaff, NAU,
lation of about 150,000 people. At an elevation of 7,000 accommodations, meals, and specific information about
feet, Flagstaff enjoys moderate summertime temperatures. the conference and field trips, so stay tuned for future La
The average June high temperature is 77 degrees, with an Pintura articles!
average low of 36 degrees. However, we should note that The Board is excited about the opportunity to have our
field trips are not all going to be at the 7,000-foot elevation 2019 conference at NAU in Flagstaff. We hope to see you
of Flagstaff. all there!
 4 La Pintura December 2018

Call for Nominations for ARARA Board!

by Chris Gralapp, ARARA Nominating Committee Chair

T HE ARARA Nominating Committee is on a mission to

identify great candidates for your Board of Directors.
This upcoming year, we will be seeking members in good
The details:
• Any ARARA member in good standing may serve as
a Director of ARARA.
standing to fill the four open Board Director seats. We do • The four Directors serve for a period of two years—
this in odd years, and in even years we develop slates for the term to begin July 1, 2019.
Officers’ positions. The Board term is two years, with the • Duties:
possibility of a second two-year term. ◦◦ Participate in the Board meetings in person, via
The Board of Directors conducts the business of the phone, and online.
association by taking up topics that arise during the year ◦◦ Consider and vote on an interesting mix of issues
which require oversight and decisions. This business is ac- and questions.
complished twice per year at in-person Board meetings: once ◦◦ Oversee the activities of the ARARA committees.
at the interim meeting, usually in February (travel expense ◦◦ Take on the occasional special project.
covered for this meeting) and again at the Annual Confer- • Benefits: Grow your ARARA IQ, make connections,
ence. In addition, monthly conference calls may be convened and serve our wonderful association!
to continue the conversations, and to assure that ARARA If you would like to serve on the ARARA Board, or if
business is addressed in a timely way. Email discussion topics you know of someone who has the makings of a good Board
also happen throughout the year, so the Directors are always member, please send her/his name along to me at cgralapp@
in the loop and attending to the smooth running of the as- gmail.com. The Nominating Committee will contact all
sociation. potential candidates and take it from there. Many thanks for
participating in the selection of your Board.

Hats Off for Carolynne!

E ARLIER this year, Carolynne Merrell was awarded a 2017 National Volunteer Award by the Bureau of Land
Management for rock art recording. She is one of six people nationally to win this award, and the first for the state
of Idaho. She was feted in this Spring at a BLM Heritage Hero event hosted by the Idaho Professional Archaeological
Council at the Twin Falls District BLM Office, in appreciation for all that she has done over the years for Idaho.

Photo courtesy of the Idaho Professional Archaeological Council.

 La Pintura December 2018 5
Awards Nominations Update
By Marglyph Berrier

W HILE the 2019 ARARA Symposium is still a ways

off, the Awards committee has been busy soliciting
and suggestion folks for awards. So far we have nominations
for three different awards—Wellman, Conservation, and
Bock—although, of course, no decisions have been made
yet. We are hoping that we get more! So please do consider
taking a few minutes to submit a nomination! Remember
the deadline for submittals is January 31, 2019.
We are big fans of education, and we are also encourag-
ing some folks to submit for the Education award. While in
Bluff last fall, Awards committee members Cherry Baker
and Elaine Holmes also checked out the Bear’s Ears Educa-
tion Center. They are also members of the Conservation
Committee and will be sharing what they learned with that
group, as well. And you may remember, the Friends of Ce-
dar Mesa were the winners of last year’s Education award.
Here’s an update by Janet Lever-Wood on that subject.
~~
Last June the Friends of Cedar Mesa (FCM) received
the ARARA Education award to aid in the creation and
implementation of their Visitor and Education Center
in Bluff, Utah. The Bears Ears Education Center (BEEC)
had its grand opening on the Autumnal Equinox weekend,
September 21–22, 2018. I think it is important for ARARA
to know where its money is going and how successful this
particular center has become. As part of the Center’s open-
ing, there was a special event for donors, staff, and the board
Ribbon-cutting ceremony at the BEEC, September 2018.
of the organization; it is remarkable how many people are
involved with the physical remodel and set up of what was
once a bar that is now the Education and Visitor Center data collection and hone on-site documentation skills. The
filled with informational displays and knowledgeable vol- outreach of BEEC will continue to gain momentum this
unteers providing information and guidelines for visiting Spring with the next “Celebrate Cedar Mesa” festival. There
the monument. are planned seminars, 2–3 day archaeology and rock art
Fundraising is a big piece of the efforts of FCM. With that tours, and ongoing consultation with the Tribes, especially
in mind, they were thrilled when the monetary award given the Pueblos of Acoma, Zuni, and Santa Clara.
by ARARA was matched by two other ARARA members. On a personal note, I have been one of the volunteers
Outdoor recreation businesses and several foundations also with the rock art documentation sessions. This is where it all
stepped up with contributions, as did numerous private comes together as far as being an advocate for research and
individuals. At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the yucca education. ARARA could look to the vision of Friends of
cordage used was cut with an obsidian blade; and the doors Cedar Mesa as a template. Generosity begets generosity in
opened for a full day of festivities that included clay and the form of connection with place, understanding cultural
flintknapping workshops, presentations about paleontol- resources, being part of a community, and learning about
ogy, tours of the new center, atlatl throwing, music, and one's own capacity for showing up and getting the work
photo exhibits. Lined up for the Fall season are over 10 field done. I strongly encourage the membership of ARARA to
work sessions that involve survey and recording rock art, realize the importance of the awards given each year. There
stabilizing structures, and fence building at trail heads. Run are other deserving individuals and groups that should be
by professional archaeologists, these projects are supported considered, celebrated, rewarded.
by volunteers. It is an amazing opportunity to learn about ~Janet Lever-Wood
 6 La Pintura December 2018

Petroglyph Casts: Rediscovering Kansas Rock Art

By Lori Holstrom
Editor’s Note: Lori recently completed her B.A. degree at Washburn University.
Her senior-year internship was at the intersection of museum studies, rock art, and archaeology.

D URING the spring of 2018, I had the fortunate

opportunity to curate an exhibition at the Mulvane
Art Museum at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas.
The research and installation were the outcome of a
semester-long internship in the Museum's permanent
collections that I completed as part of my undergraduate
degree in Anthropology. The exhibit, Preserving Petroglyphs:
Rock Art Casts from Ellsworth County, Kansas, on display
this past summer at the museum on campus, sought to
educate visitors about the existence of prehistoric rock art
within the state, and more generally about the importance
of preserving such rare archaeological sites, since they are
under ever-increasing threat from erosion and vandalism.
Tucked away on the storage shelves of the museum, I
found a series of seven casts made of plaster and sandstone,
each marked on the back with the same five-digit code. The
code, it turns out, corresponds to the trinomial for the first
site officially recorded in Ellsworth County, Kansas, a site
known as Indian Hill; and the casts are of original Native
American petroglyphs (Figures 1 through 7). Located about
150 miles west of Topeka, the site is within the Smoky Hills,
with its characteristic bluffs and outcrops of Cretaceous-
aged Dakota Formation sandstone.
The site and panels were first photographed by Alexan-
der Gardner, as part of a series of stereographs that he made Figure 1. Cast is 40.5 x 32.5 cm.
in the late 1860s of the proposed route of the Union Pacific
Railroad, under commission to them (Gardner 1867). His
work remains one of the earliest photographic records for
the state. The following year, Edward Miller made detailed
drawings and wrote a description of them and the site (Con-
ner et al. 1980:7). These sources indicate that the petro-
glyphs are on an 8-foot-high cliff in an area crisscrossed with
game trails.
The casts were created in the late 1960s by George Jelinek,
who covered them in the site’s sandstone dust such that
they are a fair match to the color and texture of the natural
outcrops where they occur. Jelinek was a Kansas State Rep-
resentative throughout the 1960s, as well as a board member
of the Kansas State Historical Society in 1968, around the
same time when he made the casts. The casts were donated
to the Mulvane Art Museum in 2007 and 2008 by Thomas
Witty (2006). Witty is an archaeologist associated with
the Kansas State Historical Society and was a colleague of
Jelinek’s. Several other plaster casts of Jelinek's are among the Figure 2. Cast is 25.0 x 17.5 cm.
collections of the Kansas State Historical Society.
 La Pintura December 2018 7
The Indian Hill site was listed on the National Register
of Historic Places in 1974. It is one of 30 sites—29 with
petroglyphs and one with pictographs—included in the
Kansas Rock Art Thematic National Register listing pre-
pared by Stein (1982), the result of a “state-wide survey
to locate American Indian rock art sites” (ibid., Section
7). That multi-property listing indicates that the majority
of known rock art sites in Kansas are located in just four
counties in the central part of the state. Nearly two-dozen
of them are within fairly remote parts of the Smoky Hills.
Stein (1982:Section 7:7) reports that the “sites have
examples of anthropomorphic figures and human-like
forms, animals and animal-like forms, geometric designs,
straight lines, and grooves.” Thus, Jelinek’s casts of the four
anthropomorphs, two birds, and one bison/bull likely are
a fair representation of the designs found throughout the
Smoky Hills.
The federal listing further reports that “[p]revious analy-
sis of a fraction of this rock art indicates it is the product
of Indian tribes inhabiting Kansas during the protohistoric
and historic periods of circa A.D. 1541 to A.D. 1870” (kshs.
org/natreg/natreg_listing). This date range is inferred from
the degree of weathering, and layering of the carvings,
with particular age-estimate significance given to sites that
depict horses, chronologically connecting them to tribes Figure 4. Cast is 33.5 x 20.0 cm.
after contact with the Spanish, ca. A.D. 1541 (Conner et al.
1980:8; Smith 1949:293). Tribes associated with the Smoky
Hills include the Wichita, Pawnee, Kansa, and Arapaho
(Conner et al. 1980:15; Smith 1949:293).
Only broad generalizations can be made about the
meaning and function of the rock art in Kansas. At sites
elsewhere, scholars have suggested that shamans are respon-
sible for the fabrication of petroglyphs in association with
their role as healer and connector to the sacred. I do not
know if the representations of the Indian Hill petroglyphs
were the product of dreams by shamans, the depiction of
maps with pertinent information for travelers, or even the
record of mythical or ceremonial events.
Stein (1982:Section 7:7) lists the site as being in poor
condition, but “although damaged, [it has] surviving glyphs.”
Unfortunately, the natural erosion of the Dakota sandstone

Figure 5. Cast is 50.5 x 30.5 cm

Figure 3. Cast is 63.5 x 27.0 cm. All photographs are courtesy of the Mulvane Art Museum.

...continued on next page

 8 La Pintura December 2018

Kansas Rock Art.. continued from page 7 successfully convey responsible stewardship of rock art and
its preservation gains public support, research can begin to
at the Indian Hill site, combined with continued acts of refocus attention on the people who created this art.
vandalism, greatly hinders the progress of scholarship.
Dakota sandstone is relatively soft, designs are fairly easily Acknowledgments
carved into it, but they are also quite susceptible to natural I wish to thank Shannon Sweeny at the Mulvane Art
erosion from Kansas’s harsh seasonal weather. Although Museum for assistance throughout my internship project,
natural decay is inevitable, the most significant threat posed including the project proposal and display labels. I also thank
to these sites is vandalism. People carve their names into Rebecca Manning for her comments and edits, and Dr. Laura
outcrops, use harsh paints to highlight the petroglyphs, or Murphy for advising my internship and assisting with edits.
even shoot bullets at the cliff face, dispensing irreparable
damage. Even during my brief internship, there was an inci- References Cited
dent of vandalism at Kanopolis Lake (where many sites are Conner, Carl E., Diana L. Langdon, Richard W. Ott, and Amy L.
located) near the Indian Hill site (Manna 2018). Unknown Reeder
persons carved their names into an exposure, and even 1980 The Indian Hill Petroglyph Site, 14EW1, Kanopolis Lake:
inside a petroglyph of a bull, defacing the image forever. Development of Alternative Mitigation Plans. Grand
The exhibit of the Indian Hill casts offered the public an River Institute. 101 pages.
uncommon opportunity to see some of the few petroglyphs Gardner, Alexander
in Kansas, without divulging the site’s location and, by ex- 1867 Across the Continent on the Union Pacific Railway, Eastern
tension, putting the panels and the site’s integrity at further Division. On file at the Library of Congress, Prints and
risk of compromise. In order to understand the sites and Photographs Division, Washington D. C.
the prehistoric people who created these petroglyphs, it is Manna, Nichole
critical for scholars to find solutions to protect and preserve 2018 Someone Defaced an Ancient Native American
these relatively unknown petroglyphs in Kansas. Through Carving at Kanopolis Lake. The Wichita Eagle March 9.
the use of petroglyph casts, I was able to draw public at- [kansas.com/news/local/article204269454.html]
tention to otherwise fragile cultural features from a remote Smith, Carlyle S.
location. Furthermore, my display at the Mulvane Art 1949 Archaeological Investigations in Ellsworth and Rice
Museum brought attention to the issues of preservation Counties, Kansas. American Antiquity 14(04):292–300.
and vandalism directly to the public. Through education, Stein, Martin
I had the opportunity to convey the importance of the site 1982 Kansas Rock Art Thematic Multi-property Listing,
with the petroglyph casts. I had many people gain a curios- National Register of Historic Places Inventory. Kansas
ity about rock art in the state; this interest will hopefully State Historical Society.
translate into public investment in the preservation of pre- Witty, Jr. Thomas A.
historic Native American culture in Kansas. When scholars 2006 Back to Kansas, in Plains Archaeology's Past: A
Collection of Personal Narratives. Special Plains
Anthropologist 51(200):809–819.

Figure 6. Cast is 16 x 15 cm. Figure 7. Cast is 30 x 23 cm.

 La Pintura December 2018 9
Rock Art Bookshelf are the outcome of that behavior, not the end results of
mark-making that we see on boulders and canyon walls.
Early Rock Art of the American West: Defining Western Archaic Tradition (WAT) “paleo-
The Geometric Enigma marks comprehensively—for the first time in one volume—
with regard to terminology, chronology, and dating and
By Ekkehart Malotki and Ellen Dissanayake, 2018, University the range of abstract-geometrics” (p. 9) is another stated
of Washington Press, Seattle (312 pp., 200 color photos and purpose of the book. This is largely Malotki’s contribution,
illustrations), Hardback $90, Paperback $34.95, eBook $27.38. with his descriptions and discussions of WAT supported by
about 200 of his high-quality, color photographs that amply
Reviewed by Amy Gilreath represent the designs, conditions, and settings of WAT rock
art. It occurs primarily throughout the American West, and
is the earliest tradition found here, though some of its motifs
remain in use even to this day. Its hallmark characteristic is
that it is nearly exclusively abstract and geometric (terms
used interchangeable with noniconic, nonrepresentational,
and nonfigurative). The basal style is Carved Abstract with
designs that are deeply carved, heavily revarnished, and
severely weathered. Grapevine is presented as a more local
and more recent style within the tradition.
Both authors are equally intrigued by the “geometric
enigma” referred to in the book’s title, exploring: why did
humans begin to make marks on rock surfaces in the first
place; why are the earliest markings everywhere in the
world geometric; and how do we account for the fact that
the first human occupants in the American West made ab-
stract rock art, given that their arrival post-dates elaborate
figurative rock art well-represented elsewhere in the world
(p. 11). This book presents their answers to these questions
and the research that led them to their answers. They both
bring their best: developed consideration of artify as a con-
cept and WAT rock art as subjects is a good pairing; one en-

I N this intelligent and articulate treatise, the co-authors

develop the concept of “artify,” and define Western
Archaic Tradition rock art. Artify is Dissanayake’s concept,
hances the other. Malotki and Dissanayake’s end-product is
rich food for thought in a coffee table-quality rock art book.
In developing the concept of artification, Malotki com-
which rests on the uniquely human capacity to make the pliments Dissanayake as a polymath, who draws on “knowl-
ordinary extra-ordinary, or special, by mark-making. edge derived from the fields of ethology, evolution, cultural,
This idea asks that we “consider rock markings not as anthropology, neuroscience, developmental psychology,
things—objects, images, or works that can be called art— theory and practice of the various arts, and now, for this
but as the outcome of an activity” (p. 27). She calls for book, paleoarchaeology and cognitive archaeology” (p. x).
an epistomological shift in rock art studies, requesting The result is a nuanced consideration of rock art in the con-
that we: consider evolutionary and adaptive factors that text of Anthropology, and numerous and wide-ranging up-
underlie the uniquely human behavior of marking things to-date theories. Several months ago, a university professor
to make them extraordinary; dispense with trying to get at asked me what one book would I recommend that she read
interpreting prehistoric rock art’s meaning; stop presuming to learn about rock art in the American West. I finally have
that all rock art is symbolic; and move past examining it in an answer: this one!
Western Civilization-encumbered art appreciation terms. The book consists of seven chapters plus an introduction
She provides compelling evidence and reasons convincingly and a conclusion (four co-authored, three by Dissanayake,
why making this shift is a worthwhile enterprise. Thus, one and two by Malotki), as well as a glossary, a bibliography,
objective of this work is to describe and better understand and two indices (one for places and sites; the other for
the human behavior of mark-making, not the artifacts that subjects and names). Enumerated “Notes” for each chapter

...continued on next page

 10 La Pintura December 2018

Rock Art Bookshelf... continued from page 9 “It is too easy, in thinking about ‘behaviorally and cogni-
tively modern’ humans, to assume that, apart from living
link the reader to the authors’ robust references cited, and outdoors, they were just like us” (p. 116). She presents three
informative aside comments. Text is balanced with numer- criteria for discerning symbol use in mark-making: the
ous, beautiful photographs, mostly by Malotki, such that activity or result (a) shows intentionality or deliberateness,
layout is about half pictures and half writing. Site names are (b) has geometric regularity, and (c) has no obvious func-
intentionally vague; in the text and photo captions, loca- tionality (pp. 104-109). She also gives topical consideration
tions are generalized to the valley, mountain range, and/or to cupules, and where they fit into mark-marking activities
state where they occur. The precaution is from preservation and symbolic behavior.
concerns. Chapters 2 and 5, by Malotki, address WAT rock art,
The theoretical meat is mostly in Chapters 1 and 4 by defining the tradition, and reviewing the archaeological
Dissanayake, who especially uses principles of ethology and evidence for its antiquity. Both chapters are thorough, well-
evolutionary theory to describe the biological foundations written, scholarly work-ups of current findings and theories.
of artification, and to explain how artification evolved Chapter 2 covers the peopling of the Americas (pre-Clovis
and why it is adaptively advantageous. In Chapter 1 “The [Western Stemmed Tradition], Kelp Highway, etc.), dating
Concept of Artification” is developed and in Chapter 4 she techniques and results, and portable (i.e., mobiliary) artified
explores “Ancestral Minds and the Spectrum of Symbol.” (designed) artifacts (not just rupestrian rock art). Chapter
The term “art” is “a landmine of irrelevant and confusing 5 describes sites and a few different styles that fit within the
assumptions,” and she considers why, for example, rock art WAT, and sections of particular note cover the type-site
is routinely cast as symbolic behavior. Certainly some of it for Carved Abstract style (the “Mazama” site) character-
is, but just as certain, some is not. Discerning which marks ized as the earliest recognized style in the American West,
made by pre-modern humans were and which weren’t and review the handful of well-dated Late Pleistocene/
symbolic will remain an open question. She reviews some Early Holocene Great Basin sites, inclusive of Benson et
of the earliest examples of what prehistorians and cogni- al.’s (2013) study of rock art carved into tufa deposits at
tive archaeologists have called “art”: a scored elephant bone Winnemucca Lake between either 14,800 to 13,200 B.P. or
found with Homo erectus bones that are 400,000 to 300,000 11,300 to 10,500 B.P. (p. 138).
years old (p. 30); “art-like” zigzags incised on a bone in a Early-dated, stratigraphically intact archaeology sites
47,000-year-old Mousterian site (p. 32), etc. Such findings are notoriously hard to find in the American West, but
are cited by some as evidence of Neanderthal and earlier the few reported are adeptly reviewed by Malotki; and
hominins’ symbolic ability. It is her contention that “[t]here the even more-scarce, yet well-dated rock art sites—the
is no need to automatically attribute…paleomarkings to an best candidates for being contemporaneous with these oc-
intellectual capacity for symbolism or abstraction. These cupation sites—receive good review. “Numerous other sites
markings are more parsimoniously explainable as natural throughout the American West exhibit Carved Abstract
products of the innate universal human predisposition for petroglyphs, often surrounded by or overlain by more
artification, without invoking symbolism at all” (p. 32). recent art. A selection of geographic areas featuring major
Artification, though, is universal with modern humans, and concentrations of the substyle must suffice to demonstrate
rock art, a product of performing mark-making, and some their ubiquity throughout our main study areas”(p. 141).
decorative arts (e.g., body adornment with beads, scarifi- Then, as if from the window of a jet-airplane flying five
cation, paint, etc.) leave lasting, archaeological, residues. miles high over the western U.S., Malotki points out where
Other expressions of artification, such as dance, music, early-looking WAT panels have been found, places now
mime, and poetry/story telling (the “arts of time”) leave no inclusive of cupule-adorned boulders and bedrock. For
residue, but “vanish when the activity stops.” In Chapter 4 California his many numerous examples include “the Palo
she goes deeper into theories about when humans became Verde Mountains region south of Blythe; the Chidago and
anatomically, cognitively, and behaviorally modern, the Riverview sites in the area north of Bishop, and the Swansea
interplay of processes behind these developments, and the Quarry location southeast of the town of Lone Pine; within
evidence in support of the different theories. Tenets of the Mojave National Preserve; north of Barstow at Black
“Creative Explosion” versus “Gradualism” are reviewed: did Canyon and Inscription Canyon, and south of Barstow
modern traits develop in short order as a bundle, or piece- in the Rodman Mountains; at several sites northwest of
meal. She also takes us to task for under-appreciating the Needles; in the Hawley Lake area near Blairsden; at Wil-
effects that reading and writing have on the human mind: low Creek near Susanville; the Gottville Boulder along the
 La Pintura December 2018 11
Klamath River, at Tule Lake in Modoc County; and at the Petroglyphs, Pictographs, and Projections: Native
exceptional Petroglyph Point location in Lava Beds National American Rock Art in the Contemporary Cultural
Monument. A deeply incised grid pattern in Little Petro- Landscape
glyph Canyon…near Ridgecrest fully matches the Carved
Abstract stylistic profile” (p. 41). He continues to list half By Richard A Rogers, 2018, University of Utah Press (398
a dozen places in Arizona, a few in Colorado and Idaho, pp. including References Cited and Index), Paperback $34.95,
others in New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, southwestern eBook $28.
Texas, Utah, etc. The lack of site-specific information, and
the inability to reconstruct his database takes me outside Reviewed by Charlotte Vendome-Gardner
my comfort zone, and I wonder if he is taking in too much.
My fretting aside, the two dozen or so photographs that ac-
company the “Mazama Site” and “Other Carved Abstract
Style Sites in the American West” in Chapter 5 look to hold
together as stylistically similar.
From Dissanayake’s writing, we conclude that humans
the world over have an innate ability and inherent procliv-
ity for making abstract-geometric markings, and doing
so precedes making representational or figurative ones. It
follows, then that “[h]emisphere-wide, abstract-geometric
markings were clearly the overriding and preferred motifs
of the paleoartists’ repertoire…[and] the foundational
iconography for all of North America.” WAT rock art
“constitutes the major component of this continent-wide
graphic tradition” (p. 132). Teasing out styles within the
Tradition will remain difficult, in large part because of its
(inexplicably) “long-lasting stylistic stasis” (p. 151). And
aside from Carved Abstract, Grapevine is the only other
style heretofore described that fits within the Tradition.
A few time-transgressive trends are recognized that might
prove useful in teasing out additional styles: to wit, mark-
ings or engravings become shallower and motif complexity
increases (p. 151). Most certainly the earliest occupants in
North America had the skill set for making figurative rock
art (yes, Sand Hill, Utah, is discussed) just not a tradition.
W ITHIN this publication, Rogers approaches the
subject of rock art studies from a non-traditional
perspective, that of contemporary and critical cultural
While representational motifs don’t often occur at WAT studies. Rogers presents a critical examination of the way
sites, when they do, they typically are animal and bird tracks, rock art is appropriated, commodified, interpreted, and
human handprints and footprints, atlatls, and vulvaforms, portrayed in a contemporary landscape, far removed
motifs that Malotki regards as “protoiconic.” from its original context. Rock art is subjective and fluid;
Any serious scholar of rock art—whether their interest its very being means that it is a visual device which can
is global in scale or limited to western North America— be appropriated to fit contemporary ideologies, a concept
needs to give this a read. that is explored and critiqued through Neocolonial ideas
of primitivism and gender. This book considers the way
References Cited we perceive both rock art and Native American people as
Benson, Larry V., Eugene M. Hattori, John Southon, and a result of contemporary sociocultural constructs. Most
Benjamin Aleck prominent for the reviewer is the way in which gender
2013 Oldest Petroglyphs, Winnemucca Lake Subbasin, stereotypes and biases are so clearly evident in our study of
Nevada. Journal of Archaeological Science 40:4466-4477. rock art. It is a publication that should be read by scholars of
rock art, or those who merely hold an interest, and should
be considered a significant contribution to the study of rock
art moving forward.

...continued on next page

 12 La Pintura December 2018

Rock Art Bookshelf... continued from page 11 of primitivism and the Other is stated to be central to our
understanding of rock art in the contemporary cultural
Rogers is a scholar of communication studies and states landscape, and this is explored by Rogers. Types of appro-
this within the first chapter, Connections, Chasms, and priation in support of his overall argument are considered.
Contexts, which introduces the subject of rock art within To conclude the chapter, scholarly works are critiqued, with
the contemporary cultural landscape and the proposed a focus on Polly Schaafsma and her stance on the role of
research questions that Rogers seeks to address. Within appropriation and rock art. What is significant within this
this introductory chapter, however, the need for Rogers’s chapter is the way cultural constructions, through various
research is clear—rock art has been appropriated as a com- media platforms rooted in ideals created by notions of
modity that we all are now exposed to through a variety of primitivism, have fashioned us to view Native American
ways. It has become highly accessible, and as a subjective culture, including rock art. It makes the reader significantly
form, it has readily been accepted within the public con- begin to question the ways in which he/she has been cultural
scious. This is, thus, a long overdue study. From his position constructed to view people defined as primitive Others and
within the discipline of communication studies, Rogers how western society has consumed these ideas.
sets out the theoretical underpinnings for the discipline, Chapter Four, Hunting Magic, Shamanism, and the
and outlines its approaches to communication and their Contemporary Crisis in Masculinity, examines how sex
relevance to the study of rock art. This is a refreshing way and gender have been perceived in rock art studies. Rogers
in which to interpret rock art and allows for a discussion of introduces the subject with a review of its history, then con-
the way that rock art was used as a tool for communicating. siders how the prevailing perception has constructed some
Further, Rogers fundamentally acknowledges the absence of the ways in which academic disciplines reflect a gendered
of and need for Native American people to be a part of the ideology. Fundamentally, his view is that the Native Ameri-
study of a cultural element that is theirs. can figure of the Shaman mirrors the Anglo-American mas-
Following the introduction, Chapter Two, Rock Art and culinity crisis and offers a resolve. Perceptions of men and
Rock Art Studies, provides an overview of rock art. This women have been culturally defined and, in this instance,
includes a discussion of it termed as art, rock art studies, applied to the idea of the primitive Other. These theories
a history of these studies in the United States, dating, and are thus reflected in rock art theories, and a gender bias and
interpretations of rock art. The chapter is incredibly well re- discourse have been created. This further affects the way in
searched and provides a foundation from which the stance which approaches are applied and perceived. The strongest
of Rogers’s own research can be gained. The chapter focuses supporting evidence for Rogers’s argument in this chapter
on the interpretation of rock art, in part due to the commu- is his critique of David Whitley’s research and the gender
nicative nature of the research. The discussion surrounding issues present in it. Whitley’s research and ideas about
the use of ethnographic records in the study of rock art is shamanic practices reflect gender stereotypes for the roles
articulated in a positive manner, perhaps due to the later of men and women, further enforcing the role of the male
discussion on Shamanic and Hunting Magic approaches, as provider and the woman as a passive. Ideas of Hunting
which are reliant on these sources. Landscape-based stud- Magic and Shamanism are well-known, and often widely
ies, however, are mentioned only in relation to the apparent accepted, but seldom are they considered from a gender-
lack of a Phenomenological approach to rock art and not as based approach; however, Rogers demonstrates throughout
a valid approach in itself. If the reviewer has any critique, it the chapter that this approach warrants further use, or at
is that this approach warranted further discussion. least should be used in a more open-minded manner.
The third chapter, Representations and Appropriations After laying the foundation for his research and provid-
of Native American Cultures, provides a very current and, ing a discourse on gender studies within the academic field,
at times, shocking consideration of the ways in which Na- Rogers examines the character Kokopelli in Chapter Five,
tive American people have been subjected to a neocolonial Phalluses and Fantasies: Kokopelli, Caricature, and Com-
discourse, with a focus on primitivism and the construction modification. Rogers presents a history of the humped-back
of authenticity. The American Southwest embodies this flute player and the katsina Kookopöllö, originally separate
authentic ideal; however, questions arise over the implica- characters, and how they have been mistakenly associated,
tions of reproduction, appropriation, and commodifica- conflated, and commodified as Kokopelli. He is clear that
tion of rock art within this. Rogers follows this statement his intent is not to correct the mistaken association; rather,
with a discussion on some of the literature available on it is to expose contemporary matters surrounding the use
Native American rock art and lays the foundation for the of the image. There is a discussion about the origins of the
overall argument he presents in this publication. The role Kokopelli image, a character commodified as male, although
 La Pintura December 2018 13
it has no identifiable feature that defines its sex (his appar- interesting notion as preservation efforts are designed to
ent missing phallus). Rogers also discusses the consumption try to preserve a site for future generations, often for future
of this image, and the way in which it is used to keep the studies that may seek an understanding. An examination of
idea of Native American culture alive. It highlights the way the preservation of rock art sites and how the terms graffiti
in which Anglo-American culture colonizes and consumes and vandalism are defined may offer alternative interpreta-
the Other. tions for a site. Viewing products associated with negative
The character Kokopelli has been appropriated and connotations on rock art sites may be controversial to
commodified on an industrial scale. By analysing this with a many, but does offer an insight into the way in which we in-
Neocolonial approach, focusing on gender and primitivism, terpret and understand rock art sites within contemporary
Rogers demonstrates how this image has been subjected to culture. Further, Rogers considers that our understanding
Anglo-American cultural projections and justifications. His of cultures affects the way that we preserve rock art. Rock
demonstration further supports the need for rock art to be art is essentially viewed as a vessel that contains cultural
viewed in a contemporary context as well as in its original knowledge; however, marks deemed as graffiti can inform
context in order to understand the sociocultural dynamics us of a cross-cultural dialogue surrounding the nature
that stem from its subjective manner. of rock art, and place the subject within a contemporary
In support of the argument that Rogers presents through- sociocultural dynamic. As with the subject of the previ-
out this publication, the role of interpretative materials as- ous chapter, interpretive materials, Rogers’s exploration
sociated with rock art sites is analysed in Chapter Six, “Your of management devices associated with rock art sites is a
Guess is as Good as Any”: Indeterminacy, Dialogue, and central position for their role in the contemporary cultural
Dissemination in Interpretations of Rock Art. A research landscape. These devices fundamentally influence the way
avenue not often considered, this approach influences in which rock art is interpreted and as a result of Rogers’s
the way rock art is interpreted and conveyed to the wider discussion, warrant more focus.
public. Many interpretive materials focus on the unknow- The final chapter, Searching for Flute Players, Finding
able qualities of rock art. This is often due to the age of the Kokopelli: Reflections on Authenticity, Appropriation,
rock art and loss of indigenous knowledge surrounding the and Absent Authorities, offers concluding reflections on
subject matter. There are ethical issues, though, that arise. the publication and the matters discussed. Pivotally, it con-
While the intentions behind such an interpretation may cludes with remarks on Native American people, reminding
be well founded and supported, Rogers highlights that this those who are invested in the study of rock art that this is
interpretation causes the images to become inaccessible. part of their cultural heritage and should be respected and
This, in turn, causes the Native American voice to become acknowledged as such. For the reviewer, it was a poignant
irrelevant, and encourages visitors to offer their own in- concluding statement.
terpretations though many have no relatedness or cultural Rogers has presented a publication that is incredibly cur-
ancestry to the rock art. This puts rock art at the center of rent and at times a stark study of rock art. Anglo-American
Rogers’s argument on its role in the contemporary cultural and Western culture as a whole have adopted aspects of Na-
landscape and opens up the discussion about how interpre- tive American culture over the past decades, in reflection of
tative materials should be used in support at rock art sites. their own sociocultural needs and dynamics. Rock art has
The discussion surrounding aspects of rock art site been no exception and, particularly in the Southwest, rock
management is continued in Chapter Seven, Overcoming art has become part of the Anglo-American landscape. This
the Preservation Paradigm: Toward a Dialogic Approach has subjected rock art to appropriation and commodifica-
to Rock Art and Culture. In an interesting stance, Rogers tion, perhaps Kokopelli more than any other image. By using
examines the idea of the preservation paradigm from the a Neocolonial approach, with a focus on primitivism and
view of salvage paradigms. This idea reflects those discussed gender studies, Rogers has discussed and critiqued rock art's
earlier during the period of salvage ethnography that sought placement within the contemporary cultural landscape. A
to document supposedly vanishing people, mirrored here focus has been given to areas that this reviewer, at least,
by the construct that Native American people today are believes should become more prominent in rock art studies.
not pure because they have been tainted by modern society. In summary, Rogers has presented a thoroughly researched
The values and ideologies that support the preservation and supported discussion of rock art’s increasing role in the
of sites and denote some marks as vandalism ultimately contemporary cultural landscape. It is a publication that
define the way sites are interpreted. Rogers argues that should become a staple source in any rock art scholar’s or
preservation efforts at rock art sites actually constrain both enthusiast’s research arsenal.
indigenous and non-indigenous understanding. This is an
 14 La Pintura December 2018

San Diego Rock Art Symposium 2018

By Richard Braun

O N November 3, 2018, the San Diego Rock Art

Association hosted the 43rd Annual San Diego Rock
Art Symposium. As with previous years, the symposium
entitled “Results of the Archeoastronomic Observations
at the Rockshelter Hombre en el Cuadro.” Mullens and her
colleagues conducted a four-year study of this rock art site in
was held at the Educational Culture Complex (San Diego northern Baja California, observing the interplay of light and
Community College District) in south San Diego, a venue shadows on the rock art motifs during solstice and equinox
that garnered positive feedback from the participants. This sunrises and sunsets. She presented time-lapse photography
year's Rock Art Symposium was attended by approximately of these events, as evidence that ancient Native Americans
135 people and included 15 different presentations over the had knowledge of these important annual events.
course of a full day. A summary of the presentations is as Eve Ewing (San Diego) presented “Great Mural Art as
follows. Processional Art: Part II,” in which she explored proces-
Steven M. Freers (San Diego Rock Art Association) sional compositions in rock art panels of Baja California.
gave a presentation entitled “Ladies and Cowboys: Historic She postulated that the processional compositions are
Rock Art Depictions in the Southern California Desert” derived first from profane activities undertaken in the real
where he explored several southern California pictograph world, and appeared to incorporate them into a symbolic
and petroglyph sites that included anthropomorphs in and mythic spiritual world. This paper built upon her previ-
historical apparel. Included in his presentation was the ous talk at last year's Symposium.
“cowboy” figure that was the logo for the Symposium. He Jon Harman (DStretch.com) gave a presentation entitled
mentioned that many Native American men found work as “DStretch Documentation of a Spectacular Polychrome
ranch hands, becoming accomplished cowboys. His paper Rockshelter.” In his paper, Harman explored the rockshelter
explored these possible connections and evolution of Native El Chavalito in Baja California, which contains hundreds
American life represented by the rock art motifs. of Great Mural style paintings. The variable background
Ken Hedges (San Diego Rock Art Association) presented colors of the shelter walls in conjunction with dark and
a paper called “Ojá Cuñúrr: The Painted Rock of Guada- light mineral stains and faded paint make documenting
lupe” in which he discussed the notes from anthropologist the paintings very difficult. Harman showed how DStretch
J. P. Harrington's 1925–1926 fieldwork in northern Baja techniques can greatly improve the ability to see these faded
California. Especially intriguing were his notes on a rock pictographs.
painting site in Guadalupe that Harrington called La Piedra Elanie Moore (Idyllwild, California) gave a presentation
Pintada. Hedges presented entries from Harrington's field entitled “Artists Meet Across the Ages,” where she presented
notes describing this site. This boulder played a significant a glimpse of her work as a twentieth and twenty-first-
role in the history of the town. Unfortunately, the site has century artist recording the amazing images in the canyons
been lost due to flood-control measures undertaken after of Sierra de San Francisco, Baja California Sur. Moore has
the impact of Hurricane Kathleen in 1976. had the opportunity to capture many of these images using
Richard L. Carrico (Department of American Indian photography, field sketches, ink drawings, paintings, and
Studies, San Diego State University) presented “J. P. Har- respective research. She provided examples of sketches
rington's Rock Art Notes for San Diego County.” In his talk and notes that included pregnant anthropomorphs and
he mentioned that between 1923 and 1926 Harrington showcased light play across borrego (bighorn sheep) and
traveled throughout San Diego County accompanied by deer figures.
Native American consultants to locate and identify place- Richard Coleman (westernrockart.org) presented “Cali-
names, record Native plant uses, and other data. During his fornia Ground Figures—Then and Now.” To the delight of
expeditions he also recorded information on several rock the audience, Coleman's presentation began with a clever
art sites that he encountered. Carrico mentioned that the homage to the Star Wars movies, complete with the mov-
data weren't always easy to decipher, but, by painstakingly ies’ main theme song and the crawling text fading into the
teasing out the information, he was able to find notes that background. Coleman explained that, in the 1980s, Harry
corresponded to rock art sites across the county. Crosby flew a small airplane over numerous geoglyphs and
Eduvijes Davis Mullens (Meridian Archaeological ground figures, taking pictures through a hole in the floor.
Services, Imperial Beach, California) presented a paper By using modern technology, Coleman was able to capture
 La Pintura December 2018 15
the same images using drones and presented side-by-side Prayer: Metaphoric Fertility.” In this paper, Jones explored
comparisons to Crosby's pictures detailing how the geo- Colorado Plateau rock art of the thirteenth and fourteenth
glyphs and figures have changed over the years. centuries, interpreting the imagery in comparison with
John Michael Rafter (Pico Rivera, California) gave a ethnographic Puebloan altar presentations. Flower-world
presentation entitled “Coyote Hole Canyon Surprises, Part imagery, including clouds, rain, serpents, corn, among oth-
3.” This is the third part of Rafter's investigations at Coyote ers, is found both on the altars and in rock art of the region,
Hole Canyon focusing on solar alignments and archaeoas- suggesting that the rock art is a physical perpetual prayer.
tronomy. Building on his prior presentations, Rafter pre- Mavis and John Greer (Greer Services Archeological
sented what he considers more evidence of solar alignments Consulting, Casper, Wyoming) submitted a paper en-
discovered by him between 2015 and 2017 and earlier this titled “Bison Dream Transformation in the Pictographs of
year. Rafter detailed how, when standing at a major rock art Dry Wolf Caves, Montana.” Unfortunate circumstances
panel, rock art was found in boulder piles in the directions of prevented the Greers from attending, so the paper was
the solstice and equinox sunsets, relative to the major panel. presented by Ken Hedges. The paper explored two large
He also showcased a cup-shaped shadow that sequentially abstract maze/mask representations found in Dry Wolf
interacts with two rock art panels at sunrise. Caves that have bison headgear characteristics similar to
Mary Jespersen (California Archaeological Site Stew- images found at other sites in Montana and Wyoming.
ardship Program [CASSP]) presented a paper written in The ways that Native Americans used bison headdresses in
conjunction with Martín Jespersen (CASSP) and George this area lends support to the hypothesis that the abstract
Kline (BLM, Palm Springs) entitled “A Pristine Site in the designs portrays a bison-to-human transformation.
Colorado Desert.” This paper explored a newly discovered Steven J. Waller (Rock Art Acoustics) presented a paper
petroglyph site in the McCoy Mountains (CA-RIV-11746) entitled “Acoustical Characteristics of Valcamonica Rock
found in pristine condition. Jespersen presented examples Art Sites.” Waller explained that Valcamonica in Italy is a
of the rock art found at this site, including portable milling UNESCO World Heritage Site containing one of the great-
stones, a rock ring, and portable rock art with curvilinear est collections of petroglyphs in the world. He explored
and rectilinear designs. Jespersen also compared the artifacts several sites and presented his findings on the acoustical
found at this site with those found at nearby sites. Due to the properties inherent at each. Waller also compared these
recent discovery and pristine condition of this site, Jespersen to other rock art sites with acoustical properties including
recommended further investigation and protection. Portugal's Côa Valley, Wyoming's Dinwoody site, and sev-
Richard Jenkinson (Kanab, Utah) gave a presentation eral California and Utah sites.
entitled, “DStretch and 'Grand Canyon Polychrome'.” In A lot of factors went into making the San Diego Rock Art
his paper, Jenkinson explored this style, now referred to Symposium 2018 the successful event that it was, including
as Esplanade style, using DStretch. The artists used many the event organizers, the superb venue, and the quality of
different colored pigments, and Jenkinson showed how the papers and presenters. The 44th Annual symposium
various DStretch settings help to enhance the pictographs will take place in November 2019. Those interested in this
in this study area. upcoming event should check their website, sdraa.org, dur-
David Sucec (Barrier Canyon Style [BCS] Project) ing summer for information as planning proceeds regarding
presented “Intimate Relations: Associations of Animal, San Diego Rock Art Symposium 2019.
Bird, Snake, and Plant Images with Spirit Figures in Barrier
Canyon Style Rock Art.” Sucec explored several Barrier
Canyon style rock art sites, focusing on instances where Membership Renewal
birds, snakes, or quadrupeds are seen near spirit figures.
These animal images can be seen hovering over heads, off
the shoulders, flanking the figures, and even moving around
them. Sucec explained that this is very different from how
A RARA memberships expire on December 31;
therefore, it is almost time to renew your membership
for 2019. Keep your eyes out for a notice via email and
animal/anthropomorph figures are presented at other regular mail. Annual fees are a mere $50 per family and
Utah rock art sites, but remarkably similar to those found $45 per individual. Reflecting ARARA’s dedication to
in Huichol and Inuit cultures. promoting student involvement, the fee for a student is $35.
Bernard M. Jones, Jr. (Tustin, California) presented a All membership categories and their corresponding fees
paper written in conjunction with Christopher E. Drover are charted on page 18, along with additional information
(University of California, Irvine) entitled “Perpetual concerning ARARA Membership.
 16 La Pintura December 2018

A Plethora of Rock Art at IFRAO 2018

By Ken Hedges

T HE 20th International Rock Art Congress of IFRAO

brought rock art researchers from around the world
to the scenic lake country of the southern Italian Alps
Petroglyph Sites” (James Keyser), “Exploring Variability
Within the Interior Line Style” (Alice Tratebas), “Hidden
Desert Treasures: A Collaborative Effort to Aid the Petrified
and the small town of Darfo Boario Terme, home to the Forest National Park to Understand and Preserve Its Rock
important rock art sites of Luine and Foppe di Nadro, and Art” (John Pitts), “Western Message Petroglyphs” (Leigh
just 25 kilometers down the road from the world-famous Marymor), and “The Aurignacian Influence on American
Naquane National Park. This year’s Congress was held Rock Art” (Mark Willis). Additional papers in the session
from August 29 to September 2 with the theme “Standing were “Rock Art Landscapes of the Canadian Maritime” by
on the Shoulders of Giants.” The International Federation Bryn Tapper and “The Mu:kwitsi/Hopi (Fremont) Aban-
of Rock Art Organizations was founded at the first rock donment and Numic Immigrants into Nine Mile Canyon”
art congress in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, in by Carol Patterson.
1988. Since that time the IFRAO Congress has been held at ARARA members also participated in other sessions:
locations in eleven countries, including meetings sponsored “Do You See What I See?” by Bill and Peggy Whitehead
by ARARA in Flagstaff (1994), Ripon, Wisconsin (1999), in the “Modern (Re)uses of Rock Art” session, “A Body-
and Albuquerque (2013). centered Approach to Hands, Weapons, and Tools Imagery
Attending an IFRAO Congress is a formidable undertak- at Stencil Sites” by Patricia Dobrez in the “Representations
ing. This year’s meeting included 542 papers by 1061 named of Weaponry and Tools” session, “Kokopelli: Phallic Rock
authors and co-authors, organized into 36 sessions by 113 Star of the Southwest” by Kelley Hays-Gilpin in the “Sex,
session organizers. ARARA members were well represented Drugs, and Rock & Roll” session, “Understanding Rock Art
in the session “Recent Rock Art Research in North America,” Through Landscape Based Approaches: Fluteplayer Imag-
chaired by IFRAO stalwarts Mavis Greer and Jim Keyser ery in Chaco Canyon” by Charlotte Vendome-Gardner in
along with Jack Brink. Papers by ARARA members in this the “Anthropomorphic Images in Rock Art” session, “Relat-
session included “DStretch Documentation of a Spectacular ing to Rock Art (and to John Clegg)” by Jane Kolber in the
Polychrome Rockshelter” (Jon Harman), “Shumla’s Alexan- “The Legacy of John Clegg” workshop, “Reclaiming Con-
dria Project: Baseline Documentation in the Lower Pecos” nections: Ethnography, Archaeology, and Images on Stone
(Karen Steelman), “Documenting and Interpreting Rock in the Southwest” by Kelley Hays-Gilpin and Dennis Gilpin
Art in the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument” in the “History of Rock Art Research” session, “Rock Art,
(Radoslaw Palonka), “Circles in Northern Plains Rock Art” China, and Ethnography” by Su Sheng in the “Rock Art and
(Mavis and John Greer), “Vertical Series—New Discover- Ethnography” session, and “Native Descendants and U.S.
ies and Distribution” (David Kaiser and James Keyser), Government Heritage of Chaco Culture National Historic
“Hole in the Wall, Wyoming” (Larry Loendorf), “To Depict Park” by Marilyn (Honyesnem) Fredericks and Jane Kolber
or Not to Depict: Paleoamericans and Their Encounter in the “Rock Art and World Heritage” session. Steve Waller
with an Animal Landscape” (Ekkehart Malotki), “The co-chaired the “Archaeoacoustics for Rock Art Studies”
Eagle Creek Canyon Horses: A Typology of Calling Card session with Iegor Reznikoff, including his paper “Rock Art

Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, from “Desert Treasures” El Chavalito, Baja California, from “DStretch Documentation of a
(photo © 2017 by John L. Pitts). Spectacular Polychrome Rockshelter” (photo by Jon Harman).
 La Pintura December 2018 17
Portraying the Sounds of the Site,” Reznikoff ’s presentation New Research in the Alps; Colonization Rock Art; Rock
on “Questions of Methodology in the Archaeoacoustics Art and Ethnography; Distribution of Upper Palaeolithic
of Resonant Spaces,” several papers focused on recent ar- Rock Art; History of Rock Art Research; Recent Research
chaeoacoustic work in Spain and Italy, two papers on North in North America; Pigments; Rock Art as Reflections of
America, and one from Brazil. Cultural Heritage; 3D Methodologies for the Study of Rock
Diane Hamann and I, Jeff La Fave, and Rich Braun Art; Anthropomorphic Images in Rock Art; Advances in
seemed to be the only other ARARA members in attendance Research in the Kimberley; Shared Traditions in Palaeolithic
who were not giving papers, but we may have missed others. Mediterranean Rock Art; Recent Research in the Middle
We spent our time moving from session to session to listen East and Caucasus; Rock Art in the Landscape of Motion;
to papers of particular interest. With my interest in the in- and Rock Art and World Heritage.
triguing similarities in incised rock art from sites around the Attendees also experienced the plenary lecture on “Cave
world, I found a wealth of information on the astonishing Art in Europe” by Jean Clottes; an excursion to the petro-
number of sites throughout Italy that were totally unknown glyph park of Naquane; night-time guided visits to Luine
to me, and a number of papers on high-altitude pastoral rock and Foppe di Nadro; a concert by the city marching band
art in several regions provided interesting analogs to Basque with a delightful performance by a local acrobatic troupe
aspen carvings in our own country. Diane took the opportu- (sort of a home-grown Cirque de Soleil!); a film “The Ori-
nity to learn more about Scandinavian rock art, research on gins: Fragments of the Hunt” by Mikko Ijas; a slide show and
Australian rock art in the Kimberley, and the history of rock photographic exhibition of “Rock Art on a Global Scale” by
art research, among many other topics. It must have been a Martin Gray; a small display of historic casts of petroglyphs
logistical nightmare to plan for the presentation of so many from Mount Bego, France; several poster displays; and the
papers—sessions in the main meeting center and in a nearby gala dinner.
school, the Convento, made it difficult to switch between The volume of abstracts is a formidable research docu-
sessions when it involved a 300-yard walk, sometimes in the ment in its own right, including the abstracts themselves,
rain. contact information for the authors, and a generous assort-
It is impossible to summarize 542 papers in a short ar- ment of full-color illustrations in a 637-page book that was
ticle, but the list of session topics includes Modern Reuses provided to registrants on a flash drive. IFRAO 2018 Book
of Rock Art; Statue-Stele in Europe and Asia; Old World of Abstracts is available from European sources at a price of
Pastoral Graffiti; Rupestrian Archaeology; Historical Rup- about €30, but I have placed the digital version online for
estrian Expressions; Scandinavian Rock Art; Public Policies; those who wish to download a copy. Be forewarned: the file
Rock Art Science; Representations of Weaponry and Tools; is full resolution at 850 megabytes. This link will be available
Chronology of Valcamonica Rock Art; Eastern Sahara Rock through the summer of 2019:
Art; Challenges for Rock Art Research in the Digital Age; • https://www.dropbox.com/s/4jypfo4v52o6zr4/
Inscriptions in Rock Art; Managing Sustainable Rock Art IFRAO-2018-Abstracts.pdf ?dl=0
Sites; Post-Palaeolithic Rock Art Around the World; Rock For those who wish a small file (24 mb) with much lower
Art in the Italian Peninsula; Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll; photo quality, a reduced-size version has also been posted by
Representations and Symbolism of Death; The Legacy of Proxecto Equus in Portugal:
John Clegg; Rock Art and Use of Space in Desert Land- • https://proxectoequus.files.wordpress.
scapes; Archaeoacoustics; the Mythic-Symbolic Process; com/2018/09/00_book-of-abstract.pdf

Northwestern Wyoming, from “Circles in Northern Plains Rock Art” Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, from “Native Descendants and U.S.
(photo by John Greer). Government Heritage of Chaco Culture National Historic Park”
(photo by Jane Kolber).
 18 La Pintura December 2018

La Pintura Information/Submissions
La Pintura is the quarterly newsletter published by the American News Items: Please provide pertinent information such as the
Rock Art Research Association. Subscription to this publication event, time, place, cost (if any), group or person in charge, who to
is a benefit of membership in ARARA. Members may choose to contact, address, and deadline.
have the newsletter delivered to an email address, or via regular
mail to a physical address or P.O. box. Back issues of La Pintura are Articles: Manuscripts of original research are welcome. They
available electronically on the ARARA website, arara.wildapricot. should embrace sound principles of investigation and present
org. The current issue of the newsletter is posted to the website data in a clear and concise manner. Consult the ARARA Style
approximately four weeks after distribution to members. Guide at arara.org/documents/arara_style_guide.pdf for proper
ARARA members love to read about your new rock art formats for body copy, citations, and References Cited. Articles
discovery, recording project, or new idea for interpretation. For are subject to editing for length. Include author(s) name, title or
that to happen, La Pintura needs you to submit articles on current profession, affiliation, city, state, and return e-mail address. Since
research or fieldwork. Doing so will make La Pintura a better rock art is a visual medium, particular effort is spent to present
journal. solid quality photographs, figures, and illustrations in each issue.
Your help is needed to achieve this goal. Line drawings should
Editorial deadlines insure timely publication of each issue. be submitted as 1200 dpi bitmap .tif files. Photographs (whether
Deadlines for submissions are: black-and-white or in color) should be submitted as 300 dpi or
• February 15 (March) higher-quality .jpg files. The cumulative size of all files attached
• May 15 (Conference Issue, June 14-17) to a single email may not exceed 25 MB; if they do, the email will
• August 15 (September) not be delivered. Please email [email protected] to receive
• November 15 (December) alternative email delivery instructions for file transfer protocol
instructions (ftp is easy).
La Pintura is edited by Amy Gilreath. The editor extends an
open invitation to members to submit articles, news, letters to Current Events: Current events and news of items of interest to our
the editor, book reviews, and other items of interest to ARARA members that need public notice prior to the next issue of La Pintura
members. should be submitted to Tania Ryan via email to araraonline@
All submitted material should be sent to Amy Gilreath, googlegroups.com or [email protected] for inclusion in
[email protected]. If necessary, postal mail for the La ARARA’s monthly electronic newsletter, ARARA Online.
Pintura Editor may be sent to Amy Gilreath, 456 Russell St.,
Winters, CA 95694. Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the author(s)
and do not necessarily represent the views of the American Rock
Letters to the Editor: No special format necessary. Art Research Association.

ARARA Membership
For all Membership matters contact: Membership annual fees are:
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*Requires photocopy of current student ID.
Common matters include new membership and renewals; **Foreign members, please add $10 (all countries).
corrections or changes in membership information; change delivery Membership runs from January 1 through December 31 of each
mode for La Pintura from regular mail to email (or vice versa); and year. The Association is concerned primarily with American rock
replacement of undelivered issues of La Pintura. art, but membership is international in scope. Benefits include La
Pintura, one copy of American Indian Rock Art for the membership
Membership in the American Rock Art Research Association year, reduced conference fees, and current news in the field of
is open to all with an active interest in research, non-destructive rock art. More importantly, membership means a shared concern
use, and preservation of rock art, regardless of their nationality or for the ongoing conservation and preservation of one of the most
country of residence. significant elements of our heritage.
 La Pintura December 2018 19

American Rock Art Research Association

Mission Statement: ARARA is a diverse community of members The ARARA Code of Ethics, points 1 through 5, was adopted at
with wide-ranging interests who are dedicated to rock art the annual business meeting on May 24, 1984. The Code of Ethics
preservation, research, and education in order to communicate to was amended with the addition of the opening paragraph at the
a broad audience the significance of rock art as a non-renewable annual business meeting, May 28, 1988.
resource of enduring cultural value and an important expression
of our shared cultural heritage. Officers & Board: Email: [email protected]
President: Ann Brierty, [email protected]
About ARARA: ARARA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization Vice-President: Linda Olson, [email protected]
dedicated to encourage and to advance research in the field of Secretary: Steve Waller, [email protected]
rock art. Association members work for the protection and Treasurer: Jack Wedgwood, [email protected]
preservation of rock art sites through cooperative action with Board Members:
private landowners and appropriate state and federal agencies. -Kevin Conti, [email protected]
The Association strives to promote non-destructive utilization -Belinda Mollard, [email protected]
of rock art for scientific, educational, and artistic purposes. This -Troy Scotter, [email protected]
is accomplished through a wide-ranging program to inform and -Karen Steelman, [email protected]
educate the members as well as the general pubic regarding the
rock art heritage of the United States as well as world-wide. Additional Contacts and Information
These goals are communicated through the quarterly newsletter, Annual Meeting, 2019, Flagstaff, Arizona
La Pintura. Annual four-day conferences give both members and -Conference Chairs, Evelyn Billo, [email protected], and
others interested in rock art the opportunity to share professional Donna Gillette, [email protected]
papers, presentations, and informal discussions. -Local Committee, Bob Mark, [email protected],
Kelley Hays-Gilpin, [email protected], and
Code of Ethics: ARARA subscribes to the following Code of Evelyn Billo, [email protected]
Ethics and enjoins its members, as a condition of membership, to
abide by the standards of conduct stated herein. ARARA Online e-Newsletter
1. All local, state, and national antiquities laws will be strictly ARARA has a monthly newsletter that is distributed via e-mail.
adhered to by the membership of ARARA. Rock art research It is managed by Tania Ryan, [email protected].
shall be subject to appropriate regulations and property Its purpose is to provide information about any late-breaking
access requirements. conference updates, news affecting our rock art communities, and
2. All rock art recording shall be non-destructive with regard to issues of interest that may need quick attention. It is open to the
the rock art itself and the associated archaeological remains general public. To be added to the distribution list, send a request
which may be present. No artifacts shall be collected unless to [email protected] and provide your e-mail address.
the work is done as part of a legally constituted program of
archaeological survey or excavation. ARARA on Facebook
3. No excavation shall be conducted unless the work is done as ARARA maintains a social media presence that is open to the
part of a legally constituted excavation project. Removal of public on Facebook. Join the 600+ individuals who “like” it.
soil shall not be undertaken for the sole purpose of exposing Content for consideration should be submitted to Scott Seibel,
subsurface rock art. [email protected]; alternatively, “like” the page, and “message”
4. Potentially destructive recording and research procedures it to the moderator .
shall be undertaken only after careful consideration of any
potential damage to the rock art sites. ARARA’s Official Website: arara.wildapricot.org
5. Using the name of the American Rock Art Research Considerable information about our organization is provided at our
Association, the initials of ARARA, and/or the logos adopted official website. Tabs of particular interest include Who We Are;
by the Association, and the identification of an individual as Contacts and Officers; Constitution and ByLaws; Management,
a member of ARARA are allowed only in conjunction with Protection, & Conservation; For Kids, Teens, & Teachers;
rock art projects undertaken in full accordance with accepted Awards; Membership; Newsletter & Publications; and Upcoming
professional archaeological standards. The name ARARA Conference. Contact information is [email protected].
may not be used for commercial purposes. While members
may use their affiliation with ARARA for identification All Other Correspondence:
purposes, research projects may not be represented as having The official mailing address for ARARA is: ARARA c/o Jack
the sponsorship of ARARA without express approval of the Wedgwood, 1884 The Alameda, San Jose, CA 95126-1733.
Officers and Board.
 La Pintura is the Official Newsletter of the American Rock Art Research Association
Address all editorial materials via e-mail to Amy Gilreath, Editor, at [email protected]
Our mailing address is: ARARA, Attn: La Pintura, Amy Gilreath
456 Russell Street, Winters, CA 95694

In This Issue...
1 The Long, Strange Journey of the 2019 Conference—
Flagstaff at Northern Arizona University, June 14–17
2 President's Message
2 2019 Flagstaff Conference Call for Papers Coming Soon!
4 Call for Nominations for ARARA Board!
4 Hats Off for Carolynne!
5 Awards Nominations Update
6 Petroglyph Casts: Rediscovering Kansas Rock Art
9 Rock Art Bookshelf
> Early Rock Art of the American West
> Petroglyphs, Pictographs, and Projections
14 San Diego Rock Art Symposium 2018
15 Membership Renewal
16 A Plethora of Rock Art at IFRAO 2018

Volume 44, Number 4

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

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