Picture Writing

Widespread throughout Arizona are thousands of pictures on rocks commonly referred to as petroglyphs. Splendid caves of the northern part of the state have protected through the centuries colored and incised drawings on sandstone walls where they were made by early man. Moving southward, one encounters fewer caves by far, but no fewer pictures writings, for here the Indian left permanent drawings pecked into the hard surface of malapai and other boulders on hill and in valley. Popular opinion would have it that these drawings are full of meaning. Undoubtedly some of them had significance, but certainly the majority may be labeled "idle scribblings". The significance of the writings made in the past is mirrored perhaps in similar sketches made today. From their villages in north central Arizona, the modern Hopis make a trek westward to gather salt. About midway in their journey, a halt is made in the convenient shade of a mass of boulders. While resting, some of the men peck figures onto the faces of the rocks. Many of these have no meaning-we would call them "dawdlings". A few of the sketches may be of clan symbols, or a kachina head piece.

By CLARA LEE TANNER Photographs by Tad Nichols But even so the latter are just "drawings" of these items, and are not too full of meaning.

As to the age of rock drawings, the archaeologist finds his best opportunity in assigning a time element to those of Northern Arizona. In the caves, for example, there is sometimes a more direct association of cultural material and wall picture. Figures on pottery, for instance, may be identified with the markings on the wall of the same cave where the clay vessel is found. As a date can often be assigned the pottery, an approximation of the time when the wall pictures were made can be given also. Roughly daubed, chalky white figures of triangular bodied humans are placed in the Basket Maker period of the early centuries of the Christian era. From then on, picture writing remained popular. Drawings of men on horseback definitely indicate post-Spanish times; some drawings are known to have been done in the present. Thus picture writing enjoys a history close to two thousand years' duration. Painting was done by slapping a paint-smeared hand on a cave wall, or by drawing with finger, crude brush, or mop. To this technique were added through the years cutting or incising into rock surfaces and pecking. Pecking was very popular in southern Arizona, and was accomplished by pounding a rock held in the hand onto the larger rock surface.

Quite a variety of figures appears in the subject matter list of Arizona picture writings. Both geometric figures and life forms occur in Northern and Southern Arizona, though the manner of drawing may differ greatly in the two areas. Found everywhere are the simpler (and often poorly drawn) stright lines, checks, dots, and simple cur-vilinear patterns. These may appear alone or in a multitude of combinations. Very popular were broken and continuous spirals, scrolls, or just simple wavy lines. It is, of course, far simpler to paint these figures than it is to peck them into stone. Painting would while away minutes, pecking would require hours. Likewise, these two factors may account in part for the popularity of these simpler geometric patterns as well as the predominantly cruder work of the south, and, conversely, for the better, smoother, and more elaborate drawings of the northern pueblo dwellers.

A multitude of life forms claimed the attention of the rock artist. Many are too general in outline to warrant identification; others bear well depicted features which unquestionably identify them. Men, women, and children were drawn. The list of birds includes owls, parrots, turkeys, buzzards, and the eagle. Various animals were represented. Mountain sheep and deer were very popular in the south. Popular in the north and more readily recognized in the better drawings there are bears, coyote, fox, deer and badger. Sharing honors in both areas are the more easily drawn insects, particularly centipedes, and such reptiles as snakes, lizards, and horned toads. Too, instead of representing the actual animal, the proper track was often substituted. Many of these have sufficient character to be identified, as bear tracks, badger, and turkey tracks. One artist went so far as to show the path followed by a walking human, the single file of two feet, slightly apart, until the walker comes to a slight ledge over which he jumps. At the bottom of the ledge the next petroglyphs graphically picture two feet parallel and fairly close together, just as they would be if the walker jumped down.

What he may have lacked in symbolism in his drawings, the ancient artist made up for in imaginative creations. Indeed it may even be suggested that these were the ancient's true symbols. There was the plumed serpent, for example, combining feathers of the bird which soared into the heavens to know the gods there, and the form of the snake which burrowed to meet with the spirits of the water within the earth. A familiar mythological creation in Northern Arizona wall paintings (and very common on pottery to the south) is the humpbacked flute player. As pictured in the Marsh Pass area of extreme Northern Arizona he is often associated with hunting; elsewhere he may be thought of as a rain priest calling for water as he plays his flute.

Occasional groups of figures were drawn. Not uncommon in Southern Arizona are lines of dancers holding hands. Or a group of humpbacked flute players may be performing together. Some hunting scenes of Northern Arizona are rather realistic, with the bow drawn, animals running, and figures of hunters tense.

Size of rock drawings varies greatly, including everything from a dot less than one-half inch in diameter, to life-sized figures of humans and animals. Both geometric and life subjects approach the two extremes in size, or they may be any where in between.

Thus, it may be seen from this brief story that the thousands of paintings and peckings on stone in Arizona represent an interesting phase of native art. Great variety in subject matter, technique, and degree of artistry characterize rock pictures as well as the other arts of the Indians of Arizona.