Tuesday, November 30, 2010



Available November 30, 2010

Visit
Inscription Canyon, Ca

With

exploringrockart

Coalition to Preserve Rock Art
Awareness Education Preservation

This series of Ebooks is designed to be a reference if you intend to visit and an aid to those researching the site.

The Inscription Canyon petroglyph site is located 30-40 miles NW of Barstow, Ca.. The BLM description states that several hundred (probably over 1000 hundred) petroglyphs are at the site. There is an easy walking path through the canyon that enables a visitor to review almost all of the Rock Art. The Ebook contains 47 pages, 54 pictures and an article (April 2010) describing damage at the site.

We have not included detailed directions to Inscription Canyon since BLM in Bartow personnel generally inform visitors of the location. If you meet with an unknowing or difficult BLM employee, the directions are on the Internet.

The cost of the Ebook is $2.50 if paid by cash or Money Order and $3.00 if paid with Paypal (address questions of how to complete the order to www.exploringrockart.com). Profits will be used by the Coalition to Preserve Rock Art, dedicated to promoting awareness of, providing education about, and the preservation of Rock Art in the Southwest.

The Ebook will be emailed to your email address as a .pdf file. As a note, the Ebook will be password protected (a unique password will be provided to each customer), and the configuration of software on some computers may not allow multiple copying of the file, forwarding of the file, or high resolution printing of the file.

If you have questions or if after review of the material you have the need for a high resolution, large image for educational, research, or artistic purposes please contact us at exploringrockart@gmail.com.

The information in this guide is copyrighted © and is not to be distributed.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Hummingbird Canyon, NM Ebook - exploringrockart.com



Available November 25, 2010

Visit


Hummingbird Canyon, NM

With

exploringrockart

Coalition to Preserve Rock Art
Awareness Education Preservation

This series of Ebooks is designed to be a reference if you intend to visit and an aid to those researching the site.

The Hummingbird Canyon site is located in Northwest New Mexico. We found 12 panels and include 18 photographs in the Ebook. There are probably more panels in the area.

The Ebook has 48 pages, with 57 photographs, some of which show an overview of the panel and then some focused on a specific interesting area of the panel.

We have not given detailed directions to Hummingbird Canyon since they should be available from the BLM office personnel in Farmington, NM.

The cost of the Ebook is $2.00 if paid by cash or Money Order and $2.50 if paid with Paypal (address questions of how to complete the order to www.exploringrockart.com). Profits will be used by the Coalition to Preserve Rock Art, dedicated to promoting awareness of, providing education about, and the preservation of Rock Art in the Southwest.

The Ebook will be emailed to your email address as a .pdf file. As a note, the Ebook will be password protected (a unique password will be provided to each customer), and the configuration of software on some computers may not allow multiple copying of the file, forwarding of the file, or high resolution printing of the file.

If you have questions or if after review of the material you have the need for a high resolution, large image for educational, research, or artistic purposes please contact us at exploringrockart@gmail.com.

The information in this guide is copyrighted © and is not to be distributed.

Visit Little Black Mountain, AZ Rock Art - exploringrockart



Available November 28, 2010

Visit
Little Black Mountain, AZ

With

exploringrockart

Coalition to Preserve Rock Art
Awareness Education Preservation

This series of Ebooks is designed to be a reference if you intend to visit and an aid to those researching the site.

The Little Black Mountain petroglyph site is located near St. George, UT. The BLM description states that several hundred (probably over 500 hundred) petroglyphs are at the site. There are walking paths through the site that enable a visitor to review almost all of the rock Art and leaving the walking path is discouraged. The Ebook contains 37 pages and 49 pictures, showing over 25 separate panels of Rock Art.

We have included detailed directions to Little Black Mountain since it is a protected site and BLM personnel in St. George readily inform visitors of the location.

The cost of the Ebook is $2.50 if paid by cash or Money Order and $3.00 if paid with Paypal (address questions of how to complete the order to www.exploringrockart.com). Profits will be used by the Coalition to Preserve Rock Art, dedicated to promoting awareness of, providing education about, and the preservation of Rock Art in the Southwest.

The Ebook will be emailed to your email address as a .pdf file. As a note, the Ebook will be password protected (a unique password will be provided to each customer), and the configuration of software on some computers may not allow multiple copying of the file, forwarding of the file, or high resolution printing of the file.

If you have questions or if after review of the material you have the need for a high resolution, large image for educational, research, or artistic purposes please contact us at exploringrockart@gmail.com.

The information in this guide is copyrighted © and is not to be distributed.

Visit Sears Point, AZ Rock Art - www.exploringrockart.com



Available November 28, 2010

Visit
Sears Point, AZ

With

exploringrockart

Coalition to Preserve Rock Art
Awareness Education Preservation

This series of Ebooks is designed to be a reference if you intend to visit and an aid to those researching the site.

The Sears Point petroglyph site is located near Gila Bend, AZ. The BLM description states that several thousand petroglyphs are at the site and that the most impressive ones are located with viewing distance of the parking lot. That was not our experience since we found that one of the benefits of exploring was that many more interesting petroglyphs were viewed. The Ebook contains 111 pages and 128 pictures.

We have not given detailed directions to Sears Point since they should be available from BLM.

The cost of the Ebook is $5.00 if paid by cash or Money Order and $5.50 if paid with Paypal (address questions of how to complete the order to www.exploringrockart.com). Profits will be used by the Coalition to Preserve Rock Art, dedicated to promoting awareness of, providing education about, and the preservation of Rock Art in the Southwest.

The Ebook will be emailed to your email address as a .pdf file. As a note, the Ebook will be password protected (a unique password will be provided to each customer), and the configuration of software on some computers may not allow multiple copying of the file, forwarding of the file, or high resolution printing of the file.

If you have questions or if after review of the material you have the need for a high resolution, large image for educational, research, or artistic purposes please contact us at exploringrockart@gmail.com.

The information in this guide is copyrighted © and is not to be distributed.

Visit Muuputs Canyon, AZ Rock Art

The Site Guardian
_________

Available November 28, 2010

Visit
Muuputs Canyon, AZ

With

exploringrockart

Coalition to Preserve Rock Art
Awareness Education Preservation

This series of Ebooks is designed to be a reference if you intend to visit and an aid to those researching the site.

The Muuputs Canyon site is located in Pipe Springs, AZ on Kaibab Pauite land. The Pipe Springs National Monument Visitor Center is jointly operated with the Kaibab Pauite tribe. To review the petroglyphs, it is necessary to have a tribal member lead your party. For further information contact the Pipe Springs, AZ office. We were shown 3 panels and include 7 photographs in the Ebook. There are probably more panels in the area that are considered more sensitive and thus “private”. We have also included in the 21-page Ebook, a hiking guide of Muuputs Canyon which is sometimes available from the Pipe Springs Visitor Center.

The Pipe Springs Visitor Center is located on Highway 389, 45 miles east of Hurricane, UT or 15 miles west of Fredonia, AZ.

The cost of the Ebook is $1.50 if paid by cash or Money Order and $2.00 if paid with Paypal (address questions of how to complete the order to www.exploringrockart.com). Profits will be used by the Coalition to Preserve Rock Art, dedicated to promoting awareness of, providing education about, and the preservation of Rock Art in the Southwest.

The Ebook will be emailed to your email address as a .pdf file. As a note, the Ebook will be password protected (a unique password will be provided to each customer), and the configuration of software on some computers may not allow multiple copying of the file, forwarding of the file, or high resolution printing of the file.

If you have questions or if after review of the material you have the need for a high resolution, large image for educational, research, or artistic purposes please contact us at exploringrockart@gmail.com.

The information in this guide is copyrighted © and is not to be distributed.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Visit Willow Springs, AZ Rock Art with exploringrockart



Available November 25, 2010

Visit
Willow Springs, AZ
With
exploringrockart

Coalition to Preserve Rock Art
Awareness Education Preservation

This series of Ebooks is designed to be a reference if you intend to visit and an aid to those researching the site.

The Willow Springs Rock Art site, also known as the Hopi Clan site, is located on Navaho land close to Tuba City, AZ. If you are planning to visit, you might want to place a couple of telephone calls since it appears that the Navaho and the Hopi tribes will be limiting entrance and you might need joint approvals.

The Ebook has 48 pages, with 57 photographs, some of which show an overview of the panel and then some focused on a specific area of the panel.

We have not given detailed directions to Willow Springs since they are readily available from other sources and we do not want to contribute to a potential problem – in case access is actually limited.

The cost of the Ebook is $4.00 if paid by cash or Money Order and $4.50 if paid with Paypal (address questions of how to complete the order to www.exploringrockart.com). Profits will be used by the Coalition to Preserve Rock Art, dedicated to promoting awareness of, providing education about, and the preservation of Rock Art in the Southwest.

The Ebook will be emailed to your email address as a .pdf file. As a note, the Ebook will be password protected (a unique password will be provided to each customer), and the configuration of software on some computers may not allow multiple copying of the file, forwarding of the file, or high resolution printing of the file.

If you have questions or if after review of the material you have the need for a high resolution, large image for educational, research, or artistic purposes please contact us at exploringrockart@gmail.com.

The information in this guide is copyrighted ©
and is not to be distributed
.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Rock Art Ebook Crow Canyon, New Mexico



Available November 17, 2010

Visit
Crow Canyon, NM

With

exploringrockart

Coalition to Preserve Rock Art
Awareness Education Preservation

This series of Ebooks is designed to be a reference if you intend to visit and an aid to those researching the site.

Crow Canyon, New Mexico is located in Dinetah. Dinetah is the traditional homeland of the Navaho tribe and the site contains Navajo ruins and rock art from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. Large petroglyph panels often include both Navajo and Pueblo images. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

The Ebook has 56 pages, with 73 photographs, some of which show an overview of the panel and then some focused on a specific area of the panel.

We have given detailed directions to Crow Canyon since they are readily available from other sources.

The cost of the Ebook is $5.00 if paid by cash or Money Order and $5.50 if paid with Paypal (address questions of how to complete the order to www.exploringrockart.com). Profits will be used by the Coalition to Preserve Rock Art, dedicated to promoting awareness of, providing education about, and the preservation of Rock Art in the Southwest.

The Ebook will be emailed to your email address as a .pdf file. As a note, the Ebook will be password protected (a unique password will be provided to each customer), and the configuration of software on some computers may not allow multiple copying of the file, forwarding of the file, or high resolution printing of the file.

If you have questions or if after review of the material you have the need for a high resolution, large image for educational, research, or artistic purposes please contact us at exploringrockart@gmail.com.

The information in this guide is copyrighted ©
and is not to be distributed.

Friday, November 19, 2010


Visit
Capitol Reef National Park
with
exploringrockart

Coalition to Preserve Rock Art

Awareness . Education . Preservation


Visit Capitol Reef National Park, UT with www.exploringrockart.com,
An Ebook is available on November 19, 2010.

Capitol Reef National Park is a very scenic area, one often having nice sunsets, but also with good Rock Art. One of the National Park’s ventures has been to build a Boardwalk along several hundred feet of Petroglyphs. It’s difficult to get good pictures on many of the elements because of natural degradation and the distance of the boardwalk from the panels.

The Ebook includes pictures of the Rock Art that we found (including The Main Panel, Fremont Map Panel, Fremont North, Fremont South, then East, North, and South Pleasant Creek) the book is 49 pages long and has 60 images from 7 sites within the Park. Depending upon your interest in Rock Art, Photography, and Sight Seeing, a visit can easily consume the better part of 2 days.

Instructions on driving to Capitol Reef National Park are included (but not specifics regarding the Rock Art locations within the Park) as well as reported history of the Fremont occupation. Sometimes, park personnel are helpful in locating Rock Art sites to visit, other times they are not. It may depend on the approach taken with the staff, and it’s a more promising approach to ask for site locations by name rather than just asking “Where are the Rock Art sites?”.

The ebook will be emailed to your address as a .pdf file. As a cautionary note, the ebook will be password protected (a unique password will be provided to each customer), and the configuration of software on some computers may not allow multiple copying of the file, forwarding of the file, or high resolution printing of the file.

The cost of the ebook is $5.00 if paid by cash or Money Order and $5.50 if paid with Paypal (address questions of how to complete the order to www.exploringrockart.com). Profits will be used by the Coalition to Preserve Rock Art, dedicated to promoting awareness of, providing education about, and preservation of Rock Art in the Southwest.

If you have questions or if after review of the material sent to you, you have the need for a high resolution image for educational, research, or artistic purposes please contact us at exploringrockart@gmail.com.

The information in this guide is copyrighted ©
and is not to be distributed.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Ebook - A Guide to the Rock Art in Quitchupah Canyon, Utah


Available November 17, 2010

Visit
Quitchupah Canyon, UT

with
exploringrockart.

Coalition to Preserve Rock Art

Awareness . Education . Preservation


This series of Ebooks is designed to be a reference if you intend to visit and an aid to those researching the site.

Quitchupah Canyon is a very nice Rock Art Site and one that was seriously threatened by a paved road from a Coal Mine. Fortunately, the site was saved through intervention of many interested parties, including several Native American tribes. and societies protecting our resources.

The Ebook has 25 pages, with 32 photographs, some of which show an overview of the panel and then some focused on a specific area of the panel.

We have not given detailed directions to Quitchupah Canyon since we could not find directions in Books, on Websites, or in Government Publications and we do not disclose directions unless they can be found elsewhere.

The cost of the ebook is $4.00 if paid by cash or Money Order and $4.50 if paid with Paypal (address questions of how to complete the order to www.exploringrockart.com). Profits will be used by the Coalition to Preserve Rock Art, dedicated to promoting awareness of, providing education about, and the preservation of Rock Art in the Southwest.

The ebook will be emailed to your email address as a .pdf file. As a note, the ebook will be password protected (a unique password will be provided to each customer), and the configuration of software on some computers may not allow multiple copying of the file, forwarding of the file, or high resolution printing of the file.

If you have questions or if after review of the material you have the need for a high resolution, large image for educational, research, or artistic purposes please contact us at exploringrockart@gmail.com.


The information in this guide is copyrighted © and is not to be distributed.


Ebook - Visit Chloride, Arizona for Rock Art and Murals


Visit
Chloride, AZ
with
exploringrockart
Coalition to Preserve Rock Art

Awareness . Education . Preservation


Visit Chloride, AZ with www.exploringrockart.com,
An Ebook is available as of November 16, 2010.

Chloride is a very interesting historical town;
a former mining town with original buildings still standing,
a former hippie town with many unique rock paintings (murals) of Roy Purcell,
and Native American Rock Art preserved east of the town.

The Ebook includes pictures of the Rock Art that we found, pictures of Purcell’s murals, and a few pictures of the town. The book is 20 pages long, has 11 mural pictures, 10 images from 10 Petroglyph panels (note the petroglyphs are difficult to photograph because of the rough rock surfaces), and a few pictures of the “ghost” businesses in town. We have Chloride on our 2011 visitation list, because the area is so interesting. The Chloride experience should be enjoyed in a half-day.

We have not given detailed instructions to Chloride, since an Arizona atlas will show the location of the town.

The ebook will be emailed to your address as a .pdf file. As a cautionary note, the ebook will be password protected (a unique password will be provided to each customer), and the configuration of software on some computers may not allow multiple copying of the file, forwarding of the file, or high resolution printing of the file.

The cost of the ebook is $2.50 if paid by cash or Money Order and $3.00 if paid with Paypal (address questions of how to complete the order to www.exploringrockart.com). Profits will be used by the Coalition to Preserve Rock Art, dedicated to promoting awareness of, providing education about, and preservation of Rock Art in the Southwest.

If you have questions or if after review of the material sent to you, you have the need for a high resolution image for educational, research, or artistic purposes please contact us at exploringrockart@gmail.com.

The information in this guide is copyrighted © and is not to be distributed.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Snake Gulch, AZ Article

Snake Gulch Arizona Rock Art Site – Petroglyphs and Pictographs


In April of 2007, a group of 4 embarked on a 14
mile roundtrip hike to review the Rock Art in
Snake Gulch. Snake Gulch is well known by
Rock Art advocates, hikers, and horseback riders.
Only a couple of horseback riders who were
returning after a longer trip to the Grand Canyon
were encountered, so we had the Gulch to ourselves.
As a note the panels are essentially undamaged by
either pioneer writings or modern graffiti. The debate
of the government site managers about more
visitation (informing interested parties about the
location of the site) and nondisclosure of the site
location in this case weighs toward information being
available. Reduced visitation could possibly permit
destruction of the panels.

Our objectives were to select a long day, yet avoid the
snakes that come out in hot weather. We were
successful, starting at about 10:30 am and finishing
about 7:30 in the evening. Our plans were to start at
the North end, hike the 7 miles in with no photography,
have lunch, hike out and photograph the Rock Art panels.
Unfortunately on the hike in, we missed photographing
some very nice panels that display better in the morning
than they do in the afternoon.

However, the next time, a different plan:
Start earlier in the morning.

Photograph on the way down (also) since the lighting
favors some panels in the morning.

There are some observations or advice:
Have a high clearance, 4-wheel drive available.

Take a good lunch, and stash (hide) some water
midway in the hike.

And the normal precautions – maps, hat, good
hiking shoes, camera, sufficient memory, batteries,
cell phone (although we are not convinced it would
work in the area), and let people know where you
are going to be.

Will we return?
Without a doubt. As Rock Art advocates know
one review of the site frequently does not discover
everything that might prove to be interesting. The
repeat trips through reveal more panels and
allows improvement of the photographs. We gained
many good pictures and identified some that need
improvement. You can see the results of our effort at http://exploringrockart.com/snake_gulch1.htm and http://exploringrockart.com/snake_gulch.htm.

Although we normally do not release locations and
directions to the site, there are previously published
directions which we include in the Ebook.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Ebook - Visit Snake Gulch, AZ Rock Art




Available November 13, 2010

Visit Snake Gulch, AZ

With
exploringrockart
Coalition to Preserve Rock Art
Awareness . Education . Preservation

This series of Ebooks is designed to be a reference if you intend to visit and an aid to those researching the site.

Snake Gulch is an outstanding Rock Art Site. We intend to make our 2nd trip in the Spring of 2011 and will be updating and adding photos.

The Ebook is 54 pages, with 96 photographs, some of which will be improved next spring.

We have given detailed instructions to Snake Gulch, since directions are given by the US Government (pages 52-53) and by others (page 54).

The cost of the ebook is $5.00 if paid by cash or Money Order and $5.50 if paid with Paypal (address questions of how to complete the order to www.exploringrockart.com). Profits will be used by the Coalition to Preserve Rock Art, dedicated to promoting awareness of, providing education about, and the preservation of Rock Art in the Southwest.

The ebook will be emailed to your email address as a .pdf file. As a note, the ebook will be password protected (a unique password will be provided to each customer), and the configuration of software on some computers may not allow multiple copying of the file, forwarding of the file, or high resolution printing of the file.

If you have questions or if after review of the material you have the need for a high resolution image for educational, research, or artistic purposes please contact us at exploringrockart@gmail.com.

The information in this guide is copyrighted ©
and is not to be distributed.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Damage at Grapevine Canyon, Laughlin, Nevada

Intentional damage at a beautiful Rock Art site. More Awareness and Education programs are needed.

Mar. 25, 2010
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Paintball play damages petroglyphs, rocks near Laughlin

SPECIAL TO THE REVIEW-JOURNAL

Petroglyphs in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area that American Indians consider sacred have been damaged by youthful paintballers.
National Park Service spokesman Andrew Munoz said portions of four petroglyphs and rocks were colored with green and red paintball splatter last Friday at Grapevine Canyon, about two miles northeast of Laughlin.

Munoz said the site and the petroglyphs are culturally and spiritually important to the tribes of the Lower Colorado River. "It's like their Garden of Eden," he said.
"This area in particular is incredibly sensitive and sacred," said Rosie Pepito, chief of cultural resource management for the recreation area. "It's unimaginable to think of someone having a paintball fight in the Sistine Chapel, however, from the perspective of the local tribal members, that's what happened here."
Munoz said there has been some success in removing the color from the rocks , but that the oil-based paint has left its mark.
A citizen who spotted the paintball play in progress made a 911 call Friday that prompted a response by park rangers who encountered the shooters who had made it to the trailhead after leaving the site of the criminal damage. Munoz said the rangers confiscated two paintball weapons.
A 20-year-old Bullhead City man was cited for defacing and disturbing an archeological resource, using and discharging a weapon, littering and vandalism. Munoz said no determination has been made regarding citing or prosecuting a 13-year-old accomplice, also from Bullhead City.

Friday, February 19, 2010

TRAVELOGUE - ROCK ART TOUR
NEVADA, ARIZONA, NEW MEXICO, TEXAS
STARTED FEBRUARY 10, 2010


We left southwest Utah on February 10 on a tour to major Rock Art sites of the Southwest. Some of the results are shown below.

For details and pictures taken on this trip,

please visit

http://exploringrockart.com/travelogue__nv,_az,_nm,_tx.htm

Monday, January 25, 2010

Nine-Mile Canyon Deseret News Summary

Note the second part is much more acceptable than the first part.

Many Rock Art advocates in Utah have followed this story, so the summary is for those who have not heard of the situation, primarily those who reside outside Utah.

On January 7, 2010, Deseret News, a Salt Lake City publication, printed the following editorial:

Ancient sketches graffiti or art?


By Lee Benson Deseret News Published: Thursday, Jan. 7, 2010 11:57 p.m. MST

News flash from Nine Mile Canyon: A team of archaeologists and linguists have finally — after years of painstaking study and, coincidentally, on the eve of their multi-million-dollar government grant running out — successfully translated a key pictograph known as the Great Hunt Panel in what has been called America's longest and oldest art gallery.

What was long thought to be drawings of bighorn sheep and human hunters holding bows and arrows actually translates in English to: ANYONE CAUGHT DRAWING ON THESE ROCKS WILL BE FINED.

It turns out, according to this translation, that the Anasazi, Fremont and, later, the Ute Indians that inhabited Nine Mile Canyon long before it was known as Nine Mile Canyon had a problem doodling on their beautiful surroundings. This prompted their chiefs and the environmentalists among them to draw the line, as it were.

Another pictograph nearby translates to: RESPECT WHERE YOU LIVE, AND WHERE YOU LIVE WILL RESPECT YOU!

I'm making all this up, of course, but the announcement this week from the State Capitol of an agreement hammered out after months and years of discussion among numerous public and private agencies, including apparently everyone but the BCS, which protects the rock artwork in Nine Mile Canyon from natural gas developers gave me pause when I saw some photos of the endangered rock artwork.

What's the big deal? I found myself thinking. If any of this gets lost we can put some third graders to work on nearby unmarked rocks.

I am aware that such thinking constitutes blasphemy among lovers of ancient Indian pictographs, so let me quickly apologize to them for not seeing what they are seeing and not appreciating what they are appreciating.

But I am only being honest here. I am one of the worst artists in the world and I could draw sheep on roller skates and men with no necks as well as the ones on those rocks. Maybe better.

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I am not beholding beauty. C.M. Russell did not do this.

This isn't to suggest the images shouldn't be protected. Age deserves its deference. There is a point when one man's graffiti becomes another man's historic marker.

Although there is also no doubt that timing is everything. Carve your initials or scratch out a drawing tomorrow in the rocks in Nine Mile Canyon, or anywhere on public land for that matter, and you're going to jail.

But 200 years from now, no matter if you carved "Go Lakers!" it will be a national treasure.

Just what would the Fremonts, Anasazis or ancient Utes who did the drawings in Nine Mile Canyon have to say on the subject if they were still among us and had been invited to attend the big announcement at the State Capitol?

I'm saying it's highly possible that they would be trying hard to keep a straight face while poking each other in the ribs.

Anasazi 1 to Fremont 2: "I did that one while I was drunk."

Fremont 3 to Anasazi 4: "I got grounded three moons for that one."

Ute 1 to Ute 2: "That doesn't even look like a bighorn."

Wise old Anasazi (I know, that's redundant) environmentalist (wearing horrified look): "We tried our darndest to leave no trace and they're remembering us for this!?"

Ute 3 to Ute 4: "You mean to tell me that this natural gas you speak of was right below our feet and we could have used it to cook all our meals and heat all our abodes and never have had to gather firewood? AYEEEEE!"

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe the art gallery that is Nine Mile Canyon was the ancients' equivalent of the Louvre.

Or maybe it was the reason they left.


This editorial received many complaint letters, some of them can not be repeated here.

However, the Deseret News author issued another group of comments, reprinted below:


To the Ute Indian Tribe Historical Society; the Utah Rock Art Research Association; Forrest Cuch, executive director of the Utah Division of Indian Affairs; my friend Tom Lovell; and all others who know way more about American Indians and ancient drawings than I do:


I am sorry for offending you.


Please accept my apology.


In an attempt at levity — and, OK, a poke at extreme environmentalists — in a recent column about the crusade to protect the rock art in Utah's Nine Mile Canyon from energy developers, I suggested that to my untrained eye the drawings look like stick figures a grade-schooler could duplicate.

Then I went on to imagine the possibility that ancient American Indians were perhaps just horsing around all those generations ago when they wrote on the rocks, not unlike modern graffiti artists, and they would be surprised to find them so revered today.


It turns out my eye is as untrained as a rock.


To quote from a letter written to the Deseret News by Stephen L. Robinson, president of the board of directors of the Utah Rock Art Research Association:



"The level of respect for, and understanding of, rock art reflected in this column is very unfortunate. We strongly object to the demeaning, disparaging and disrespectful tone of this article. We are deeply offended. It does considerable harm to the work we do in encouraging people to respect and preserve this irreplaceable evidence of ancient cultures. We do not speak for the Native Americans in our state, but are confident they are offended also."


He's right about that.


This is from a letter written by Larry Cesspooch (Whitebelly) of the Ute Indian Tribe Historical Society:


"Shame on you Lee Benson, for your ignorance. The writings in Nine Mile Canyon are our sacred history. It's people like you who have made respect and appreciation of the rock writings in Nine Mile Canyon a straight-up battle."


He goes on to add: "The writings weren't put there as art, but as messages. That's where things get misunderstood — calling the messages art. The so-called "hunting scene" in Nine Mile Canyon depicts a historic battle, not a hunt. All the animals depict people."


An archaeologist named Garth Norman e-mailed yet more elucidation:

"Technically it is neither graffiti nor art. It is writing. You really ought to get informed on this subject before making outlandish statements that are insulting to both the Indians and scholars. You might want to redeem yourself in your next article. I could send you my interpretation of the hunting panel in Nine Mile you refer to, which is a calendar shadow station that marks the spring equinox ritual for big horn sheep migration hunt."

Who knew?

Well, who didn't know besides me?

From now on, I'm going to try and stick to making fun of things I sort of understand — like Republicans and Democrats and James Cameron movies.

And over-the-top environmentalists, if only because it's so easy to pick on the hypocrisy of people who drive their gas-powered cars on paved highways to protest drilling for gas on unpaved highways.

That was my target with the Nine Mile rock art column. But I missed. I missed badly and, instead, scored a direct hit on a past and a culture standing innocently off to the side.

Sacred history should be respected even by the ignorant, which in this case is me.