Chalfant Petroglyphs Oct 2009 |
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| Along a quarter-mile stretch of fractured cliff-face above a dry arroyo. |
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| Is the site of an impressive array of Native American petroglyphs. |
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| Owens Valley is the traditional tribal lands of Paiute and Shoshone. |
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| But these petroglyphs are older by a thousand years. |
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| In some places, the entire cliff face is covered with markings. |
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| Some deeply carved and more recent, others worn, faded, hardly visible. |
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| Concentric circles, cup-and-ring, zig-zag lines, animorfic. |
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| Three hunters, one appears to hold a bow. (Panel stolen along with other petroglyph panels at the site.) |
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| Some carvings may represent spirit journey visions. |
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| "A Guide to Rock Art Sites, Southern California & Southern Nevada" by David S. Whitley -- Excellent resource |
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| Numerous symbols concentrated in a small area. Note: At no time do I touch or tread upon petroglyphs. I use a variety of telephoto lens to capture images. |
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| More images which may represent visions seen during spirit journeys. |
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| These carving high up on the cliff face, well above human height. |
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| Incised boulder near dry streambed. |
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| A thousand years ago, stream bed would have been much higher than today. |
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| Bleached area at base of cliff was once the stream bed. |
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| Here are links to other Fish Slough petroglyph sites: Kitchen Rock, Chidago, Red Canyon. |
| For more information visit: Fish Slough Area of Critical Environmental Concern |
| Recommended reading: "A Guide to Rock Art Sites in Southern California and Southern Nevada" by David S. Whitney and "Coso Rock Art, a New Perspective" by Elva Younkin |
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