ARCHEOLOGIST LEADS VIEWERS TO PICTOGRAPHS; GUIDEBOOK CASTS LIGHT ON AREA CAVE ART.Byline: Gloria Gonzales Daily News Staff Writer The Carrizo Painted Rock is one of the most spectacular examples of Chumash rock art, and archeologists considered it a national treasure until the painted panels were vandalized early this century. Because of the threat of vandalism, most archeologists believed the best protection for rock art sites was to fence them and lock the gates. But that view has changed during the past decade, and archeologist David Whitley is leading a group that believes the best protection for rock art may be to open the gates and encourage visitors. ``For years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time normal reaction from the normal archeologist, when they heard about problems at rock art sites, was: We have to close them all down; we have to put fences up,'' Whitley said during an interview at his Fillmore home. ``That's the position we held for at least 20 years. ``Administrators loved it because it meant they could block off sites and not pay any money for preservation or restoration.'' In keeping with his new belief, Whitley has written a book giving readers explicit directions to 38 rock art sites. He worked closely with the Bureau of Land Management, which oversees more than 500 California rock art sites on 17 million acres of public land. ``The idea of a guidebook is controversial, but the book only includes sites that are opened and managed by an agency that is willing to allow visitors,'' he said. ``We've come to the conclusion that we need responsible visitors because they keep vandals at bay. And I believe that the kind of people who will buy and read this book would also be responsible visitors.'' Interest on the rise Whitley said the book also meets a growing demand for information about rock art. ``During the last decade, the public has developed a strong interest in rock art,'' he said. ``Since Congress created Petroglyph National Monument Petroglyph National Monument: see National Parks and Monuments (table). in New Mexico New Mexico, state in the SW United States. At its northwestern corner are the so-called Four Corners, where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet at right angles; New Mexico is also bordered by Oklahoma (NE), Texas (E, S), and Mexico (S). , visitation there has exceeded visitation at Chaco National Monument national monument In the U.S., any of numerous areas reserved by the federal government for the protection of objects or places of historical, scientific, or prehistoric interest. , which is our pre-eminent archeological preserve. Part of that is accessibility, but it also reflects an increase in public interest.'' Whitley also notes the popularity of T-shirts featuring well-known rock art figures and rock art scenes in two Disney films, the ``Lion King'' and ``Pocahontas.'' Russ Kaldenberg, state archeologist for the BLM BLM n abbr (US) (= Bureau of Land Management) → les domaines , has also noted greater public interest in rock art. ``We have more people visiting sites and more people calling for information about sites,'' he said. ``The most popular books we sell are on Native Americans and archeology, including rock art. David Whitley's book has been out less than a year, and it's already in its second printing.'' Kaldenberg also agreed that in some cases visitors help protect sites. Vandalism at several sites decreased after they were listed on maps or signs were posted with information. ``It's not always the case that visitors are the solution,'' he said, however. ``Sometimes the most effective measures are passive: blocking off a road, not listing the site and not talking about it. In other places the best solution is to get as many people there as possible, because most people won't vandalize when other people are around.'' Kaldenberg noted that Whitley worked closely with the agency to choose sites that could endure visitors. Art for the people Both men share a belief that rock art is public art that, whenever possible, should be accessible to all and not just to an elite group of archeologists or American Indian American Indian or Native American or Amerindian or indigenous American Any member of the various aboriginal peoples of the Western Hemisphere, with the exception of the Eskimos (Inuit) and the Aleuts. tribes that claim ownership. ``There are those archeologists who have this attitude that we can see these things "These Things" is an EP by She Wants Revenge, released in 2005 by Perfect Kiss, a subsidiary of Geffen Records. Music Video The music video stars Shirley Manson, lead singer of the band Garbage. Track Listing 1. "These Things [Radio Edit]" - 3:17 2. but no one else can,'' Whitley said. ``That would be fine if the people who held this attitude were actively doing research at the sites. But they aren't, and not enough is being done, and the sites are disappearing. Meanwhile, no one is being allowed to see the sites.'' Part of his goal in writing the book, Whitley said, was to educate those interested in rock art and to build a constituency willing to lobby for money for preservation and restoration. As a part of that effort, Whitley has also written guides to sites for the BLM, and is working on guides to sites from the Mexican border to Oregon. ``The idea is to have guides for people on driving trips,'' Kaldenberg said. ``The public can only benefit from a booklet or book written by someone with Whitley's credentials and expertise. And he has taken every caution in the book not to include fragile sites There are two kinds of fragile sites: common and rare fragile sites. Rare fragile sites are found in less than 5% of the population and are composed of tri- or dinucleotide repeats that may cause spontaneous breaks during replication, frequently affecting neighboring genes. .'' Whitley and Kaldenberg have both said that American Indians American Indians: see Americas, antiquity and prehistory of the; Natives, Middle American; Natives, North American; Natives, South American. , who consider the rock art sacred, also encourage visitors at certain sites. ``The tribes don't mind visitors as long as they can reserve the sites for special ceremonies,'' Kaldenberg said. ``We close sites at the tribes' request when the locales are needed for ceremonies.'' Art as religious icons Whitley's book, which includes chapters on interpretation of rock art and new findings about how the art was produced, educates the reader about American Indian tribes. Whitley has also written a cover article for the fall issue of American Archaeology, detailing how a tribe's shaman, or spiritual leader, produced rock paintings as part of a trancelike vision quest vision quest supernatural experience in which an individual interacts with a guardian spirit to obtain advice or protection. Of particular importance to indigenous North and South American peoples, these rituals varied from tribe to tribe. . Whitley's theories counter earlier beliefs about rock art. For years, archeologists did not believe that rock art held any special religious significance. ``My Native American friends are glad to see that rock art is finally being treated as a religious phenomenon,'' Whitley said. ``They are glad to see it's sacredness foregrounded.'' Richard Angulo Richard Angulo (born August 13, 1980) is an American football tight end. He was a member of the Minnesota Vikings practice squad after being cut from the active roster on September 2, 2006. He is now a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars. , an American Indian leader, said he and Whitley had argued for years about the religious significance before Whitley and other archeologists began to believe that the art was produced as part of religious or spiritual rituals. Although American Indians welcome increased interest in their culture, Angulo added, they are wary about masses of people at sacred sites. ``The more people learn about Native Americans, and the more they learn about and appreciate our culture, the better,'' Angulo said. ``But these sites are sacred to us, and just as Catholics and Christians have places they share only among themselves, some places must be reserved for the tribes. . . . And a sacred site is special. If there are too many visitors, these sacred sites will lose some of that specialness.'' Places to view rock etchings David Whitley's book ``A Guide to Rock Art in America'' provides descriptions, locations and interpretations of 38 rock art sites in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, and Nevada. The sites listed are open to the public and are overseen by the Bureau of Land Management. Southern California sites include: Oakbrook Park pictographs: Located in the hills above Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. in eastern Chumash territory, the paintings include images common to Chumash art, such as the broadbill swordfish swordfish, large food and game fish, Xiphias gladius, of the warmer Atlantic and Pacific waters, related to the sailfish. It is named for its sharp, broad, elongated upper jaw, which it uses to flail and pierce its prey of smaller fish, rising beneath a school . The Chumash diet relied heavily on fish, but the broadbill swordfish was sacred and probably was not eaten. The swordfish was associated with Chumash spiritual leaders, and a special group of swordfish shamans relied on the fish as a spirit helper. The Oakbrook pictograph pictograph - pictogram site is located within the Chumash Interpretative Center in Thousand Oaks. It may be visited as part of guided nature walks on Saturdays and Sundays. For information, call (805) 492-8076. Painted Cave pictographs: Located near the San Marcos Pass San Marcos Pass (el. 2,600 ft. / 792 m) is a mountain pass in the Santa Ynez Mountains in California. It is traversed by California State Route 154. The pass connects Los Olivos and the Santa Ynez Valley with Santa Barbara, California. in the mountains above Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. , the cave is the one of the best known rock art sites in California. In the historical heart of Chumash territory, it boasts both geometric patterns and highly stylized styl·ize tr.v. styl·ized, styl·iz·ing, styl·iz·es 1. To restrict or make conform to a particular style. 2. To represent conventionally; conventionalize. human and animal figures, all painted on the ceiling of a small but deeply recessed cave. Take the Ventura Freeway The Ventura Freeway is a freeway in southern California running from Ventura to Pasadena. It is the principal east-west route through Ventura County and in the southern San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County. north to Santa Barbara, exit at Highway 154. Drive 4.8 miles north to Painted Cave Road and turn right. The cave is on the left side of the road and is clearly marked by a California State Parks This is a list of state parks and reserves in the California state park system. Jump to: External links A : Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Carrizo Painted Rock pictographs: Located on the floor of the remote Carrizo Plain, midway between Bakersfield and San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo (săn l  `ĭs ōbĭs`pō), city (1990 pop. 41,958), seat of San Luis Obispo co., S Calif., near San Luis Obispo Bay; inc. 1856. , the Carrizo pictographs lie on the border of Chumash territory. Though the site has been vandalized, visitors can still see dancing human figures, rattlesnakes, turtles and geometric figures. The site is considered one of the most spectacular examples of American Indian rock art. The site is in San Luis Obispo County, and it is jointly managed by the Nature Conservancy and the Bureau of Land Management. For directions or tour appointments, call the Goodwin Education Center at (805) 475-2131. Because endangered species endangered species, any plant or animal species whose ability to survive and reproduce has been jeopardized by human activities. In 1999 the U.S. government, in accordance with the U.S. of birds nest nearby, access to the site is restricted to guided tours during certain seasons. CAPTION(S): 3 Photos, box PHOTO (1) Archeologist David Whitley examines a Chumash rock painting in the mountains above Santa Barbara near San Marcos Pass. (2) An arthropod's image withstands time in a Chumash cave painting in the area. (3 -- Conejo and Simi edition only) Archeologist David Whitley believes the presence of visitors at rock art sites will dissauade vandals. David R. Crane/Daily News Box: Places to view rock etching (see text) |
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