Thursday, October 14, 2021

Indigenous Peoples Day

 Indigenous Peoples Day was on October 11 (which was the day I started working on this post), and it reminds me that the Original People were here long before us. By all accounts, they were much more in tune with nature... its cycles, its inner workings, and its overall health. Many Most of my hikes in Joshua Tree National Park have a goal of seeing a cultural site. Trying to locate and photograph most of the major cultural sites in the Park has become somewhat of a passion of mine. With that in mind, let's go see if we can find a couple of smaller sites that a friend told me about. He was a little vague on location, and wasn't really sure if there was any rock art (it had been a long time since he had hiked the area), but he seemed to recall something at the sites.
 
It was a cool, breezy day, with pretty clouds overhead. Even if I don't find any rock art, it's a beautiful day for a hike. As is my usual practice, some of these photos are nowhere near the sites we will be visiting, and I will do my best to keep locations ambiguous.
 

I love those clouds!

This looks promising! It's pretty close to the location my friend said he thought there might be some rock art. Can you see it? Definitely some etched petroglyphs, but I also see some reddish color, which means there may be some faded pictographs as well. On closer inspection...
 
Petroglyphs!
 
Straight out of the camera
 
Color enhanced using dStretch. With dStretch, the faint red color takes on more specific shapes, and there is no doubt that there are both pictographs and petroglyphs at this site. The site is within a nicely recessed alcove. It's a very comfortable place to get out of the sun and wind, and to sit and ponder those who were here before us.
 
Looking out from the alcove. This place has a nice, relaxing, and friendly feel to it. I would like to stay longer, but it's time to move on.
 
Site #2 will take some time to find, so I need to get a move on. I can't get over how pretty the sky is on this particular day. When all is said and done, I will have taken well over 200 photos on this hike. 

will



 
Site #2 should be around here somewhere. Lots of boulders, so there are many possible locations. But when I see this shallow alcove, my heart starts beating faster.

On first inspection... disappointment. I see nothing at all. But I remind myself to be patient, relax, and let my eyes adjust.
 
Wait a second. What about here? It's very faded and faint, but it might be something. 
Sure enough, with the help of dStretch, definitely a pictograph. This one reminds me of a banjo!
 
Perhaps something faint here? You can just barely make it out.

Yes!! The circle with the line through it is a common design, as is the "wagon wheel" motif. One can only ponder their meaning.
 
This indent in the rock looks like there might be some faint red pigment inside.
 
Yes, perhaps another wagon wheel design? What an interesting site!! Sites like this always make me wonder how many others have I walked right by and missed? And will these pictographs be totally faded and invisible in another 50 years?

This could have been a seasonal habitation site, but besides the pictographs, I see no obvious signs of grinding stones or mortars. 
 

This one is a head scratcher. It's doesn't seem likely that nature eroded this perfectly round hole in the rock. Yet it's only about 2-3" in diameter and seems too small to be a mortar. Yet mortar would be my guess, perhaps for grinding small seeds, such as chia seeds. 
 
Linking with Skywatch Friday.
Thanks for stopping by!!
If you happen across these or other sites, please treat them with respect, and leave them exactly as you find them.


44 comments:

  1. ...lots of wow here today, "looking out from the alcove" is nature framing nature. That's a HUGE WOW!

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  2. Your photography of rocks and clouds is always so beautiful. It's art.

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  3. Very interesting page and gorgeous skies !

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  4. The clouds here are definitely vying for attention. You are so lucky to find these petroglyphs! It looks like a cooler day with all these clouds? Have fun this weekend!
    Emille (Jesh)

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  5. Wow! ~ What a beautiful day and gorgeous sky photos along with the rock and indigenous finds ~ I thought I could see a head of an indigenous person in the rock with Banjo in red ~ thanks for these wonderful photos and post ~ Xo

    Living in the moment,

    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  6. Dearest Peter,
    It must be oh so rewarding to hike under such a perfect sky and then finding so many 'hidden' treasures.
    Yes, my biggest wish always has been to be able to be transitioned back in time, to really see how life was then!
    Thanks for sharing your gems.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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  7. Beautiful scattered clouds and beautiful artwork.

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  8. Another great hike and adventure. You sure have a sharp eye for these barely visible markings. We may never know what they mean. I always kind of wonder what was life like back then.

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  9. It's amazing to see all those pictographs. I wonder how long they've been there.

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  10. Great shots! Always amazing and interesting.

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  11. Excellent write up sir. I like to explore ancient India as well but current age does not allow exploration much

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  12. Beautiful photos! How fascinating to bring out the pictographs. Good use of technology for something ancient.

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  13. Your pictures are impossible. I think you have made a Faustian deal with some sulfurous guy with a pitchfork. I am in awe. The aids for bringing out the pictographs are certainly helpful for capturing them. But the rocks, the sky!

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  14. I'm stunned by what you manage to find on your walks around the park, the photos are just stunning

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  15. Beautiful photos. I like the header.

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  16. Thanks for the education and beautiful shots of earth and sky. Just WOW. You are the first person I remember showing color in the ancient leavings of the people who were here long before us....
    THANKS
    Sherry & jack

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  17. Beautiful location and lots of primitive paintings that we try to interpret.

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  18. Beautiful sky photos and amazing rocks and pictographs!

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  19. Greetings and Salutations! I am so glad you know about dstretch app. Otherwise, we all could not see the faint images. Your photographs are pieces of art.

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  20. How can I not stop by knowing all the treasures you will show us? Thank YOU for doing the work so we can enjoy virtually!

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  21. You find the most amazing places and things.
    I am wondering if the clouds in the first picture are called altocumulus...

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  22. I like that mortal. Hole Hearted. And nice "Indian graffiti". Very interesting stuff. And nice photography as per usual.

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  23. Yes. Isn´t irony us "white people" ... you know the picture...
    Great first pic!! Second, too! And..... :-)
    And that alcove-view! Beautiful.
    My post of today so sucks, LOL, thank you for sharing yours, awwww - you live in a great place and those pics... you´re an artist.
    You bring joy.
    And you teach.
    Thank you.

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  24. The sky in your shots today is superb!
    Generations of men have admired it before us...and painted the rocks.

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  25. on treasure hunt again. great photos. plus I learned something new :-) - (googled dStretch - cool tool).

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  26. Beautiful photos, landscapes and art.

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  27. You got some pretty spectacular photos on this hike. The sky is unbelievably gorgeous. I LOVE that 10th photo with the streak of clouds in the sky. Wonderful.

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  28. I think you out did yourself with the photos for this post. They are absolutely stunning.

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  29. Your sky photos are fabulous. Interesting art, great finds.

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  30. Beautiful country and rock formations as always! Fantastic sky!

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  31. It amazes me you can find these sites without more specific direction. It's fascinating to see where others were so long ago.

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  32. Stunning photos of rocks and sky. The desert is an interesting place.

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  33. Wonderful landscapes and interesting old rock paintings you have found.

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  34. i wonder if you realize how comforting - welcoming - your posts are - it feels a little like homecoming - to some of us.
    Thank you!

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  35. Looks like a great day for a hike! Beautiful sky and interesting discoveries. Joshua Tree National Park is on my list of places to visit....hopefully in the not too distant future.

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  36. Brilliant Captures Across The Board - Stay Adventurous Brother

    Cheers

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  37. This was a wonderful post to celebrate Indiginous People's Day! I enjoyed it -- as I am enjoying catching up on all the interest and beauty that I missed while we were traveling. Not going to bore you with commenting on every post, but did want to let you know how much I appreciated this one.

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