Ute panel, Sego Canyon,
Utah. Photograph: Peter
Faris, August, 1993.
Left side of Ute panel, Sego
Canyon, Utah. Photograph:Peter Faris, August, 1993.
We all have
seen examples of rock art panels badly vandalized in many different ways,
and we know of cases that have been reported from all over the world. I was
recently looking at rock art photographs online and ran across a photo of the
wonderful Ute Indian pictograph panel
from Sego Canyon, Utah, a site I have visited a number of times. I
thought this photograph looked different than I remembered so I went into my
files and found a photograph that I had taken of the same panel in August,
1993. I present both photographs here for your perusal, and to illustrate my
premise of the importance of not only recording rock art, but of making those
records available to other students of the field for comparison.
https://www.eskimo.com/~noir/
southwestrockart/thomp6.jpg
At this
level I can see two alterations to the panel right off. The first is the
addition of the name Jesus above the shield in the center. The second
alteration is the apparent addition of a ring of white hand prints around the
shield on the left.
https://www.eskimo.com/~noir/
southwestrockart/thomp6.jpg
In
my 1993 photograph of this panel the large initials "F.B." can already be seen so that vandalism occurred
prior to that year. Scanning photographs online of this panel I found one taken
between 2003 and 2007 according to its labeling that has the name "Jesus" added but no
hand prints around the shield on the left. So we can probably assume that the
name "Jesus" was added
between 1993 and the 2003-7 period. The hand prints appeared after the 2003-7
period. In this way we can begin to chart the progressing cumulative vandalism
of this important panel. Indeed, a person could make quite a project out of
accumulating a number of photographs of the same panel over a broad span of
years and record the history of its desecration. If anyone out there has any
further information on the apparent vandalism of this important rock art panel
I would be happy to hear it. Let me know!
NOTE: I
would be remiss in not mentioning the possibility that the hand prints could
have been added to a photograph of the panel digitally (i.e. Photoshopped), but
I am not skilled enough with computers to detect such alteration. If this were
the case I hope someone will also let me know that.
NOTE: Digital
copies of all my rock art photographs, with the pertinent information on time
and place, are in the Colorado Rock Art Archives at the Pueblo Regional
Library, Pueblo, Colorado.
RESOURCE:
The photo
with added hand prints was found at the website https://www.eskimo.com/~noir/southwest/rockart/thomp6.jpg
.
Posts
Now here's a tricky question. If the handprints were added by someone of Ute descent would it still be considered graffiti, or just tradition?
ReplyDeleteRandy, Good question. Australian aboriginal clans have members whose traditional job is to renew the rock art by repainting it when needed, and these are still considered authentic. My background is Scotch/Irish, but if I were to touch up a panel in either of those countries I would expect to be arrested. The best answer I can give you is "it depends."
DeleteGood question Randy. Australian aboriginal tribes have members whose traditional role is to "renew" old rock art by repainting it, and that is considered authentic. My background is Scotch/Irish but if I touched up a rock art panel in either of those countries I would expect to be arrested. I suppose my answer can only be "It depends."
Delete