700-YEAR-OLD PETROGLYPHS VANDALIZED NEAR MOAB, UTAH:

"Birthing Rock" site near Moab, Utah. Online photograph, public domain.

Writing for KSL.com, Carter Williams has had the sad duty of describing the vandalism of two petroglyph panels this year near Moab, Utah.

The so-called "birthing panel" near Moab, Utah. Photograph Peter Faris, 3 August 2000.

Birthing Rock Vandalism: I have never been able to see the petroglyph that this site was named for as an instance of giving birth. If anything, it looks to me like a case of medical prolapse, but whatever it is, it is an example of rock art and now this site has been vandalized. “Birthing Rock includes birthing images drawn on the rock by Native American groups at least as far back as the Ancestral Puebloan Culture, a couple of thousand years ago. More petroglyphs were added through the years. Judging from photos, Elizabeth Hora, and archaeologist for the Utah State Historic Preservation Office, said it appeared most of the damage was to petroglyphs left by people from the Fremont Culture. The Fremont in that area stretched from 500 A.D. to about 1300 A.D.” (Williams, April 2021)

Vandalized panel at "Birthing Rock" site near Moab, Utah. Online photograph, public domain.

A party, or parties, unknown wrote “White Power” across a portion of the petroglyph panel. This makes very little sense as Moab, Utah, is a bastion of white power if ever there was one. According to figures from the 2019 Census, white alone (not Hispanic or Latino) population is 73.6%, the Hispanic or Latino proportion of the population is 16.6%, with American Indian and Alaskan Native at 4.9%, and Black or African American coming in at 0.6% (U. S. Census 2019). This strikes me as sort of like praying for rain in the middle of a flood.

Vandalized Mill Creek Canyon site, Moab, Utah. Photograph ksl.com.

Mill Creek Canyon Vandalism: And in another unbelievably stupid act - “Pictures of the vandalism show the unknown vandal or vandals wrote ‘Petroglyphs’ and what appears to be the names ‘Taylor’, ‘Tray’, ‘Wes’ and ‘Travis’ plus the date of Aug. 3.” (Williams 2021)  This destruction was apparently done with a motive of photographing for social media. “The vandalism was discovered by someone visiting Mill Creek Canyon, southeast of Moab, on Aug. 10, according to Rachel Wootton, a public affairs specialist for the Bureau of Land Management. She said the petroglyph is believed to have been drawn by northern San Juan members of the Ancestral Puebloan Culture likely between 350 B.C. and 1300 A.D.” (Williams, August 2021)

 Restorer treating the vandalism at the Mill Creek Canyon site, Moab, Utah. Photograph ksl.com.

Moab has had an official policy of publicizing the locations of rock art for the purpose of attracting tourists. This has made it a popular destination for students of rock art, but apparently it also attracts more than its share of idiots and fringies.

You will notice I have not tried to be politically correct in my descriptions of the perpetrators of this vandalism. These morons need to be called out, arrested, and made examples of. If anyone knows anything about these crimes you should call the Police Department, Moab, Utah.

NOTE: Some images in this posting were retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain photographs. If any of these images are not intended to be public domain, I apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will contact me with them. For further information on these reports you should read the original reports at the sites listed below.

REFERENCES:

U.S. Census Bureau Quick Facts, Moab, Utah, Population estimates, July 1, 2019, accessed 29 October 2021

Williams, Carter, 2021, 700-year-old petroglyph vandalized in southern Utah, 25 August, 2021, KSL.com

Williams, Carter, 2021, ‘This is not an accident’: $10K reward offered after well-known Moab petroglyph found vandalized, 27 April 2021, KSL.com