A BOOK REVIEW – “NO BEAR: VISIONS THROUGH TIME.”

Keyser, James D., Carl M. Davis, David A. Kaiser, Mark D. Willis, Stephen J. Lycett, 2021, No Bear: Visions Through Time, Oregon Archaeological Society (OAS) Press, Publication Number 27, Portland, OR.

The 27^th volume published by the Oregon Archaeological Society is about a Montana rock art site named the No Bear site. Titled No Bear: Visions Through Time, this volume relates another example of cutting edge recording techniques and analysis of rock art. This site was found on the Blackfeet Reservation in northern Montana, in a nowadays inaccessible location high on a cliff.

View of No Bear petroglyph site, Montana.

No Bear is a small, but complicated site, multi-component in that a number of styles and techniques are represented. “No Bear is located on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in north-central Montana just east of the Rocky Mountains. The site consists of an extensive and unusual array of red pictographs painted across three adjacent faces on the lower portion of a massive sandstone cliff situated at the confluence of a deep coulee draining into a major stream valley. Petroglyphs are also scratched and abraded across two of the rock faces where they are both superimposed on and superimposed by various pictographs.” (Keyser et al. 2021:2)

           

    Drawing of panels 1 and 2, No Bear                  petroglyph site, Montana.

Due to the inaccessible location of the rock art the team had to utilize innovative techniques to photograph it in depth. “We initially debated using either a drone or pole-assisted aerial photography (PAP), and after consultation with Mark Willis we brought both types of equipment to the site. Although we used both methods, after examining the site Willis and Keyser decided to rely primarily on PAP photography because of its time-efficiency and accuracy given the site access and weather conditions.” (Keyser et al. 2021:3)

     Detailed drawing of Panel 3, No Bear                petroglyph site, Montana.

The images on these panels were quite difficult to see because of fading and erosion. “In addition to the collapse of a large part of panel 2, significant erosion is evident on the right half of Panel 3, in this area, the painted images are significantly fainter than most others painted on the panel’s left half, making them less visible in ambient light photographs. Some of this is clearly due to age, since several of the fainter images, which are older and thus exposed to more weathering, are scattered among fresher ones. But we also note that photographs show distinctive patterns of abrasion across the right half of the panel and on the extreme lower margin of the panel’s left side.” (Keyser et al. 2021:2-3)

Composite of panels 1, 2, and 3 as photographed, and then DStretched to bring out the pictographs. No Bear petroglyph site, Montana.

“Given the soft slope and weather conditions, we photographed the panels from a range of about 30 cm to 3 meters (1 to 10 feet) and at an elevation of approximately 4 to 6 meters (13 to 19 feet) above stable ground. Willis controlled placement of the camera to take more than 750 photographs while Keyser triggered the shutter at Willis’s direction. – The more than 750 photographs taken by PAP from multiple vantage points in front of the panels allowed Willis to process the photographic data in a commercial Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry package called MetaShape (Version 1.5.3). This software takes a set of overlapping photographs, analyzes the location of visually similar objects in them., and then creates a three-dimensional point cloud (Figures 7, 8) based on the relationship between the objects. The point cloud is a highly accurate 3D representation of the rock art panel surface.” (Keyser et al. 2021:5)

To make the images visible the team processed the resulting 3D model with D-stretch. “During and ofter preparing the composite photograph, DStretch enhancements of many individual photographs were used to emphasize the painted imagery for purposes of photo-tracing. This also helped highlight the scratched petroglyphs.” (Keyser et al. 2021:7)

 All in all approximately eight pages are used to explain their recording methods in detail, highly educational for others seeking a recording model.  The subsequent sixty pages are devoted to the in-depth analysis we would expect from this team. Every detail of every panel is studied, identified, and compared with other examples from the region to try to find its significance.

From the shape of feathers on a headdress to the weapon, or dance wand, displayed in a figure’s hand, this analysis happens, comprehensive and in-depth, and it has allowed the team to make a number of important conclusions. "All three panels have pictographs, and differences in weathering combined with superimpositions indicate that artists painted images in at least four different episodes on Panel 3. Other artists using Panel 3 also scratched and/or abraded a series of petroglyphs in at least three different episodes occurring between the two major painting episodes. One artist also drew a small scratched oval scrawl on the large anthropomorph in Panel 1. In all, we have identified at least seven different episodes of rock art production at the site." (Keyser et al. 2021:11)

The final product is not only an in-depth analysis of a fascinating and unique rock art site, but also is an example of detailed thoroughness and excellence for future rock art researchers and recorders.

For more information about this, and their other publications go to www.oregonarcheological.org/publications or inquire at Oregon Archaeological Society, PO Box 13293, Portland, Oregon, 97213.

BOOK REVIEW - VISIONS FOR LIFE AND DEATH: PICTOGRAPHS OF THE LOWER COLUMBIA RIVER:

VISIONS FOR LIFE AND DEATH: PICTOGRAPHS OF THE LOWER COLUMBIA RIVER,  Keyser, James D., David A. Kaiser, and David L. Minick.

Front cover.

I have received another volume of rock art in the series published by the Oregon Archaeological Society; Visions for Life and Death: Pictographs of the Lower Columbia River, by Keyser, James D., David A. Kaiser, and David L. Minick, 2019, Oregon Archaeological Society Publication #26, Portland, Oregon. (www.oregonarchaeological.org) I have personal ties (family history) to the region, and have spent considerable time there, so I was pleased to be able to delve deeper into the rock art and customs of the aboriginal inhabitants of that (the Dalles/Deschutes) area. The bulk of the rock art there is found to be either Central Columbia Plateau Style, or Yakima Polychrome Style. I have some little familiarity with these as, back in August 1983, I had visited a large Yakima Polychrome style site on a cliff by the river at Yakima, Washington, and, in July 2000, I had the opportunity to spend a day with Jim Keyser examining rock art in this (the Dalles/Deschutes) area, including some of the Spedis Creek panels (I have had a few other opportunities to visit rock art around the Dalles as well). This is some of my favorite rock art and I am very happy to have this detailed book about it.

Map of the study area.

Fig. 2, p. 3.

"Painted at two sites in the lower Columbia River region are fascinating sets of pictographs detailing the ritual activities of the people who have lived along the Columbia and Deschutes rivers for thousands of years. Bright red and red-and-white polychrome pictographs found at Spedis Creek and Harris Canyon document the vision quests of shamans and laypersons and show the deeply held beliefs people had about the Supernatural world. Informed by ethnography and mythology, these paintings are a testament to generations of people practicing their customs and passing their traditions and knowledge on to others. 
With dozens of photographs and color plates, accompanied by other illustrations, as well as various maps and charts, the authors present the first detailed study of a Yakima Polychrome type site. In addition, they undertake a detailed comparison between that site and a much simpler group of pictographs at the nearby Harris Canyon site."  
This publisher's statement from the back cover of the book only begins to describe this volume. 

Columbia River canyon

in study area,

Fig. 3, p. 4.

With a wealth of photographs as well as comparative tables and charts, the imagery from this study area is integrated with rock art of the greater region. It should be noted that this is also the area that houses the great Tsagaglalal, "She Who Watches", but that is slightly outside the study area covered by this volume.

Black and white recording,

Fig. 5, p. 12.

As important as the results of such a comprehensive study are, there is another important aspect of this, the process itself. Because they were not allowed to do mylar tracings (by the Washington State Parks Department) the black and white images which look like marvelously detailed field drawings are actually photographs processed with D-stretch, Photoshopped, and then printed in black and white. "During the Spedis Creek/Harris Canyon project we made no direct tracings of the pictographs or petroglyphs at either site. Instead we based our recordings of the imagery entirely on color digital photography. This exclusive reliance on color photography results in some issues that must be discussed. The first is our production and use of what we term photo-tracings. There are two sorts of such images. The simplest is stipple tracing done directly from the photograph. This is much like a direct tracing of an image, but one cannot control for the parallax that occurs when the camera lens is not absolutely parallel to the painted or carved surface, or when the surface itself has irregularities.
Other photo-tracings are made using the "color-replacer" tool in the Paintshop Pro or Photoshop programs. This technical operation involves selecting the color of the parts of an image one wishes to save and removing all other color from the photograph.
Using photographs already manipulated by the DStretch enhancement often means that the image of the pictograph one wishes to preserve  is shown in the photograph as some combination of strange pink, white, orange, or even grey-black colors. Clearly making such a photo-tracing with the use of the color-replacer tool is a complex technical process that must be carefully orchestrated to eventually produce a two-color, black-and-white version of the image in the photograph." (pages 14-15) This will undoubtedly prove an important technique for many rock art recording projects in the future.

Spedis Creek panel,

enhanced with DStretch.

Plate 27.

One problem I have found in the past in recording rock art with team members who have artistic training is that they often cannot resist the urge to make small changes to improve it - "to make it look better."  That is changing the image, not recording it. In one recording project that I led a number of the field sketches by "artists" (self-identified, not academically trained) had to be discarded. Normally I would say that there is a danger in using such photo manipulation to produce the final record, that decisions might be made on the basis of creating an attractive result, not the most accurate one, but with this team, and knowing Jim Keyser, I am fully confident that the final record is as accurate as it can possibly be. 

All in all "Visions for Life and Death" is a marvelously detailed book by a highly professional team, of an area rich in important rock art. And, another important publication by the Oregon Archaeological Society. I am grateful to all of them for this contribution to the record of Northwestern rock art, and at an almost giveaway price.

The book is:

Keyser, James D., David A. Kaiser, and David L. Minick
2019 Visions for Life and Death: Pictographs of the Lower Columbia River, Oregon Archaeological Society Publication #26, Portland, Oregon. 
8.5″X11″ 112 pages, 59 illustrations, 6 pages of color photos
ISBN #: 978-0-9915200-4-6
OAS publication #26
www.oregonarchaeological.org
Price $16.00 plus $4.00 Shipping and Handling.

BOOK REVIEW - HORSE RAIDERS IN THE MISSOURI BREAKS:

It wasn't done by the butler in the library . . . . . it was done in the Missouri Breaks, by the Blackfoot and the Crow.

Cover: Horse Raiders in the Missouri

Breaks,  Keyser and Minick, 2018,

Oregon Archaeological Society,

Portland.

Back in the dim past (1970s and 80s) when I was only a few years into my studies of rock art, I was lucky enough to meet Jim Keyser, the only archaeologist I know who had the courage at that time to state that we could, in fact, interpret rock art and learn a lot about it and the people who made it, not just record it. Since then, Jim's publications with a number of collaborators, provide an education in how to approach the subject of meaning in rock art. Now I have the distinct pleasure of presenting to you a 2018 book by James D. Keyser, and David L. Minick, Horse Raiders in the Missouri Breaks: Eagle Creek Canyon Petroglyphs, Montana, another volume in the series published by the Oregon Archaeological Society in Portland (www.oregonarchaeological.org).

Eagle Creek Canyon Petroglyphs

site, 24CH757, Montana.

Stylistic comparisons,

Fig. 12, p. 22.

Most rock art books are large regional surveys or site reports, but this is an in-depth analysis of the rock art of a single locale, but (as with all of Keyser's work) with a very broad range of comparative material explaining and establishing it in time and place. It includes very detailed descriptions of the rock art, and comparisons to ledger-book art as well. Including over 100 pages on just six panels at a single site (just five panels if you discount panel three which is a modern autograph - vandalism), its detailed chronologic and stylistic classification will inform studies over a much broader region, and its approach to the study of rock art sets an example that we can all benefit from. For example: it includes eight pages (31 - 38) of analysis of saddles in rock art. I also count forty pages devoted to interpretation of the rock art at the site.

Jim Keyser with a recording crew, 

Eagle Creek Canyon project.

From his beginnings in rock art studies Keyser has  propounded the theory that Native American winter counts and ledger book art provide a lexicon that we can use to inform our analysis of rock art imagery. Over his productive career Keyser has also accumulated comparative files of other rock art sites which join the winter counts and ledger book art in his lexicon of examples. This analysis, based on Keyser's huge comparative files, also places it in the broader context of regional rock art, and Native American art which could be applied to other art forms and media.

Plate 5, Horse, Carved and 

abraded on Panel 5.

David Minick is a long-time member of Oregon Archaeological Society and member of Keyser's rock art research team. His profession was Photo-journalist and Photographer and for the last 5 -6 years he has done much of their camera work specializing in DStretch analysis, along with lab work. He has also co-published some site reports with Keyser from Oregon, Washington, and Utah, especially recovering imagery with DStretch.

Plate 2, Horse and rider

from Panel 2.

This partnership has combined their talents to illustrate an example for the way rock art sites should be approached. As a result of their extensive analysis the authors have developed an explanation of the presence of the rock art being studied as an ancient form of tagging, or calling cards. Back on March 13, 2011, I posted a column titled Tagging and Territorial Marking in Rock Art, looking at the question as to whether some rock art was the equivalent of the modern form of vandalism - tagging. The idea is that it is a mark left by someone for someone else to find, not quite in the sense of "Kilroy was here," but more in a challenging sense, like "I was here and there was nothing you could do about it." Keyser and Minick have, of course, provided a much more thorough explanation of rock art as a "calling card."

In their analysis the examples of Blackfoot and Crow rock art in the same location are successive messages from one group to the other, taunting them. In their theory the basic motive was the Plains Indian phenomenon of horse raiding, stealing horses from an enemy group. This site, Eagle Creek Canyon in Montana, they present as being located in the area bordering between both tribes and on a natural route for horse raiding. If my group was successful I might leave a horse image on the cliff to taunt you, and after a reciprocal raid your group might leave a horse image there to trump mine.

Five Star Book.

This volume provides a lesson as to how rock art analysis should be conducted. It can be ordered from the Oregon Archaeological Society at

http://www.oregonarchaeological.org/publications/

REFERENCE: 

Keyser, James D., and David L. Minick,

2018 Horse Raiders in the Missouri Breaks: Eagle Creek Canyon Petroglyphs, Montana, Oregon Archaeological Society, Portland. www.oregonarchaeological.org

PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES - A BOOK REVIEW:

Pushing The Boundaries,

Front Cover

This volume is another rock art publication of the Oregon Archaeological Society (OAS), their 24th book, a remarkable contribution for such a group. This particular book covers a region in southeastern Oregon known as the Harney Basin, centered a couple of hundred miles south of Pendleton, and a transitional area between the Columbia Plateau and the Great Basin. Pushing the Boundaries: The Pictographs Petroglyphs of Oregon's Harney Basin, written by Don Hann and Daniel Leen adds a little-known area to the record, and covers this important region in great detail.

Harney Basin, Oregon. Photo:

used with permission of OAS.

Map of Harney Basin, Oregon.

Wikipedia.

As with other volumes published by the Oregon Archaeological Society this book is seriously scholarly, boasting 14 pages of references out of a 107 page total.

Harney Basin pictograph sites.

Photo: used with permission

of OAS.

The website of the OAS describes the volume with this statement:

"Archaeologists Daniel Leen and Don Hann have joined forces to create this interesting and scientifically important volume on the rock art of the Harney Basin in southeastern Oregon. Sitting at the cultural boundary between the Columbia Plateau and the Great Basin, the pictographs and petroglyphs of the Harney Basin have long captured the interests of both professional and avocational archaeologists. Hann, a U.S. Forest service Archaeologist and Leen, a well known archaeologist and artist, describe the major sites in detail, interpret the imagery, and explain that the ancient drawings and carvings are likely the work of groups from both the Columbia Plateau and the Great Basin who used the Harney Basin throughout at least the last 5,000 years.

Fortunately, Leen, one of the premier rock art recorders in the Pacific Northwest, spent two summers in the early 1980s carefully recording more than 40 Harney Basin sites. Hann's knowledge of Blue Mountains/Harney Basin prehistory, coupled with Leen's excellent tracings have produced a volume that will quickly become a classic for any student of western North American rock art." (http://www.oregonarchaeological.org/publications)

Figure 6, 35HA1372, panel4, p. 22.

Photo: used with permission of OAS.

The finely detailed black and white drawings by  that illustrate this volume are gems in their own right, although they are generally reproduced in small scale. Their detail and clarity make me hungry to see the full-scale originals. A considerable amount of information about the people who created the rock art is provided as well.

Plate 1, Harney Basin, Site 24,

Rattlesnake Rim. Photo: used

with permission of OAS.

"The people living in Harney Basin bay have included members of both Columbia Plateau and Great Basin ethnic groups tied together through bonds of marriage and trade. (Rhode 2012:4-10)" (p.81)

"The Great Basin group which inhabited Harney Basin in the early historic period was the Northern Paiute - Several distinct bands of the Northern Paiute lived here including the Wadatika, Hunipuitoka (Walpapi), and Koa'aga'itoka." (p.6)

"Plateau tribes that lived adjacent to Harney Basin in the southern Blue Mountains include the Western Columbia River Sahaptins (also known as the John Day Band, the Dock-Spus or erroneously the Tenino), Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla and Nez Perce Indians." (p. 7) 

Plate 2, Harney Basin, Site 24,

Rattlesnake Rim. Photo: used

with permission of OAS.

The authors found a cultural association with these groups and the style of the rock art as well as the media it was produced in.

"Harney Basin petroglyphs show clear affiliation with the Great Basin but local variation in design elements demonstrates influence from the Columbia Plateau." (p. 79)

"Harney Basin pictographs are associated with the Columbia Plateau. They fit clearly into Keyser's (1992:83) North Oregon Rectilinear Style." (p. 79)

To me, the striking quality of this book is that the authors present a detailed, scientific record and analysis of the rock art of the region without falling into the trap of trying to fit the material into any current fad espoused by pop rock art analysts. I think I only counted the "s-word" (shaman) once in the whole volume, and did not notice the word "neuropsychological" at all. This book definitely belongs in the library of any serious student of North American rock art.

Five star approval rating.

To purchase a copy of this, or any other of their excellent books, simply visit  http://www.oregonarchaeological.org/publications/.

8.5” x 11” 107 pages, 100 illustrations, two pages of color plates
ISBN #: 978-0-9915200-2-2 OAS Publication: #24. Price $15.00 plus $4.00 Shipping and Handling.

REFERENCE:

Hann, Don, & Daniel Leen

2017 Pushing the Boundaries: The Pictographs Petroglyphs of Oregon's Harney Basin, Oregon Archaeological Society Publication #24 , www.oregonarchaeological.org

NORTHERN PLAINS SHIELD BEARING WARRIORS - A BOOK REVIEW:

I cannot speak for everyone else, but Shield Figures have long been a favorite rock art theme of mine. The many ways they are portrayed, and visual conventions used, have fascinated me from the beginning. Additionally, they have a feeling of personal identity lacking in many other rock art symbols. Especially in instances where a shield design can be discerned the viewer has the sense that this represents a particular, identifiable individual. Thus I was particularly thrilled when I received a copy of the new book Northern Plains Shield Bearing Warriors by the dynamic duo James D. Keyser and George Poetschat, and published in 2014 by Oregon Archaeological Society Press, Portland.

SBW-WY-161, Castle Gardens, Wyoming.

Photograph James Adams.

The authors state that “the shield bearing warrior motif is the best known and most widespread in Northern Plains Ceremonial Tradition rock art. Found throughout the region from north of Calgary, Alberta to near Denver, Colorado, and from Wyoming’s Green River Basin to the Black Hills of South Dakota, the motif shows a human whose torso is almost entirely positioned behind a large circular (or in rare instances, rectangular) shield.“ (p. 7)

SBW-MT-164, Hilej Site, Montana.

“The shield bearing warrior motif shows a standing or (less frequently) horseback-riding warrior holding a shield that obscures most of his torso. Typically the warrior’s head (and sometimes also his neck) projects above the shield and his legs extend below it. However, it is not unknown for a shield bearer to lack either a head or legs  - as if the shield were actually covering more of his person. Many shield bearing warriors also have a weapon; often projecting out from behind the shield perimeter, usually between the 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock positions. Other warriors extend their arm out beyond the shield’s margin to hold a weapon.” (p.7)

Shield figure record, site SBW-MT-122, page 189.

This remarkable 314 page compendium, with contributions by Becky Steed, Sue Ann Jansen, Susan Gray, and David Kaiser, discusses the subject of shield bearing warriors at length, explaining their history, style, and cultural affiliations, it provides an exhaustive listing of examples from the Northern Plains, including; Alberta, Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Each listed example is provided with a black and white drawing and extremely detailed description including: media, site, and features. Appendix II lists 604 examples of shield bearing warriors from some 157 sites – how is that for exhaustive? Keyser and Poetschat have provided rock art researchers with a whole reference library of the subject in one volume. My only disappointment with the whole thing is that they did not continue their coverage on further south to include examples in Utah, New Mexico, and the rest of Colorado. This book is required reading for anyone interested in the rock art of North America, and the history and art of Native Americans in general.

Keyser, James D., and George Poetschat,

2014    Northern Plains Shield Bearing Warriors: A Five Century Rock Art Record of Indian Warfare, Oregon Archaeological Society Press Publication #22, and Indigenous Cultures Preservation Society Publication #2, Portland.

“FRATERNITY OF WAR, PLAINS INDIAN ROCK ART AT BEAR GULCH AND ATHERTON CANYON, MONTANA - CONTINUED”

  

Keyser, James D., David A. Kaiser, George Poetschat,

And Michael W. Taylor, 2012, Fraternity of War,

Plains Indian Rock Art at Bear Gulch and Atherton

Canyon, Montana, Oregon Archaeological Society

Press Publication #21, Portland.

On July 12, 2014, I posted part one of a review of the wonderful book Fraternity of War, Plains Indian Rock Art at Bear Gulch and Atherton Canyon, Montana, by James Keyser and George Poetschat. This 436 page volume was published by the Oregon Archaeological Society Press (volume 21) and was written by 14 contributing authors, edited by James D. Keyser, David A. Kaiser, George Poetschat, and Michael W. Taylor, with technical editing by John and Mavis Greer, and contributions by a handful of other people. Now I want to repeat here that I do not personally know most of the people involved in this volume, but I wish I knew them all because they have to all be outstanding experts in their specialties, with James Keyser shepherding the process and setting his usual high standards.

This comprehensive volume provides coverage of much of the material found at these locations. With a record of detailed tracings of more than 900 panels they authors could not include everything, but they put an amazing amount of material into this volume.

In discussing chronological contexts for the sites the authors included a fascinating ethnographic account of a rock art panel from Curley Head, a Gros Ventre native. Speaking in 1937 from memories of his childhood (believed to be from about 1870) Curley Head stated: “Then we crossed the Missouri River and camped at the mouth of a creek, which empties into the river. Here the Little People had made paintings on the cliffs and in the caves nearby. I decided to sleep near one of these cliffs to see if I could obtain some power. I prayed and cried until I fell asleep. I had a dream that the Little People were coming for me with a big kettle of boiling water and each one was picking a part of my body that he wanted to eat. I woke up and left that place right away. People always have bad dreams when they sleep near painted cliffs (Pohrt 1937)”. (Keyser and Poetschatt 2013:23)

Face paint designs, Keyser and Poetschat, 

Fig. 2.181, p. 155.

One of the qualities that I have most admired in Jim Keyser’s work is the ability he has always shown to recognize and point out significant details in the rock art. For instance, where most of us would look at the figures painted and pecked and see that some have face painting, Keyser carefully noted 27 different face painting designs, and illustrated them (on page 156). He repeats this with many other details of portrayal, including headdresses and hairstyles, including at least 13 wolf hat headdresses (pages 158-160).

Wolf hat headdresses, Keyser and

Poetschat, Fig. 2.183, p. 158.

So much of rock art literature in the past has been limited to a record describing and illustrating what is portrayed. This has, however, never been Jim Keyser’s modus operandi. Not only do Jim Keyser and George Poetschat spend hundreds of pages on detailed description of rock art panels and figures in this book, they devote many, many more to detailed analysis of the iconography and meaning of the images. Jim Keyser has always been a master at reading the narrative in a rock art panel, and the rock art of Bear Gulch and Atherton Canyon is presented the same way.  

I hope that in talking so much about Jim Keyser I have not shorthanded other deserving personnel involved in this volume. As I said, I do not know most of the people involved (although I still wish I did) and cannot fully know their contributions and personal strengths. I have known Jim Keyser and have long had an extremely high regard for his scholarship and work ethic, and when I think I see his hand in the material I guess I tend to automatically attribute it to him. It is also my firm belief that Jim would be the first to brush this off, and to pass the credit to his co-workers. On May 20, 2014, he wrote to me about his partner George Poetschat: “He was awarded the Crabtree award a couple years ago by the Society for American Archaeology in recognition of his MANY contributions to archaeology....co-authoring these publications is just one of his many skills.” If I have wrongly attributed any element of this book let me say that it has not been my intention to slight any of the people involved in this marvelous publication, and thank all of them for their contributions.

I finished the first part of my review of this book with the following paragraph. "There is so much material in this volume that it constitutes, in itself, a reference library of Great Plains rock art. Clearly written, carefully cross-referenced, and full of citations, this book will be the go-to reference for many years to come. When I first heard of this book and decided to review it here for RockArtBlog I had no idea of the scope of the project I would be undertaking. Needless to say this is only the beginning and I anticipate many more postings over time about this wonderful book and material that it contains. Congratulations and thank you to the whole team for adding all of this knowledge to our field, and thank you as well to the Oregon Archaeological Society for making it possible."
I see no reason to change that opinion now.

REFERENCE:

Keyser, James D., David A. Kaiser, George Poetschat, and Michael W. Taylor

2012    Fraternity of War, Plains Indian Rock Art at Bear Gulch and Atherton Canyon, Montana, Oregon Archaeological Society Press Publication #21, Portland.

“FRATERNITY OF WAR, PLAINS INDIAN ROCK ART AT BEAR GULCH AND ATHERTON CANYON, MONTANA”

Keyser, James D., David A. Kaiser, George Poetschat, and

Michael W. Taylor, 2012, Fraternity of War, Plains Indian

Rock Art at Bear Gulch and Atherton Canyon, Montana,

Oregon Archaeological Society Press Publication #21, Portland.

This is a truly remarkable book which presents an encyclopedic record of rock art in two locations in Montana. This 436 page volume was published by the Oregon Archaeological Society Press (volume 21) and was written by 14 contributing authors, edited by James D. Keyser, David A. Kaiser, George Poetschat, and Michael W. Taylor, with technical editing by John and Mavis Greer, and contributions by a handful of other people. Now I want to say up front that I do not personally know most of the people involved in this volume, but I wish I knew them all because they have to all be outstanding experts in their specialties, with James Keyser shepherding the process and setting his usual high standards.

The team or panel of rock art experts assembled to compile this material is truly impressive. Listed on the cover page are the writers, editors, and other contributors, comprising a who’s-who of expertise in rock art and archaeology.

Editors: James D. Keyser, David A. Kaiser, George Poetschat, Michael W. Taylor.

Technical Editors: John Greer, Mavis Greer.

Contributing Authors: James D. Keyser, David A. Kaiser, John Greer, Mavis Greer, George Poetschat, Carl M. Davis, Angelo Eugenio Fossati, Melissa (Ray) Gentry, Lisa F. Ripps, Melissa Greer, Mike Bergstrom, Sara Scott, Marvin Rowe, Amanda Derby.

Forward: Macie (Lundin) Ahlgren.

Technical Contributors: Susan Gray, Stephanie (Young) Renfro, Ray Baise.

Cover Design and Photographs: Michael W. Taylor.

Containing over 300 illustrations the Fraternity of War not only provides a detailed record of world class rock art, it provides a data base of the styles and periods of rock art from the area.

In the preface the authors state: “Bear Gulch and Atherton Canyon are already one of the most studied and extensively published rock art site complexes in North America, rivaling much better known locals such as Writing-On-Stone, The Dalles-Deschutes region of the lower Columbia River, The Coso Range, the lower Pecos River, and Chaco Canyon, Canyon de Chelly, and Barrier Canyon in the Southwest . . . we hope this report adds significantly to the discussion and study of Plains rock art. The number of shield bearing warriors, women, birds, weapons, and various warrior accoutrements composing the Ceremonial Tradition art at these sites far outstrips that from any other Plains site. In addition, though limited in number, the Biographic Tradition compositions at these sites add significantly to the repertoire of that art tradition across all of the Plains. Finally, there are several one-of-a-kind rock art images portrayed only at these sites, including a decorated hide robe, the Standing Bear and Hand of God shield designs, the wolf hat headdress, a trade blanket, and partisan-type lance heads derived from Spanish polearms. These images, and the few dozen others representing earlier styles and traditions, are sufficiently important that no future Plains rock art research will be conducted without reference to some of them. Accordingly, the profession of archaeology owes a major debt of gratitude to the Lundin and Melton families, who not only permitted access to their properties, but actively encouraged this research. ” (Keyser et al. 2012:xiii-xiv)

Shield bearing warrior figure, Bear

Gulch. Photograph by Mike Taylor.

The cover photograph of this book reproduces this beautiful polychrome panel from Bear Gulch, Montana. The white color in this figure is actually produced by scratching the surface of the rock, not by utilizing a white pigment (notice the additional white scratched figures as well). The red and black pigments are added to the surface of the rock. Faint black lines to the left and below the shield represent a feather bustle. These were cataloged on 185 shield bearing warriors at these sites and are considered to be representations of an aggressive buffalo bull's erect tail, conveying power and aggressiveness. (Keyser et al. 2012:133-4)

There is so much material in this volume that it constitutes, in itself, a reference library of Great Plains rock art. Clearly written, carefully cross-referenced, and full of citations, this book will be the go-to reference for many years to come. When I first heard of this book and decided to review it here for RockArtBlog I had no idea of the scope of the project I would be undertaking. Needless to say this is only the beginning and I anticipate many more postings over time about this wonderful book and material that it contains. On a five star scale for books this one has to be at least a full five and should perhaps be an eight or ten. Congratulations and thank you to the whole team for adding all of this knowledge to our field, and thank you as well to the Oregon Archaeological Society for making it possible.

REFERENCE:

Keyser, James D., David A. Kaiser, George Poetschat, and Michael W. Taylor

2012    Fraternity of War, Plains Indian Rock Art at Bear Gulch and Atherton Canyon, Montana, Oregon Archaeological Society Press Publication #21, Portland.