A LOST BUT UNIQUE REPORTED ROCK ART SITE - COYOTE’S PENIS:

Coyote's Penis, Stein River Valley, British Columbia.

 York, 1993, They Write Their Dreams on the Rocks

Forever, fig. 13, p. 8.

On occasion rock art would be located in a place that lends meaning or power to the imagery because of features of the local topography. Such a place is found in the Stein River Valley of British Columbia, Canada, at a feature known as Coyote’s Penis.

“Indians also frequently painted pictures on rocks which were thought to be metamorphosis beings (originally human or semi-human, semi-animal, or semi-God-like character) concerning which, there were stories in their ancient mythological tales or traditions. These rocks are generally boulders corresponding roughly to human and animal forms or to parts of the body, etc., or to rocks worn into peculiar or fantastic forms of various kinds, suiting in some way the story that is told of them. By painting on them power in some degree, it was thought, might be obtained from them or their spirits. . . (Teit 1918:3).” (York 1993:8)

“One of these sites is found at Spence’s Bridge in the vicinity of Spaeks ha snikiap (Coyote’s Penis) were the genitals of Coyote and his wife, as well as her woven cooking basket, were turned to three rock formations by Xwekt’xwektl.  Xwekt’xwektl had tried to transform them totally to stone but due to the countervailing shamanic power of Coyote, the transformer was able to succeed only with the Coyote’s penis, his wife’s vulva and the basket kettle from which they had been picknicking (Teit 1898:44, n. 132; 1900:337).” (York 1993:8-9)

In this case the local First Nation’s population remembers that there is a rock art panel near Coyote’s Penis but it has not been located in contemporary searches. Perhaps some damage has destroyed it, or perhaps vegetation is currently concealing the pictographs. One has to hope that it will be rediscovered and recorded as rock art from such a location carries possibly evocative meaning and content. At worst we can hope that it illustrates the myth recorded above, and thus would give us an opportunity for comparative analysis. In any case it does carry a very large curiosity factor.

REFERENCES:

Teit, J. A.

1898    Traditions of the Thompson River Indians of British Columbia, American Folklore Society, Houghton Mifflin, New York.

York, Annie, Richard Daly, and Chris Arnett

1993    They Write Their Dream on the Rock Forever: Rock Writings of the Stein River Valley of British Columbia, Talonbooks, Vancouver, British Columbia.

AN EARTHQUAKE SYMBOL PICTOGRAPH:

The pictograph panel below includes a fascinating example of a geological phenomenon illustrated in rock art - the earthquake.

York, Annie, "They Write Their Dreams on the

Rocks Forever," 1993, fig. 102, p. 153.

Here we have Annie York commenting on the pictograph panel at EbRk2. Co-author Richard Daley had asked her about the owl-like figure in this panel and she explained that it is not actually the owl, that this was a spirit figure occurring in the dream of the anthropomorph on the right. “Sometimes it’s the owl, but it should be more formed than this one - . Here it’s the same as the last one. These strong powers, when you stand in the mountains long enough they can take the form of a bird, or other forms.” (York 1993:153)

“The long slanting line is the earth, and the zigzag is an earthquake. He’s dreamed that too. And you can see it in the stars too. The legend time of Xwekt’xwektl was when they were forming people and animals. Then the earthquake ended that and devoured them. Afterwards the new people came up and they were smaller like today.” (York 1993: 154)

It is certainly worth noting that British Columbia is on the western part of the North American continent which marks the “ring of fire,” the circle of volcanic activity that outlines the Pacific basin, and causes large numbers of earthquakes at many sites along its length. In more stable areas there was probably no need for the mythologies to explain earthquakes, but the people of the Northwest Coast and associated Interior are intimately familiar with earthquakes and have to include explanations of them in their mythologies. One common cause of earthquakes is fighting between Thunderbird and the whales he preys on for food. Another mythological cause of earthquakes in parts of the Pacific Northwest is underground tunneling by the giant beaver(Castoroides ohioensis). Neither of these would seem to be involved in this instance because none of those protagonists are present in the rock art panel.

Additionally, we have to question as to whether or not the original creator of the pictographs meant that symbol to represent an earthquake, or whether that is a contemporary interpretation by local natives, and whether or not that matters. To a certain extent I have to state that it does not matter what the original intention was (because we probably could never know it anyway). What does matter is that in this time and at this place that symbol means “earthquake,” and that is good enough for me.

REFERENCE:

York, Annie, Richard Daley and Chris Arnett

1993    They Write Their Dream on the Rock Forever: Rock Writings of the Stein River Valley of British Columbia, Talonbooks, Vancouver, B.C.

A WEATHER SYMBOL IN ROCK ART - 2, LIGHTNING:

Meteorological panel, Stein River valley, British Columbia, 

Canada. Figure 80, York, They Write Their Dreams on 

the Rocks Forever, p. 115.

 

On April 17, 2010, I posted a column titled Meteorology in Rock Art - Lightning, in which I discussed lightning symbols in rock art. Lightning is one of the natural powers that is manifested in very striking ways, and it played a big role in Native American beliefs and mythology. In They Write Their Dreams on the Rocks Forever, 'Nlaka'pamux elder Annie York discussed lighning in the meteorlogical pictograph panel in Stein Valley. What is particularly interesting to me in this instance was that she also identified one symbol as representing ball lighning. 

           "That sign comes from when the sun threw out his little children. You see that little person? That person is running away from the bad weather. Of course on the other side , that’s the sign for a lightning storm, the two zigzags. Below that, that sort of football, that shows the thunder. You see, a thunder comes in a ball sometimes. It rolls onto the earth and it makes a big clap! It hits the earth and does that.

            My mother said it went right through a house at Yale. They were clearing out a chicken house, and my mother heard the thing rolling in. She was brave enough. She opened the door as soon as she seen that thing and it rolled across the floor and went clean outside where it made a really big ditch. It’s a wonder it didn’t explode in the house.” (p. 116-7)

Lightning strike on Trinchera Dike, Colorado. 

Photograph Peter Faris, September 2009.

We have all heard of ball lightning, but how many of us have actually experienced it. Once, in my early teens during a storm in my hometown I was rummaging for something in a hall closet. This was a violent storm with seemingly continuous lightning, and although it was primarily cloud to cloud and with little cloud to ground lighning I was not particularly worried about our house being struck. While I was bent over with my head down in the closet there was a overwhelmingly bright flash with no noticeable sound of thunder (which I have only experienced on other time in my life when lightning struck particularly close) and a flash streaked down the hall over my back. I have always believed that I experienced ball lightning on that occasion. In any case, Annie's story of the ball lighning resonates very strongly with me, and now I have a symbol to picture it by.

REFERENCE:

York, Annie, Richard Daley, and Chris Arnett,

1993    They Write Their Dreams on the Rocks Forever, Rock Writings in the Stein River Valley of British Columbia, Talonbooks, Vancouver, B.C.

A WEATHER SYMBOL IN ROCK ART:

Meteorological symbols. Figure 80, York, They Write 

Their Dreams on the Rocks Forever, p. 115.

The 'Nlaka'pamux people of the Stein River Valley, in British Columbia, Canada, have a heritage of rock art in their territory to which they still refer, and which their elders interpret. Some of this is recorded in the 1993 book They Write Their Dreams on the Rocks Forever, Rock Writings in the Stein River Valley of British Columbia, by Annie York, Richard Daly, and Chris Arnett. In this book Annie York, an elder of the 'Nlaka'pamux people, interpreted one panel as referring to meteorological conditions.

“- - there’s that oval with the slits and the line up and down. That’s really a weather-teller. The weather symbol. When you see that sort of shape in the sky, when the moon or the sun has a black mark here in it, you can tell that there’s going to be bad weather. It’s really a cloud and the up and down line is how the light and shadow comes through it. You often see that. One kind is the sun-dog. Every day it’s been there – that’s why we got this wet weather now.” (p. 116-7)

Crepuscular rays at sunset, Aurora, Colorado.

Photograph Peter Faris, Oct. 4, 2010.

22˚ Halo with Sun Dog, Denver. Photograph Peter Faris, 1995.

Annie's reference to the sun coming through the cloud is best illustrated at sunrise or sunset when the background sky is a little darker than during the bright of the day. If a low sun is projecting light rays upward through the contours of a cloud this is known as crepuscular rays. The alternative would be a slightly higher sun shining downward through the contours of a cloud (not illustrated) creating the sunset rays that we all are familiar with. 

On October 21, 2009, I posted a column titled The Sun Paints His Cheeks wherein I speculated that a petroglyph of a circular sun symbol surrounded by a ring of dots might be an illustration of multiple sun dogs (parhelia). In this pictographic example we have an interpretation from the descendants of the creators of the imagery that one symbol refers to the light that passes through a cloud, and also refers to sun dogs (parhelia). Whether or not the original creator of the image had that in mind when it was painted it certainly carries that meaning now. This is yet another indication of the importance environmental conditions carried for people of the First Nations, and now also for their descendants.

REFERENCE:

York, Annie, Richard Daley, and Chris Arnett,

1993    They Write Their Dreams on the Rocks Forever, Rock Writings in the Stein River Valley of British Columbia, Talonbooks, Vancouver, B.C.

BIRDS IN ROCK ART - THE STEIN RIVER OWL:

Stein River owl, from York, "They Write Their Dreams 

on the Rocks Forever", p.221.

Fig. 156. Stein Valley Owl, York, "They Write Their 
Dreams on the Rocks Forever", p.236.

A variation of the owl figure in rock art that I find to be very compelling is from the Stein River Valley in British Columbia, Canada. The Stein River Valley owl has large eyes and a graceful curve to its wings that make it very attractive designwise, and it symbolizes deeply spiritual themes to the people there. It has complicated meanings including not only owls and their attributes, but also it is identified with the two-headed spirit snake Sisiutl. This owl is very often illustrated with its outstretched wings embracing or encompassing game animals. This leads to interpretation as representing spiritual power over game animals and thus, the Stein River owl is part of a hunter’s magic.

A variation of the Stein River Owl pictograph
with its wings encompassing game animals.

That association is explained by Annie York below: “A more intellectually complex visualization is found in Fig 156, - it has been adopted by common usage as the Stein Valley “owl” logo.

Fig. 100, York, "They Write Their Dreams

 on the Rocks Forever," p.149.

This is the dream form of the hunter’s spirit helper. Annie explained this image as the dream form taken by men who have a well-developed hunting power. Their specific power may emanate from a natural creature such as the rubber boa ( Sisiutl, appearing above the owl in the illustration above, see my column of May 1, 2010 – Sisiutl – The Two-Headed Serpent ), the eagle or the owl, and then, in the dream, it can transform itself into the directed will of the hunter, portrayed in its dream form as a semi-human, semi-bird encompassing the game.

The dominant shape of this figure is a strong vertical body and two arched and encompassing arms.

Fig. 145, York, They Write Their Dreams

on the Rocks Forever, p. 212.

 It is strikingly similar to the forceful image of the joined eyebrows and nose in many petroglyphs such as Fig. 145, and in the famous Tsagaglalal petroglyph portrayal of a face at Long Narrows, Columbia River.” (York 1993:236)

So, on the one level we have meaning found in its identity as an owl and all of the qualities attributed to that bird. On the second level we have meanings that arise from its association with Sisiutl. And then on a third level we have the association with other rock art of the Northwest based upon the similarity of the shape of the wings of the Stein River owl with the eyebrows of petroglyph faces supposed to represent spirit or ancestor figures, and it is also seen to be similar to the Spedis Owl (August 2, 2010, Birds in Rock Art – The Spedis Owl).

This is a pretty large role to play for such a small character.

REFERENCE:

York, Annie, Richard Daley, and Chris Arnett,

1993    They Write Their Dreams on the Rocks Forever, Rock Writings in the Stein River Valley of British Columbia, Talonbooks, Vancouver, B.C.