Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology

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Title Comment on Backes' "More than Meets the Eye: Fluorescence Photography for Enhanced Analysis of Pictographs"

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Journal Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology, 25(2)

ISSN 0191-3557

Author Garfinkel, Alan P.

Publication Date 2005

eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology | Vol 25, No 2 (2005) | pp 241-245

COMMENTS

Comment on Backes' Tubatulabal territory is centered in the far southem "More than Meets the Eye: Sierra and includes the region naturaUy drained by the Fluorescence Photography Kern River. Their territory begins at the North and South forks of the Kern River, near Mount Whitney, for Enhanced Analysis and terminates below the confluence of the two forks in of Pictographs-,»' ? the Kem River canyon northeast of Bakersfield (Smith 1978:437). The easternmost edge of their traditional ALAN P. GARFINKEL territory runs along the crest of the Sierra less than a mUe California Department of Transportation, west of the location of the paintings. Fresno, California 93726 The term Panamint Shoshone or Koso (also speUed Coso) refers to the people who hved in the Coso Range In a recent issue, Backes (2004) presents an analysis and surrounding areas. The Little Lake or Kuhwiji district of two pictographs sites in Kern County, California, would have been the territorial unit nearest the paintings. using ultraviolet fluorescence photography. Two sites, Their nearest village was at Little Lake or Pagunda CA-KER-735 and CA-KER-736, were thoroughly studied. (Steward 1938), less than ten mUes from the Indian WeUs Backes' hmovative approach is a useful tool m pictograph paintings. site research. It has resulted in the identification of new The Kawahsu also occupied an area just south of elements that were previously invisible to the 'naked the Indian Wells pictographs. Grosscup (1977), using eye' or impossible to document through conventional the notes of C. Hart Merriam, attest that the Kawahsu photographic means. I applaud Backe's efforts. My claimed the territory near Walker Pass. Voegelin (1938) comments here are aimed at clarifying several minor also identifies a viUage situated at an unnamed spring yet significant contextual, classificatory, and interpretive near the mouth of Spanish Needle Creek in the WaUcer matters, rather than in disagreeing with his technical Pass vicmity that is attributed to the Kawahsu. methods or results per se. Voegehn mentions that three viUage sites were located in the vicinity of WaUcer Pass, not far from Canebrake INTERTRIBAL RELATIONSHIPS, ETHNIC Creek, and that one of these sites was occupied mutuaUy AFnLIATIONS, AND TERRITORIALITY by both the Panamint Shoshone and the Kawahsu. The My first comment relates to the ethnic affihation of the Panamint Shoshone (Voegelin 1938) exclusively occupied two painted sites. Both pictograph sites are located at the two other viUages in the WaUter Pass area. Voegehn the upper end of Indian WeUs Canyon, on the eastern suggests that these "exotic" occupations may be an historic scarp of the far southern Sierra Nevada just north hi-migration of Numic groups into httle-used TubatiUabal of Walker Pass in eastern Kern County. The author territory as a result of historic Euroamerican incursions states that the sites are located "on the border between (but see Grosscup 1977 for a contrary opmion). the southern Sierra Nevada and the western Mojave Multiple ethnographic sources (Driver 1937; Irwin Desert [;] this she also marks a general boundary of two 1980; SenneU-Graham 1989; Steward 1937, 1938:93, neighboring sociopolitical groups, the Koso Shoshone Figure 7; Underwood 2005) indicate that the Kawahsu and the Tubatulabal.. .and this boundary may be reflected were strongly aUied with the Panammt Shoshone. I would in the dual styles of rock art" (Backes 2004:196). By also argue that an amicable relationship existed during way of clarification, the sites are actually situated near precontact times between the Kawahsu and Panamint the juncture of the territories of three ethnolinguistic Shoshone. This relationship appears to be long-standing, groups: the Tubatulabal, the Panamint Shoshone, and has deep historical roots, and may be traced to even more the Kawahsu. ancient prehistoric connections.

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However, ethnographic evidence hints that the the Southern Sierra Painted Style. However, I beheve Tubatulabal were not on good terms with either the that the two pictograph sites are not easUy affihated with Panamint Shoshone or Kawaiisu, and some ongoing that style and are rather better categorized as examples conflicts occurred. Steward notes that the Panamint of what I origmaUy caUed the Coso Pamted Style or Coso Shoshone from Little Lake called the Tubatulabal Style pictographs (GarfhUcel 1978). These sites and others Nawavitc or Wavitx, translated as "tough" or "mean" of simUar style and element content (c£ Garfinkel 2005; (Steward 1938:71-72). As well, Voegelin (1938:49) Garfinkel et al. 2006) are part of a wide-ranging style of mdicates that the Tubatulabal were engaged in hostihties Numic Ghost Dance paintings found in eastern Cahfomia to a greater extent than theh Numic neighbors (Panamint that are located mostly within the former territory of Shoshone, Owens VaUey Paiute, and Kawahsu). the Kawaiisu (n = 10) and Panamint Shoshone (n = 5) One native consultant suggested that the Tubatulabal (Garfinkel et al. 2006; Schiffman and Andrews 1982; Stofile often fought with the Kawahsu and the Koso (Panamint etal.2000). Shoshone) .That consultant also stated that the Tubatulabal Coso Style pictographs (the Coso Painted Style) were had waged a large battle with the Panamint Shoshone at first described by Garfinkel (1978) when he identified Walker Pass (near the rock art shes discussed by Backes) this pecuhar, regional, rock art expression. The same two and that another battle was fought with the Kawahsu near sites Backes analyzed were the ones origjnaUy noted, and theh border at Nichol's Peak, south of the studied sites. attention was dravm to the fact that there were shnUarities Several Native American consuhants recounted details of m the style and subject matter of these pahitings to those of another major battle at Haiwee Springs (in the southem the older Coso Representational Style petroglyphs (Grant Owens VaUey), where the Panamint Shoshone fought to et al. 1968; Schaafsma 1986). Over the years, further work defend theh territory and kiUed many TubatiUabal (Irwin has expanded the array of sites conforming to the Coso 1980:38-40). Steward also notes a battle with an mvading Pamted style (Garfinkel 1982; Marcom 2002). group at Coso Hot Springs where aU the intmders were Independent evaluation supports the vahdity of the kUled (Steward 1938:83). Coso Painted style through the statistical correlation of Smith (1978) mdicates that the Tubatulabal engaged element types (Whitley 1982:108-109). Whitiey (1982), in warfare with aU theh neighbors, and theh motivation for for example, has emphasized theh apparent historic age, such conflicts was always revenge for prior hostUities. The as attested by the strong correlation of horse and rider Tubatulabal would take prisoners and scalps, and kiU men, elements with bighom sheep hnages. Whitley's research women, and chUdren during battles that lasted one to two has differentiated the Coso Painted sites from those days. From these accounts it appears that Numic groups he identifies as a Tubatulabal variant of the Southern (Kawahsu and Panamint Shoshone), residmg in the vicinity Sierra Pamted Style. Whitley has been able to distinguish of the rock art sites studied, were far more amicable with Tubatulabal sites from Coso Painted Style sites—the one another than the Tubatulabal were with them. former lack bighom depictions and also faU to display Lee and Hyder (1991) posit that the context and style horse and rider elements. of rock art may indicate the character of social hiteraction Whitley (1982) has also statisticaUy correlated element between ethnolinguistic groups. Amicable relations are types identified at sites within Tubatulabal territory. often associated with open, well-placed, recognizable Such sites are characterized by concentric chcles, chains, elements; less friendly interactions are correlated with sunbursts, rayed simple chcles, rayed concentric circles, closed borders marked by sharper boundaries and and spoked circles. He considers such correlations as distinctive differences m rock art elements and style. defining something equivalent to a "Tubatulabal Pahited Style," considered by him to be a variant of the Southem Sierra Painted Style originally identified by Heizer and CLASSIFICATION OF PICTOGRAPH ELEMENTS Clewlow (1973). Whitley has further demonstrated the AND REGIONAL ROCK ART STYLES vahdity of this style through his analysis of 1,523 rock art Backes mdicates that the two Indian WeUs Canyon paintings elements from 89 sites m the far southem Sierra Nevada. under discussion display elements and characteristics of Whitley includes both the Indian WeUs sites studied by COMMENT I Comment on Backe's "More than Meets the Eye: Fluoresence Photography for Enhanced Analysis of Pictographs" { Garfinkel 243

Backes in the inventory of sites covered by his analysis. that there are actually two Coso styles—Coso Style He beheves these sites lack the formal characteristics and pamtmgs or pictographs, and Coso Style Representational element forms typical of the Tubatulabal Painted Style, petroglyphs or rock drawings (Garfinkel 1978, 2005; since they contain both bighorn sheep and horse and Schaafsma 1986; Grant et al. 1968). It is the representation rider elements. of specUicaUy boat-shaped/bodied sheep with fuU frontal I would not describe either site as containing typical facing and bifurcating boms that is the most disthictive elements of the Tubatulabal variant of the Southern feature and hallmark of the Coso style. Sierra Painted Style, nor does Whitley's work support The historic paintings analyzed'by Backes do such a conclusion. Lee and Hyder (1991), in an earher contain sheep conforming to the Coso Pamted Style. I article, noted several distinctions between Kawahsu and have argued elsewhere that Coso Paintings are likely Tubatulabal rock art styles. The Tubatulabal variant of a manifestation of and are associated with revitalistic/ the Southem Sierra Pahited style often depicts pelt-hke nativistic movements of Numic Ghost Dance ceremonies figures and round-headed forms, and rarely contains (Garfinkel et al. 2006). These paintmgs include elements anthropomorphs of any sort. The Tubatulabal sites use that appear to be copies of earher portrayals of bighom fewer colors than the Coso Painted sites; Coso Style sheep and prehistoric weaponry (atlatls and dart pictographs contain some colors that are almost never points) found m the Coso petroglyphs. These images are recorded m Tubatulabal sites, mcludmg yeUow and green. hicorporated in a novel environmental context (they are Prior research seems to argue for a Numic rather found in caves and rock shelters, unlike the earUer rock than a Tubatulabal origin for Coso Style paintings. It art that adoms exposed basalt boulders or canyon waUs), would seem reasonable to posit that the makers of and they are rendered with a different technique (being the Coso Style paintings were people who spoke a painted rather than pecked). Therefore, it is probable that Numic language. The most likely candidates would be the Coso Painted sites, includmg the ones described and Native Americans speakhig Kawaiisu and/or Panamint analyzed by Backes, were associated with the Kawahsu Shoshone. A number of subgroups or districts contained and/or Panamint Shoshone , and are therefore Numic in a mix of speakers of the Kawaiisu and Panamint affiliation. I would argue—and the weight of evidence languages (Thomas et al. 1986:280). Three Panamint seems to support my position—that pre-Numic (or non- Shoshone districts—the Koso, Panamint Valley, and Numic) populations were the authors of the earher Coso southern Death VaUey districts—contain most of the Representational Style petroglyphs found mainly in the known and many of the largest Coso Style paintings. Coso Range (Garfinkel and Pringle 2004; GUreath 1999; Those districts have been described by a number of QuhUan and Woody 2003). anthropologists as having a mixture of Native peoples Backes' innovative use of technology is to be (multiethnic or multilinguistic settlements). The Koso cortunended. His identification of new elements that were District (Pawo'nda) had members who spoke Panamint previously unrecognized bolsters the claim that these Shoshone, but there were also speakers of Owens VaUey sites are truly historical in age (e.g., long-bom cattle and Paiute and Kawaiisu. Similarly, the Panamint VaUey horse and rider elements), and of Numic origin (bighom (Haita) and southem Death VaUey districts (Tumbica) sheep) rather than Tubatulabal m affihation. manifested an almost equal balance of Panamint Shoshone and Kawaiisu, with their southernmost portions being predominantly Kawaiisu (Driver 1937; REFERENCES Steward 1938; Zigmond 1986). Andrews, S. B. 1977 Pictographs of the Tubatulabal./CernCoMnfy/Irc/jaeo- logical Society Journal 1:33-42. THE COSO STYLE Backes, Jr., C. J Backes mentions that the depictions of sheep are a 2004 More Than Meets the Eye: Fluorescence Photography hallmark of the "Coso style." However, it is useful and for Enhanced Analysis of Pictographs. Journal of rather important to clarify that matter and point out California and Great Basin Anthropology 24(2):193-206. 244 Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology | Vol. 25, No. 2 (2005)

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