Van Tilburg Et Al.: the Church Rock Petroglyph Site
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132 JOURNAL OF CALIFORNIA AND GREAT BASIN ANTHROPOLOGY docino and Trinity Counties, California. The Church Rock Petrogfyph Site: Field MS on fde at the Cultural Resources Documentation and PrelinUnary Andfysis. Jo Facility, Sonoma State University, Roh- nert Park. Anne Van Tilburg, Frank Bock, and A. J. Bock. Redding: Occasional Papers of the Sundahl, E. Redding Museum No. 4, 1987, 113 pp., 66 1987 Archaeological Testmg on Cable Creek, South Fork Mountain Sites 05-14-52- figs., 3 tables, $12.50 (paper). 375 and 05-14-52-406, Trinity County, Reviewed by: California. MS on file at the Shasta- E. BRECK PARKMAN Trinity National Forests, Redding. California Dept. of Parks and Recreation, 3033 Sundahl, E., and G. Berrien Cleveland Ave., Suite 110, Santa Rosa, CA 95403. 1986 Test Excavations at Two Prehistoric Sites (F.S. 05-14-54-127 and F.S. 05-14- This report is a discussion of the rock 54-130) on the Big Bar District, Shasta- art component of CA-SHA-39, the "Church Trinity National Forests. MS on file at Rock" petroglyph site. Church Rock is part the Shasta-Trinity National Forests, of a prehistoric site complex located approx Redding. imately 12 km. northeast of Redding, in Tamez, S. T. north-central California. The site is situated 1981 An Archaeological Overview of the within ethnographic Wintu territory, and it North Coast Ranges and Northwest Cal ifornia. Master's thesis, San Francisco is associated with the former Wintu village State University. of Tsarau Heril. Vaughan, T. Church Rock was deeded to the City of 1983 Archaeological Investigations at the Redding in the late 1970s. Since that time, Racetrack (CA-Tri-243), South Fork the Redding Museum has helped guide the Mountain, Trinity County, California. city in its stewardship of this significant MS on file at the Shasta-Trinity Na cultural resource. In 1982, the city arranged tional Forests, Redding. to have Van Tilburg, Bock, and Bock record Vita-Finzi, C, and E. S. Higgs the rock art component of CA-SHA-39. As 1970 Prehistoric Economy in the Mount Car- mel Area of Palestine: Site Catchment the title indicates, the report is a discussion Analysis. Proceedings of the Prehis of field recording techniques and a prelimi toric Society 36:1-37. nary analysis of field findings. Wylie, H. In preparing their report, the authors 1975 Archaeological Potential of the South sought to accomplish three major objectives: Fork Mountain Area, Trinity and Hum boldt Counties, California. MS on Tile ... to present a representative sampling at the Six Rivers National Forest, of the type and variety of data collected; Eureka. to provide the community agencies responsible for the petroglyph site with enough background to make intelligent decisions for its continued protection and possible utilization; and last, to make enough of a preliminary analysis of the data to facilitate further research [p. 9]. It would appear that the authors have suc cessfully accomplished their objectives. The Church Rock report is prefaced with a statement by Frank LaPeiia, Wintu artist and scholar. LaPena provides the reader REVIEWS 133 with insight into contemporary Native Amer Rock suggest to the authors that at least ican perspectives regarding rock art. The some of the petroglyphs may have been authors divided the text of the report into produced in the historic period. three parts. The first is concerned with the At Church Rock, there are several rayed authors' fieldwork at CA-SHA-39, and in elements and a flower-like design, reminis cludes a discussion of their field methods cent of traditional elements associated with and preliminary findings. The second part is the dream dancing that characterized Wintu a general discussion of rock art conserva territory from 1871 until about 1900. Dream tion, including the types of deterioration and dancing was inspired by both the Earth destruction that might affect rock art, and Lodge Cult and the Bole-Mam, native revi- methods for protecting sites. The final part talization movements that swept through of the report addresses the dating and inter much of northern California following the pretation of rock art designs, and includes Ghost Dance of 1870. Women participating suggestions for future research at the in the dream dances carried handkerchiefs Church Rock site. and flowers in their hands, while in the During their fieldwork at Church Rock, Bole-Mam, participants wore headdresses the authors encountered and recorded hun made of vertical wands arranged in fan- dreds of petroglyph elements. These include shaped crowns (similar to the rayed petro possible human and animal symbols, such as glyph elements). "bear paws," "bird tracks," "deer prints," The remains of a large dance house are and vulva-like designs, as well as cupules, present at Church Rock, and Tsarau Heril is grooves, incised lines, and curvilinear and known to have been a major Wintu village. rectilinear elements. Based on their analy Given the good state of preservation of sis, the authors believe the Church Rock many of the Church Rock petroglyphs, and petroglyphs do not fit into any of the the possible association of the rock art with recognized rock art styles of California. the dream dancing of the late 1800s, it does They point out that additional stylistic seem conceivable that some of the rock art analysis is needed for the Shasta County/ may have been produced during the historic northern Sacramento Valley study areas. period. As the authors point out, however, Van Tilburg, Bock, and Bock note vir other aspects of the rock art, such as the tually no superimposition of petroglyph cupule petroglyphs, may be quite older. elements at Church Rock. Consequently, and Church Rock is a significant rock art because no subsurface investigation has been site, and Van Tilburg, Bock, and Bock have conducted at the site, the authors are unable done a very commendable job of recording to say much about the chronology of the it. Their report is readable, well edited, Church Rock petroglyphs. They do note, lavishly illustrated, and quite affordable. It however, that some of the petroglyphs were represents a significant contribution to the better preserved than were others. Addi study of California rock art. tionally, certain symbols found at Church .