Picture-Writing of the American Indians: Tenth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1888-89, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1893, pages 3-822Mallery, Garrick
History
Picture-Writing of the American Indians: Tenth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1888-89, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1893, pages 3-822
Mallery, Garrick
Picture-writing, Indian
Mr. Gatschet remarks that the Tuálati tell a trivial story to explain
the origin of these pictures, the substance of which is as follows: The
Tillamuk warriors living on the Pacific coast were often at variance
with the several Kalapuya tribes. One day, passing through Patten’s
valley to invade the country of the Tuálati, they inquired of a woman
how far they were from their camp. The woman, desirous not to betray
her own countrymen, said they were yet at a distance of one (or two?)
days’ travel. This made them reflect over the intended invasion, and,
holding a council, they decided to withdraw. In commemoration of this
the inscription, with its numeration marks, was incised by the Tuálati.
Dr. Charles Rau received from Dr. James S. Denison, physician at the
Klamath agency, Lake county, Oregon, a communication relative to the
practice of painting figures on rocks in the territory of the Klamath
Indians in Oregon. There are in that neighborhood many rocks bearing
painted figures; but Dr. Rau’s (_b_) description refers specially to
a single rock, called Ktá-i Tupákshi (standing rock), situated about
50 yards north of Sprague river and 150 yards from the junction of
Sprague and Williamson rivers. It is about 10 feet high, 14 feet long,
and 12 or 14 feet deep. Fig. 69, drawn one-twelfth of the natural size,
illustrates the character of the paintings seen on the smooth southern
surface of this rock. The most frequent designs are single or concentric
circles, like Fig. 69, _a_, which consists of a dark red circle
surrounded by a white one, the center being formed by a round red spot.
Fig. 69, _b_, painted in dark red and white colors, exhibits a somewhat
Mahadeo-like shape; the straight appendage of the circle is provided on
each side with short projecting lines, alternately red and white, and
almost producing the effect of the so-called herring-bone ornament.
[Illustration: FIG. 69.--Petroglyphs in Lake county, Oregon.]
Fig. 69, _c_ and _d_, executed in dark red, are other designs seen on
the standing rock above mentioned. The colors, which, as the informant
thinks, are rubbed in with grease, appear quite distinct on the dark
surface of the rock.
PENNSYLVANIA.
Along the river courses in northern and western Pennsylvania many
rocks are found bearing traces of carvings, though, on account of
the character of the geological formations, some of them are nearly
obliterated.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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