Rock Art: Petroglyphs and Pictographs
The Dalles-Deschutes area, which includes Tygh Valley and Tygh Ridge, holds the richest concentration of rock art in all of North America. The great majority of the art consists of private images---both pictographs and petroglyphs---made by vision quest seekers and shamans. Rock shelters and small caves were thought of as portals into the supernatural world and held great power.
The term rock art includes drawings that are carved, pecked or engraved into stone as well as those that are painted on rock surfaces. Most people refer to them as petroglyphs from the Greek words petro meaning “stone” and glyph meaning “letter” or “picture.” Other individuals call paintings on stone pictographs.
The most common rocks used for petroglyphs are sandstone, volcanic basalt, and granite. Basalt is a hard, dense stone of volcanic origin found in abundance in The Dalles-Deschutes region. The surface weathers to a dark, reddish-brown to black patina several millimeters thick. Underneath is a lighter color, thus making the artist’s design stand out in sharp contrast.
(Indian Rock Art of the Columbia Plateau, and Echoes of the Ancients, Oregon Archaeological Society, James D. Keyser, et al., 2002, 2004)
Wishram Legend
of Tsagegale
"There was this village on the Washington side of the Columbia Gorge. And this was long ago when people were not yet real people, and that is when we could talk to the animals.
And so Coyote — the Trickster — came down the river to the village and asked the people if they were living well. And they said "Yes, we are, but you need to talk to our chief, Tsagaglal. She lives up in the hill."
So Coyote pranced up the hill and asked Tsagaglal if she was a good chief or one of those evildoers. She said, "No, my people live well. We have lots of salmon, venison, berries, roots, good houses. Why do you ask?" And Coyote said, "Changes are going to happen. How will you watch over your people?" And so she didn't know.
And it was at that time that Coyote changed her into a rock to watch her people forever."
(Lillian Pitt, Pacific Northwest Native American Artist, "lillianpitt.com" website, 2011)
Water Spirit
The water spirit was found at multiple locations along the Columbia River. It is believed the figure marked the spot of rough water, strong currents or other hidden dangers in the river.
Clovis Point
The Clovis culture is a prehistoric Paleo-Indian culture, named after distinct stone tools found at sites near Clovis, New Mexico, in the 1920s and 1930s. The Clovis culture is the earliest generally recognized culture in North America and appears around 11,500–11,000, at the end of the last glacial period. It is characterized by the manufacture of "Clovis points" and distinctive bone and ivory tools. Archaeologists' most precise determinations at present suggest that this is roughly 13,200 to 12,900 calendar years ago. Clovis people are considered to be the ancestors of most of the indigenous cultures of the Americas. (Wikipedia; James D. Keyser, Indian Rock Art of the Columbia Plateau 2002.)
Deer
Deer are one of the most frequently rendered subjects of rock art by indigenous people. According to animal signs and omens, deer can bring messages from the spirit world. (Spirits of the Earth, Bobby Lake-thom 1997)
Spedis Owl
The Spedis Owl is one of the best known of the petroglyphs salvaged from the Columbia River Gorge when the Dalles Dam was built. It is on display with other rock art in the outdoor museum at Columbia Hills State Park.