Landscape, Rock Art, and Ceremonial Game Drives

Summary

Early Hunting petroglyphs in a Black Hills canyon depict hunting situations and ceremonies. A loop-line motif, that is unique to this rock art tradition, signifies drive lines and trap structures. Loop-lines occur only at canyon locations that are appropriate settings for trap structures. The canyon starts on the margin of a basin that provides good grazing. Entry to the canyon is funnel-shaped like the V-shaped wings of hunting traps. Recent discovery of a cairn drive line that utilizes another bedrock gap leading out of the grassy basin reinforces the interpretation of the rock art canyon as a trap location.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Rock Art and Sacred Spaces: Recent Approaches to the Study of Ritual Landscapes

Keywords

Spatial Coverage