Role of Rockshelters and Caves in Yokuts and Western Mono Cultures

Summary

Yokuts and Western Mono tribes of central California had close cultural ties. While the Yokuts were the most numerous and the dominant culture, many people were bilingual. They shared themes in their pictographs, petroglyphs, and cupules, which are cultural traits of a ceremonial nature that are archaeologically identifiable, and are generally agreed to have magico-religious significance. Forty-one percent of the paintings in their territory occur in shallow caves and rockshelters, which vary in size. Size restricts the number of paintings, as well as the number of people viewing them. Some rock shelters can accommodate a dozen people, while others only one to two. Many sites include cupules and/or bedrock mortars, which suggest women's participation. The surroundings also vary. Many of the rockshelters and shallow caves are hidden, while others could have been viewed by the village, which suggests that there are public and private sites. This paper discusses the relationships between site size, surroundings, and contents. The physical similarities and differences of each site are compared within the tribal area, and across dialect borders. The performer's and audience's roles in the production of rock art, as well as, the purpose and beneficiaries of the performance will be addressed.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 19946