Show ni'iwiJib mu lThursdayTJV1aT24J1990 Wilderness study offers more than meets the eye and instruction are experienced atop these high places And Tm sure the Anasazi weren't the Janet Witt Drawing 53S5S!SliSS®S- High Placet As I was sitting atop a high rock I had climbed to write in my journal and read I no- at a glance a neighbor from the camp next to ours also atop a rock I noticed another on a higher peak than both my and my neighbors He too was going through the same rituals as we My eyes were lead to another person and another! Five of us in total each on different peaks different directions but common in that we elevated from our campsites (from our usual elevations) from the world All of us were drawn up and above And this is not the first time I've done this or the first time I've seen others This is something that has been taking place since the world was It's peculiar how mankind from the begin ning of recorded time has either consciously or subconsciously drawn to high places After exploring Chaco Canyon Hovcn Weep and Mesa Verde it seems that ancient dwellings for the most part were built on levels higher than the surrounding area I think there is more to it than just good strategic location for the Indians or mere coincidence for me and my fellow rock writers: man has an innate need to get away (above his regular environment) not only to get an overview of the scenery but an overview of the soul to fulfill a spiritual need an awakening of sensitivity a closeness to inner self nature and to God As did prophets of old the Anasazi went to high places to perform their customary rituals Communion with spirits of the other side worship and sacrifices and personal enlightenment £? first or the last to practice this ritual Abraham Maslow describes the "peak d ricnce" as an archetypal image: Peaks have belonged to the spirit ever since Mount Sinai Mount Olympus Mount Patmos and the Mourn of Olives and the Mount of Moriah of the first patriarchal Abraham The peak experience is a pneumatic experience and that clamber up the perils is in search of spirit or is the drive of the spirit in search of itself Being drawn to high places fulfills a need that goes beyond desire It's a journey to find one's inner self to tune in with self and with nature through nature and her beauty Being elevated allows a solitary breaking away from temporal things and a chance to contemplate spiritual things the spirit within ourselves as well as the spirit in nature And is this not a reason the Great Creator made these high places? Thus saith the Great Makerfor what is property unto me?For have I not the fowls of heaven and also the fish of the sea and the beasts of the mountains? Have I not made the earth? Do I not hold the destinies of all armies of the nations of the earth? Therefore will I not make solitary places to bud and blossom to bring in abundance? Is there not room enough on the mountains? (Doctrine and Covenants 117: expc-tice- 3-- w?— f (fop left) A succeslon of liva rooms In th hugt Anaszl atone dwelling Pueblo Bonlto In Chaco Canyon (middle) Jake Shewmake e Its In an alcove next to a cliff dwelling at Hovenweep (bottom right) Heather Smith warms her hands while her V smile warms everyone else ac Jessica Taylor Their Trath v Oar Treasure How can others' trash be so sacred to us? You tell me Why do we have this infatuation with the trash of people who lived hundreds of years before us? Archaeologists tell us it is so we can learn about cultures and time periods and determine who lived where and when This all seems pretty ridiculous to someone like me who looks at Indians while touring their old run down homes But after you touch feel caress and carefully examine every coil and paint line you place it right back on the ground where you found iL Ironic huh? You walk around for hours bent clear over examining the ground in hope of spying a piece of what used to be their trash (now our prized possessions) all to put it back after oohing and Bahing it for five minutes Seriously though even for an amateur like me that little piece of pottery with a strip of black paint on it It is like finding something makes you feel special possessed by your great great grandmother Imagine if you were a descendant of the tribe whose home play ground and trash pile you were going through Every time I am out there going through someone else’s’ trash I wish I was a descendant of that tribe of Hopi Navajo or Zuni Indians To be there amongst their ruins churches homes and tombs creates a really sacred feeling It makes you wonder what the archaeologists feel I mean a simple piece of Hopi pottery used as a canteen retails for $2000 Although most pottery is kept in and never really sold I imagine that most archaeologists are in it to find out more about our "Anasazi" (ancient ones) I know I am out there to marvel at their knowledge of design and craftsmanship in such early mu-seum- s times I hope others can respect their remnants and return every shard they pick up even though it is just a piece of a broken pot Meaningless to them treuure to usl r " - Elizabeth i- - - A - - I tj' Dlckes Special Ream I was quiet as I walked through the ruins My mind kept me company as my thoughts drifted to places they had never been before The old walls and the great kivas seemed to have something to say to me They wanted to teach me I just needeed to listen Pueblo Bonilo was the place we were touring that day I walked through the entire Anasazi village examining the walls and making my way through each of the rooms Near the end of the tour I came across a special room It was a small room with a dirt floor and a ceiling (in most rooms the ceiling have been rotted away) There were two doors both were very small about the size of a regular window in one of our modem day homes I went into the room and sat down in the comer facing the doorways It wu raining very lightly outside but there wu still a hint of light coming through one of the entrances I sat still there for awhile and examined the craftsmanship of the ceiling and walls The Anasazi were very intelligent people to have constructed such a place Pueblo Bonito took over in my mind like 1 wu in some sort of trance Three were men women and children outside the room working and playing While inside with me wu a young boy sitting across from me weaving a colorful basket of red yellow black and brown 4 4 8) m : - fi'C&A OU I'A‘s§S : |