Show I I Interesting Hieroglyphs Near Moab tL By FRANK BECKWITH Just as one crosses the steel I over the Colorado at on the big bli rock roch on the fal fai sIde there r rI 15 I a good of made by the anCIent Indians I The sord ord hieroglyph means mean hiero sacred plus glyph I I and b common consent of should be strictly limited to the thc v s of the IndIans As v sc e edo do not know for sure just shat hat of then theIr v ork is s cred and an what considered by b them otherwise archaeologists use the byI I alternative ord which means petro rock plus glyph writing a combinatIon from the thc Greek which into phin English me means ns simply rock I wrIting and does not convey conver any ed ning me It covers any and au I kinds of pecked designs on the rocks alII hether trivial or of the most sacred I nature if such is known to be the case So in what follows we will use I bythe for any design cut by the Indians by pecking the lock sur- sur surface surface byI I face There is still a distinction to be I made at Moab for you yet an- an another another other namely kind the painted de- de design design sign WhICh archaeologists call the pIctograph At the bridge the de- de designs de SIgnS are arc further on just before one reaches the mouth of Courthouse wash up only on easy climb on the rocks are both petro- petro glyphs and pIctographs and c cen en a combination of the two aI I For instance those large pale whIte daubs one sees from the road are not i hite man mans s v ork but two shields in whIte paint none done by the inI I historic pre Indian To the right of I these IS an excellent e example ample of like figures which I means long slender humans sImilar to the Nava 10 desIgnS used in sand I paintings done by dropping colored sand upon a smoothed ground stir sur- surI surface I face The true sand paint paint- painting I mg ing IS truly sacred for It if is one of theIr relIgious ceremonials in initia- initia initiation bon tion to the ordel of These I I s on the walls of the cliff are I of that kind Two m in particular de- de deserve serve especIal notice one is 15 a corn com comI I of a dImly outlined man s a figure done by pecking insIde of f the fIgure IS painted m in a dim dimand and much whIte It is oi- oi nate and well done The man s h a along along long neck and hIS head is topped with three feathers Note that he has no legs or feet IS a common char char- characteristic 01 o the fIgure To the right of this man is a fellow cone m in pecking with red desIgns on him instead of whIte He sears ears two horns In Buckhorn Dias Dia's over from Hunt Hunt- HuntIngton Ington toward Green River arp an to be encountered these sime like figures ures but m in that instance se eral of af the men are arc holding writhing snakes m In theIr hands Note that several people have done that thing which IS severely frowned upon they wrote their names on the rock It IS too too bad Their names do 10 not fUl ther the value of the ancient rock wrItingS and It is a very thought thought- thoughtless thoughtless less thing to do Do not be guilty of this indIscretIon The photo ShO 5 one of the large shields If you au will look care care- carefully fully j ou will see that a horned man I partly cut off in the photo is hold hold- holdin holdIng in Ing this shield at arm ann s a length It is isI I probablY his escutcheon for on the shield in a very dim and much worn red IS the of a buff buffalo see seethe the he hump on his shoulders This will willbe willbe be overlooked by most who gIve such things but a scanty and be- be begrudging begrudging grudging glance and see so little whereas studY of it WIll draw out much of real value The photo should be retouched and brought out more plainly but as it sas as where Jack YouVon and I could riot not handIlY chalk them m in ve did the best v se e could and upon my return home I will much improve the photo I Then rhen it will reproduce nicely and be plaIn when published We found on the cUff cliff a round round- bellied animal ammal with a long neck and four our short legs besIde It a huge tin un- ungainly gainly creature grotesque with a almost most mosta a a swine s nose shat it is one can do dono dorio rio no than guess Passing from the we now come to men with feet and and legs as Look at the fellow sith the square headdress J maJor domo in a cere- cere ceremonial menial dance wIth afloat a la ll P Beside him but below him a as if asif of lesser importance an who would pass as Humpty paris partis the eg egg man His whole upper part par is one huge hug egg eg with a bar across it Thel e IS a very good desIgn close by bl of a man on a horse whIch of course means that that partIcular design if l such Mich It be can not be over four hund hund- 1 cd J sears ears old lover Over to the left all alone say thirty y dIstant is a very v sell ell e deel with something unusual about it itI Fot FOI most times a deel IS drawn wIth I two curves on his head like a moun moun- mountain tain tam goat oat and is often mIstaken for foi forone one But in this case three branches branche branchesI are shown to his horns and he is m ma ir ira a very graceful position with forelegs foreleg I dr up tip ready to run The usual form fonn of a is shown I in another place merely tv tso 0 long loni longI cun curses es back ovel hIS neck I There are some V very ry nice scrolls there on the rocks For instance Isone Is in one group a man is posed with a great bow in his hand very awkwardly dl awn the belly of the bow toward the deer he IS shooting at and the thc strai straight ht edge of the string as it ii should be toward the man Probably Probably ably he has Just hastened his arrow arros t Et the fleeing deer Just beyond the deer is a very perfect scroll Belov Belos stands a man with a wind is in isone I one hand and a globe or disk in the theother theother other Next to hIm stands a min mn ol of I anCIent anci ent desIgn WIth upward project ing shoulders much like a fancy epaulet of an admiral hIS head IS i adorned with four marks two of 01 which may be feathers or aU all four fout fourmay may be feathers Were the two un- un underneath underneath ones fitted with a ban ball at the end It then be classed as the the Moki haIr whirl In another group a man whose body ends in a square as though he had on onan onan an aaron amon holds a disc above the ruing of a deer He sears a lot of feathers m in hIS hair And m in another place there is a dindy galloping deer very like life for forthe forthe the crudeness of that time and age Tills This is I From rom the road may be seen other na es I onder If they and anything of value to the priceless groups of ancient 01 The like Yeb fIgures are usual usual- my iy consIdered of Navajo origin hence not sery ery sery ery ancient as the ar are an intrusive race into thIs terri tern territory tory But to the right closer to town about fIfty yards distant are several figures WhICh are surely Early in their characteristics Pol Foi nero nere IS a main marr with and legs made by running a wedge for the body beyond the ape apex to form tiny legs Toes on the feet Three fingers and three toes Space was precious to edItors those days as now and this one found it necessary to r economize Another man with two feathers atop a- a aI atop top hIS head and tv 0 others almost I like Uke the Moki haIr whirl but again agam licking the knob on the end One thing that interested me great great- iy Iv there on the first group on top of the large fallen rock dIm under tam Lain suns are tv elve moccasin tracks The ancient scribe started his man off standing both feet together then he thew ew him walking forward in single steps three paces then he again came cameto cameto to a stand then forward again and at the end of his guard ard duty again agam to a full halt It is quite m- m But I couldn t get It regis regis- I tel ed on the film I And lastly here is a Question Look behind the fallen stone and you wIll I find some deer and other figures I drawn there The question arises Were those desIgns cut on the stone stonewall stonewall wall before the rock fell or not I II Ican IIan I Ian can t answer It and leave It for my I betters In and around Moab there are some someI very fine Indian Down I the river there is a mass of them For lack of tIme I could not visIt them nor much to my regret dId I get a chance hance to visit the Old Old IndIan Fort Fortan on an top of the valley hill These are reserved for the ne next t tIme I come to and Moab-and as I drank of the spring that bhat will surely be the case for re- re return return turn I will and must |