Possible Red & White Pictograph Interpretation. Sadly artist is long gone?

A PICTURE GORGE PICTOGRAPH~PAINTING in John Day Fossil Beds N.M.

Possible Interpretation by Dave Sandersfeld U.S. NPS INTERPRETER, October 2008

This is the only “Yakima-style polychrome” red-white pictograph in the John Day River Basin of “Picture Gorge “– near Dayville, Eastern Oregon.

References (cited below) do not show any “Yakima-Style polychrome pictographs” in the John Day River? Rather they show the local pictographs should be Oregon Curvi-Linear Style – that is typically red hematite oxide alone or scratched into basalt rock and with a lizard symbol.

The lizard was a common emblem of this style as it was a very common life form and successful at survival here in Eastern Oregon.

This pictograph does have a “lizard symbol” on top; but the artist was obviously familiar with the red-white style also – of the central Washington State Yakima or Wishram tribal style – north of the Dalles OR. Why were they here?

Around 2000 years ago, The Dalles, along Columbia River, was a major trading area between coastal Chinook & Salishan tribes to north British Columbia/N.California to trade tough nephrite jade beads and adze and northern, southern-eastern Oregon, Washington, Montana & Idaho obsidian & others goods.

Ancient tribes inter-married between trading partners. One must assume the artist moved in with the Great Basin tribes that lived near Picture Gorge during sometime of the year. Most likely this artist was a woman who married a local warrior in the un-named local tribe (Paiute Tribe?). A male traditionally stay with his father’s tribe.

The Oregon Curvi-Linear Style typically had some form of rectangular structure like in the bottom of this odd red-white pictograph. A rectangular structure symbolized a home or house. This R&W pictograph has a rectangle “Home” surrounded by several solar symbols or symbols of vision quests by male & females typically as puberty rites. This symbol here seems to convey an image of the mythical Great Spirit’s home who oversees all vision quests of youth for generations.

The right quadrant of this R&W pictograph clearly shows a small stick figure seeking an owl or bird (eagle) or symbolic spiritual guardian during a vision quest. Normally the right quadrant would be entire pictograph as vision quest candidate validates his or her vision in a graphic rock-art form – like a prayer for continued support from Guiding Animal Spirit thru out life.

However, in this R&W pictograph the vision quest appears as if a side story?

Notice the enlarged stick photo lying across almost entire R&W pictograph.
Prostate or prone stick figures are used to symbolize a death. The author has seen etched pictographs painted after Custer’s last Stand in SE Montana showing many prostate people!

Notice closer, this large prostate figure has a smaller stick figure placed under large stick figure’s legs. There is a clear separation of the common line. Could this symbolize the death of a young woman with child during a vision quest to give her new baby strength of a guardian angel even before birth?

One can clearly see the large round head of major stick figure shows blood coming from head – around ear; as if killed from a fall in rocky cliffs of Picture Gorge. Could this be a grieving mother’s pray for Great Spirit to take care of her daughter with child after death – during a vision quest?

The left quadrant seems to have other drawings that are smeared or covered over by original artist! Maybe in grief?

References used:
a.
b.

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