There are two pictographs sites in Indian Wells Canyon, this one and the “Mandala” one. In terms of elements present, this is the smaller of the two.
A quick word on Indian Wells Canyon: although the lower portions of the canyon are accessible by a rather fine dirt road, that road deteriorates quickly as you ascend the canyon. Some bumpy, overgrown sections are best NOT attempted in passenger vehicles. Additionally, the higher reaches are braided by several roads and picking the wrong one will quickly lead you into bad driving conditions.
I visited driving a small, 2WD truck. The high clearance was essential at some spots, in addition to my resigned attitude towards scraped sides after going through some overgrown sections. I did take a wrong turn onto a secondary road, found a sandy slope I couldn’t get up, and managed to hang my truck up on a big rock right in its armpit while backing down the slope.
Fortunately, the slope was steep enough that gravity could scrape me off the rock, and except for a worrisome burnt smell ( most likely the vegetation I came to rest on and subsequently retreated from ) no apparent harm was done. ( Editors Note — the burnt smell really freaked the writer out. ) I elected to park my little truck and take on some additional hiking instead. So be warned: if your means of transportation is modest, you may want to give this a skip or else sign up for a longish hike up into the canyon after driving up as far as prudent.
Back to the site: well worth a visit! The pictographs are all part of a single panel, painted under the protected south-facing overhang of a granite monolith.
This view from the south shows most of the panel. Two small, faint anthropomorphs are not shown.
The pictograph panel is tucked under a steep overhang.
This site shows signs of previous habitation with soot damage at the foot and upper end of the overhang.
It is well-protected from the wind: though a strong breeze was gusting outside during my visit, the space under the overhang itself was snug.
The rightmost portion of the panel is very faded, with the pigment mostly washed from the rock face. The protection from the elements is probably not complete and some rain may be getting in to erase the eastern part of the panel.
With a DStretch enhancement, the main portion of the panel is clearly visible. Two large anthropomorphs, a large shield-like design, concentric circles, a large chain-like element, and smaller depictions including two riders on horseback can be clearly seen.
In order to get a good look at the leftmost portion of the panel, you need to lean over the flat rock shown in the picture.
Also note how the lip of the shelter is marked by soot. It is easy to imagine that a flickering fire tucked at the foot of the overhang would cast dramatic shadows on the panel at night.
Like its companion site in this canyon, this site is thought to be a product of the Ghost Dance movement of 1890. It is believed that the Panamint Shoshone created this site, tucked safely away high in the canyon away from prying Western eyes.
Details of the white elements below the shield-like design.
There are several elements at this site that support this theory. Visible in the first picture showing the overhang above, and shown in more detail to the right are two striking white pictographs, each depicting a mounted rider wearing a brimmed hat.
Since the Ghost Dance prophet Wovoka was said to have worn a wide-brimmed white hat, the depiction of these rides in white could be taken to refer to the arrival of his messengers.
Here, DStretch enhances the red and white pigments, especially for the faded figure on the right. Note that there are six concentric circle designs in this panel: two in white to the left of the riders, two large circles above the anthropomorphs, one between the two large anthropomorphic figures, and one to the left of the shield.
The same panel without DStretch. Note how faded the rightmost elements are. The white paint splotches in the upper left are very thick and almost have the appearance of a glob of paint lobbed at the surface.
In this close-up of the leftmost rider and the first of the concentric white circles, the overpainting of the zig-zag motif with white paint can also be clearly seen.
In addition to this speculation, the Ghost Dance was a circular dance, so the numerous concentric circle symbols, some of them in white, may well be an abstract depiction of the actual dance, which was adopted from their local customs by each tribe the Ghost Dance movement spread to.
Note that there are two elements consisting of concentric white symbols shown to the left of the two riders. Possibly, these symbols may refer to multiple dances held after the arrival of the messengers.
The concentric circle design on the left of the cradleboard design has a pinker hue to it than the red used to paint the shield-like design and the zig-zag line below it. The design also seems to have been painted much “wetter” than the other red pigment, which has a grittier, drier texture to it.
These “circle dances” were to be held for five days, but under the influence of local customs it became the norm for these dances to be held for anything from two to five days. What is interesting about this site and its companion site is that the circular elements all have from two to five concentric circles. This strengthens the possibility that these symbols are an abstract recording of Ghost Dances held, with each circle possibly representing a day that the dance was held. With that in mind, it also wasn’t uncommon for the dance itself to consist of more than one concentric circle, usually with the women dancing in a smaller circle inside the men’s circle. Therefore, the concentric circle symbols could also be referring to the dance in that way. Regardless, it is quite likely that for this site, the concentric circles were associated with the dance somehow.
This site also has some very interesting additional elements. The large, shield-like symbol is reminiscent of a basket cradleboard – a woven Native American baby-carrier device. If it is taken as such, this in turn assigns meaning to other elements in the pictograph panel.
Detail of the zig-zag and diamond chain pattern under the cradleboard element.
The zig-zag line is associated with the masculine in fertility: the cradleboards of sons were often decorated with this pattern. Likewise, the diamond chain motif is the counterpoint for daughters.
Both of these designs are present in the long chain motif stretched across the panel. Together with the shield / cradleboard design, they evoke another tenant of the Ghost Dance: increased fertility.
DStretch shows the short vertical diamond chain between the cradleboard design and the leftmost anthropomorph more clearly.
This same photograph also shows some overpainting, both of white and red pigment, in the area.
The long zig-zag/chain element has been smudged by white pigment, but at the same time the rightmost rider shows clear smudges of red pigment over its initial white paint.
The two anthropomorphs may be the most interesting parts of the panel to the modern viewer. Both are depicted with a concentric circle motif above their heads and the leftmost one also has lines radiating from its head.
The rightmost anthropomorph. The image is enhanced with Stretch to show the design more clearly.
The left anthropomorph, also enhanced with Stretch.
Dances were often performed while wearing sacred dance feathers, so the figure on the left could well be depicted wearing such a headdress.
Its form is also reminiscent of the shape of some anthropomorphic figures in petroglyphs found in the nearby Coso range. Since other Ghost Dance sites bear pictographs of bighorn sheep painted in a style meant to evoke the Coso style, it is possible that these anthropomorphs were likewise painted with a shape meant to evoke those ancestral designs. The long chain motif bisects both of these anthropomorphs. With DStretch, it becomes clear that the chain motif is superimposed on the anthropomorphs, possibly at a later date in order to link the elements together for new meaning. The zig-zag motif changes into a diamond chain on the outside of each figure.
On the far right are two faded, smaller anthropomorphs, as well as some other designs. On the far right the circle with tail and two ajoining lines evoke the “Faded Sentinels” site, which happen to lie, while not exactly close, at least reasonably proximate to an old route up into the mountains beyond this site. The faded appearance of these elements could mean that they were older, and perhaps made during the same time period as the Faded Sentinels.
On the far right of the figure, two small anthropomorphs are visible. the figure on the left has an inverted hollow triangular head, as well as a possible appendage between the legs, and the figure on the right is somewhat taller with longer limbs and a possible headdress.
In a DStretch enhanced photo, there are also some other faint elements visible, in particular a few vertical lines below the anthropomorphs as well as a circle and some lines on the far right of the panel.
While this panel is generally attributed to the Panamint Shoshone, it is interesting to note that the faint elements on the far right bear resemblance to a Tübatulabal site about nine miles northwest from this location. Possibly, these faded symbols are a remnant from earlier occupants of this locale. There are also some other Ghost Dance movement sites found between this site and the mentioned Tübatulabal site.
This site is well-preserved and free of vandalism. If you visit it, please make sure to leave it behind you undamaged so that others can enjoy it in future. Make sure not to touch the pictographs: they are fragile and any touching or tracing can hasten their deterioration.