Writings

During these lovely days of summer, I’ve been hiking with my husband on trails in the St. Louis area. One amazing find we encountered were hundreds of native petroglyphs on the Rockywood Trail in Washington State Park near De Soto, Missouri.

What are petroglyphs? They are rock carvings created by Native Americans. Some of them date back to 1,000 years ago. The carvings in Washington State Park are chiseled into large limestone rocks protruding from the hillside. The petroglyphs here were most likely made by the Osage Indians. Since these petroglyphs are constantly exposed to the elements, they have eroded—worn away—a great deal. It is sad to see the deterioration of such wondrous examples of native art and culture.

Carol Diaz-Granados, the author of The Petroglyphs and Pictographs of Missouri, says the Osage used these drawings to help tell stories. The Osage did not have words and letters like we do, but we all know that pictures can speak a thousand words. The petroglyphs were probably used for special ceremonies. She believes the petroglyphs may have been read by Osage boys during their initiation rites into manhood. The carvings told not only stories but also told of games and sports and of the fruitfulness of the land in providing food for the natives.

My favorite carvings were the Thunderbird and Coiled Snake. Among the many petroglyphs there were also drawings of human figures, arrows, animals, and food. St. Louis Community College professor Dr. Michael Fuller has a website packed with photos from the Washington State Park pertroglyphs: http://users.stlcc.edu/mfuller/RockArt.html

Or you can visit your library to check out the book Native American Rock Art: Messages from the Past by Yvette LaPierre. Petroglyphs from native cultures can be found throughout the world. There may well be examples of native rock art near where you live. If you wanted to depict stories from your life, what drawings would you use?