“Hunters & Healers”

Many petroglyph sites are difficult to interpret, they are often spiritual in nature and filled with images of supernatural deities. Some rock art sites seem to record a specific event in ancient history, but those are rare.  This place is alive with images and symbols of everyday life, from etchings depicting a hunter adorned with a deer headdress, to a pair of maidens carrying earthen jars,… the ever important gathers.  Also the majestic depiction of a shaman healer, a badger spirit helper,  and a pair of mighty bears are all part of this ancient magic.  A magic of protection, healing, abundance, and harmony.

A pair of bears amble across this prehistoric rock. Their likenesses have been carefully chipped in to the stone with heart lines and symbols reverently crafted within their bodies. This was doe to honor the bear and to evoke its power. The bear is one of the most revered animals in North America and its image is a symbol of great strength fierceness, and courage. This animal has a powerful hunting magic and is also considered to have healing powers.

Another powerful healing spirit here, is the badger, the badger is considered a powerful totem animal for any healer and its tenacity teaches the healer to never give up, there are ancient stories told that the badger, being a burrowing animal, knows the proper roots and herbs for healing and in the beginning times… when animals spoke to humans, they taught this medicine magic to women and men of this world.

Included in this bounty of ancient life, is the reverently etched image of a shaman healer.  With outstretched arms raised in prayer. This ghostly image bridges the fractures in the ancient rock, just like the spirits that cross the gap between our world and that of the heavens. The large hands and elaborate headdress and robes are evidence of spiritual power and the spiny seed pods of the poisonous Datura plant, dangle from the from the outstretched arms of this powerful deity.

The datura plant is also part of this magical healing place. Ancient healers used the medicinal an hallucinogenic properties of this poisonous plant in their quest to heal. Properly prepared, this plant heled the shaman to transcend and make contact with the supernatural. They could then get the knowledge to heal the injured and cure the sick. The datura had to be prepared correctly or certain death would occur. Some tribes considered datura extremely dangerous and believed, if anyone other than an experienced healer touches it, they will become sick and die.

Harmony between the hunters, healers and gatherers was needed to survive the often harsh environment of the southwest desert. The images and symbols still here after thousands of years is a testament to the bond between all these walks of ancient life. One could not survive without the other.