Boletín del Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino

Ethnography, shamanism, and Far Western North American rock art

Etnografía, chamanismo y arte rupestre del Lejano Oeste norteamericano

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56522/BMCHAP.0110010280003

Resumen

Far Western North America has a very detailed ethnographic record which includes significant details about shamanism and its relationship to rock art. The ethnographic evidence from three culture areas (Californian, Great Basin, and Columbia-Fraser Plateau) is summarized here. This shows widespread ties between the art and portrayals of visionary experiences, believed to be signs of the acquisition of supernatural power. The ethnography also demonstrates substantial differences in the origins of the art, especially in terms of the social groups and rituals responsible for its creation as well as its relationship to mythology. The ethnography further illustrates the fact that different styles of rock art were sometimes created by different social groups for different functions within the same culture and time period. Shamanism, in this sense, is a context within which rock art may be analyzed and interpreted, but not a final explanation for its presence.

Keywords: rock art, shamanism, ethnography, Far Western North America, symbolic interpretation.

Referencias

Aginsky, B. 1943. Culture Element Distributions: xxiv, Central Sierra. Anthropological Records 8 (4): 393-468.

Alvarez, A. 1983. Cocopa. In Handbook of North American Indians, A. Ortiz, ed., vol. 10: Southwest, pp. 99-112. Washington dc: Smithsonian Institution.

Applegate, R. 1978. Atishwin: The Dream-Helper in South-Central California. Socorro: Ballena Press.

Bean, L. 1975. Power and Its Application in Native California. In Native Californians: A Theoretical Retrospective, L. Bean & T. Blackburn, eds., pp. 407-420. Socorro: Ballena Press.

Bourke, J. 1889. Notes on the Cosmogony and Theogony of the Mojave Indians of the Rio Colorado, Arizona. Journal of American Folklore 2 (4): 169-189.

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Imágenes

Figure 1. Culture areas of North America, as defined by Kroeber (1939). The ethnographic record about rock art is especially detailed for three of these areas discussed in this paper: California, Great Basin, and Columbia-Fraser Plateau. Figura 1. Áreas culturales de América del Norte, según la definición de Kroeber (1939). El registro etnográfico de arte rupestre es especialmente detallado para tres de estas áreas, discutidas en este artículo: California, la Gran Cuenca y la meseta Columbia-Fraser.

Figure 3. Girls puberty initiations are very well documented in southwestern California. Zigzags and diamond chains, both representing rattlesnake spirits, and hand-prints are the most common motifs. This site is known as Puberty Rock. Figura 3. Las iniciaciones de pubertad de niñas están muy bien documentadas en el suroeste de California. Cadenas de diamantes y motivos de zigzag, ambos representando espíritus de serpientes cascabel, junto con impresiones de manos son los motivos más comunes. Este sitio es conocido como Puberty Rock.

Figure 7. A “curing tunnel” at the Yokuts Rocky Hill site, south-central California. As this ritual is currently practiced, the patient crawls into the tunnel and lies flat while being smudged with burning sage and while songs are sung. The red and white concentric circle at the back represents the whirlwind, which carries spirits into the supernatural. Tunnel opening: about 1 m across at front. Figura 7. Un “túnel de curación” en el sitio yokuts de Rocky Hill, centro sur de California. En el ritual que se práctica actualmente, los pacientes gatean al interior del túnel y se acuestan mientras son impregnados con humo de salvia y otros cantan canciones. El círculo concéntrico rojo y blanco en el fondo representa el torbellino que lleva los espíritus a lo sobrenatural. Apertura del túnel: cerca de 1 m en su parte frontal.

Figure 8. The Mojave Indian Grapevine site, in the Colorado River corridor of eastern California. This site is located at the foot of Spirit Mountain, the creation spot and home of the creator deity Matavilya. Mojave shamans had visions of the creation to achieve supernatural power. Instead of iconic imagery showing a narrative sequence of events, their art consists of complex geometric/entoptic images depicting the “pattern” or “essence” of the creation. Height of panel: about 2 m. Figura 8. El sitio indígena mojave de Grapevine, en el corredor del río Colorado del este de California. Este sitio está ubicado a los pies de la Spirit Mountain, el lugar de creación y hogar del dios creador Matavilya. Los chamanes mojave tenían visiones de la creación para obtener poder sobrenatural. En vez de representar imágenes icónicas mostrando una secuencia narrativa de eventos, su arte consiste en complejas figuras geométricas/entópticas representando el “patrón” o la “esencia” de la creación. Altura del panel: cerca de 2 m.

Figure 13. Hunter and sheep scene, Coso Range. “Killing a bighorn” was a metaphor for making rain. The anthropomorph shown here is depicted as partly transformed into a bighorn, emphasizing that this is a shaman “killing himself,” or entering a trance. Height of anthropomorph: about 50 cm. Figura 13. Escena de cazador y carnero, Coso Range. “Matar a un carnero cimarrón” era una metáfora para provocar la lluvia. El antropomorfo mostrado aquí se representa parcialmente transformado en un cimarrón, enfatizando que este es un chamán que “se mata a sí mismo” o está entrando en un trance. Altura del antropomorfo: cerca de 50 cm.