Heritage, Volume 9, Number 1, Winter 1991 Page: 9
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IN THE TEXAS PANHANDLE-PLAINS
the possible significance of the historic
Indian rock art of the Texas Panhandle. He
stated that "some of the historic Panhandle
petroglyphs...quite clearly record events
of various sorts." Newcomb was aware of
what the images meant to the artists when
he said that the Plains Indians "also recounted
their exploits-the horses they
had stolen, the coups they had countedto
their fellows at various social gatherings
to enhance their personal standing. It is
likely that some of the petroglyphs are part
of this tradition, enduring records of personal
achievements."
Within the past decade, archaeologists
all over the Great Plains have become increasingly
aware of the importance of
historic Indian rock art. Some important
advances in interpreting the Indian rock
art of the Historic Period have been made
by studying Plains Indian art of all kinds. It
is important to remember that art is a product
of the culture which produced it. Researchers
in the past have sometimes mistakenly
assumed that primitive artists were
not bound by cultural conventions and
that they were free to draw anything they
could imagine. This is certainly not the
case since all art is intimately tied to andHorse and rider petroglyph, Harrell
Ranch site A, Armstrong County
reflects the cultural biases of the artist. It is
this fact which enables us to study art history
and use the concepts of artistic styles
and traditions as a means of studying culture.Newcomb recognized the integration of
art and culture when he interpreted some
of the Plains Indian art as a form of "picture
writing" which was intended to tell a story
to those who could "read" the language. By
studying many other forms of Plains Indian
art it is quite clear that the dominant
theme throughout much of the artwork isbiographic. In some cases, Plains Indian
artists have revealed the meaning of specific
images to non-Indians. Examples of this
include a Comanche hide painting depicting
the famous 1874 battle of Adobe Walls
near Amarillo, Texas or a series of detailed
paintings made by a Southern Cheyenne
reservation Indian, Howling Wolf, to record
the history of his people. In these and
hundreds of other examples of Plains Indian
art, the images are biographic in nature
and their meaning is clear. The similarities
between such Plains Indian art and many
historic rock art sites throughout the Great
Plains are unmistakable. It is this link
which enables us to "read" and understand
to some degree the rock art language of the
historic Plains Indians.
Series of weapons petroglyph,
Mujares Creek, Oldham County
In discussing the rock art of the Texas
Plains Indians, it is important to remember
two key points. First, it is clear that the rock
art produced by historic Plains Indians is
mainly in the form of autobiographies or at
least depicts events witnessed by an individual.
This emphasis reflects the importance
of individuality within Plains society.
An individual gained status through
his exploits, and a major facet of Plains Indian
life was the affirmation of individual
status. In Plains Indian society, you were
expected to brag about your own accomplishments
and great deeds. A warrior did
this by telling stories, by singing and
dancing at social gatherings, or by drawing
pictures on his clothes and tipi for all to see.
It is really not much different than modern
soldiers wearing rank insignia and medals
so that other soldiers can immediately recognize
their status. Furthermore, it is
thought that many rock art sites may have
had a somewhat specialized function, perhaps
serving as recounting stations wherewarriors met to illustrate their stories for
their comrades. In some ways these sites
may be analogous to the meeting places of
modem fraternal organizations.Longhorn petroglyphs, Mujares Creek,
Oldham County
The second key point is that studies of
Plains Indian art have revealed a clear
trend in the development of artistic styles.
In an extreme oversimplification, the
artwork becomes more progressive and
realistic through time. The earlier
examples are generally more abstract or
representational and are not concerned
with minor details such as visual perspective.
Later examples are far more realistic
and show much greater attention to specific
details. It is apparent that Plains Indian
artists were becoming more and more influenced
by Anglo culture and art. This
same stylistic evolution is evident in the
historic Indian rock art found in the Texas
Panhandle-Plains. In rock art studies,
distinctions can be made on the basis of
artistic style, and the rock art images and
sites can often be relatively dated by this
method. Although the differences are not
always clear-cut, we can recognize an Early
Biographic style and a Late Biographic style.
Horses and mounted riders are the most
common rock art motifs that can be attributed
to Plains Indians, and this is no surprise
since the horse was so important to
their livelihood. Early Biographic style
horses are simple and are often shown with
open faces, while the horses and riders of
the Late Biographic style are more complex.
Horses are shown both individually
or in large groups and may represent horses
stolen in raids-a favorite pastime of the
Plains Indians-or the horses owned by a
single individual.
There are numerous examples of horses
in the rock art found in the Texas PanhanHERITAGE * WINTER 1991 9
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Texas Historical Foundation. Heritage, Volume 9, Number 1, Winter 1991, periodical, Winter 1991; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth45422/m1/9/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Foundation.