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PetroglyphsWith Antlered

Figures

Clifford C. RicheyJuly 2014

It would be helpful to refer to: http://www.scribd.com/doc/12507641.5/ Universal-Prehistoric-Depicted-Sign-Language when reading this paper. It explains the use of Form, Imagery, Gesture Signs, Stance, allusion. and position among other compositional rules used in the creation of many ancient compositions.

Illustration 1: Moab Utah Petroglyph

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http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/en/collection/artifacts/M182/Illustration 2: Iroquoise Antler Headress

Illustration 3: New Mexico Petroglyph

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The odd juxtaposition of a Bird and Antlers begins to make sense when we understand that in sign language a Bird meant, the one that flies or flight. Horns and antlers indicated a leader.1 This was concept probably based on observation of herding animals where the most powerful male gains his leading position in the herd through battle. Ancient depicted sign language made use of this fact by using Form and Imagery of Horns and Antlers to signify leadership.

The Leader, The Chieftain,(Tan, The Antlered Head)

The Hand of the Sun, the steward of the Sun,(Tan, Dual Form or Imagery of the Antlers as Hands, The sign for a steward is not defined in this glyph

but was part of the cosmology as determined through context in multiple glyphs)on

The Left and Right, In the east and the west,(In gesture signing the left hand side represents the east and the right hand side, the west)

The Bird, the one that flies,(The sign of the Bird)The great male-spirit,

( Light blue, A sign based on the glans penis to represent a male spirit)

1 http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/en/collection/artifacts/M182/ “Archaeological evidence from the Eastern Woodlands region suggests that the wearing of horned headdresses as symbols of chiefly power goes back thousands of years.”

Illustration 4: Color Coded

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atThe Doorway, the portal,

(The yellow, Pi shaped, sign that means a doorway. The door's lintel is compounded with the lower jawarea of the. Light Blue, male-spirit sign)

His Leg, His Foot, his long journey(Yellow, An allusion to the legs and feet)

Below it,(Relative position)

His arising,(White, the curved sign for arising)

from The surface,

(Light Blue, The Straight Line that makes up the top of the male-spirit's head)Above

(Relative position)

Illustration 5: Color Coded

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The Tail feathers, His parts in flight,(Feathers as part of a bird, thus it parts or particles in flight)

His many,(A count of three like signs was a form of short hand for the word, many)

Turning places(Blue, The turning-places. A compound of the rectangular place sign and the “U” shaped Curve for

turning)On the side

(positional, of the earth, understood)(past tense, that which is behind)

The vertical-place(Green, a Vertical rectangle meaning a vertical place that has height and depth)

On its side,(positional)

Heading west,(Stance of the Bird's head)

The Eye of the Sun, Venus.(Yellow, Venus metaphorically viewed as a companion spirit or familiar to the Sun. This meaning was

determined through context of many glyphs related to the ancient cosmology)

Illustration 6: Color Coded

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The Antlered one, the leader,(Overall Image or Form of the single figure)

Illustration 7: Moab, Utah

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The One,The Great Knife, The great ray of the Sun,

(Black, Form of a Knife based on a metaphor of the rays of the Sun cutting the face of the earth –making cracks in it as the soil dries up)

Illustration 8: The Great Knife

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The Earth-female,(Red, The Triangular sign for the earth-female based on the Form of the human female genital area)

Her Throat, a connecting tunnel,(Green)

A vertical-place,(Green)

atHer center,

(The center of the earth)positional, in the middle. Such places often were considered the center of the culture)

The House, The lineage.(Light Blue, The Square sign for a house and in this context used in a manner similar to a royal house)

Illustration 9: The Earth-female

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His Legs and Feet, his long journeys,(The feet indicate a walk or journey. The Legs indicate length.)

Below(Positional)On the sides(Positional)

Illustration 10: Color Coded

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The Animal, the one,(singular)

That straddles(Stance)

The earth-female,(A template of a long bodied animal over the earth sign)

The Arm, The warrior, The Hand of the Sun, the steward of the Sun,

(The animal viewed as the Figure's arms and hands)in

The east and the westBelow and above,

(The left hand is, positionally) lower than the right hand)(Gesture signing, Left and Right representing the east and west)

onThe sides of the earth-female

(Positional)

Illustration 11: Animal Form

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On the Left, in the east,(In gesture signing the Left represents the east)

(The Aztec used the metaphor, Hummingbird on the Left to represent Venus due to that Bird's matingdance--a high speed vertical “U” shaped movement mimicking the “U” movement of Venus in relation

to the earth. Arising in the east then going under the earth and appearing in the west)(Positional)

Waiting,(Green, Stance of the Rightward Leaning surface sign indicates, waiting)

Held down,(Red, the Angular sign or held down)

Below,(Positional)

The surface.(Green, the surface Line)

He arises in the hole in the west,(The Right Ear is in the Form of the arising sign)

His decent in the hole in the east.(The Left Ear is in the Form of the descending sign)

(The area of the Ears allude to the orifices, holes, on the side of the head)

Illustration 12: Animal Form

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The Hand of the Sun, the steward of the Sun,(The one who does the Sun's bidding)

On the Right, in the west,(In gesture signing the Right represents the west)

The Goat, The one who climbs high upward,(The essence or spirit of the goat is that it climbs high in the mountains)

His Leg,-His Foot, his long journey,(The signs for a long walk or journey)

His Arising.(Light Blue, the Throat of the goat is in the Form of the sign for arising)

The Throat, the connecting tunnel,(the Throat as a metaphor for a tunnel connecting the bowels of the earth with the surface)

The One, His Location

Illustration 13: Animal Form

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(Yellow, The Circle as the basis for the goat's head)at

The Doorway, the portal,(White, the doorway sign)

The Horizontal-rectangle, the horizontal-place,(Green, the rectangular sign for a place, positioned horizontally to distinguish it as a surface place as

opposed to a vertical-place)from

The Ears, the holes( alludes to the orifices of the ears)

Descending in the east,Arising in the west,

(based on the hands used in gesture signing as indication of direction)(Red, descending sign in the east, arising sgn in the west)

Illustration 14: Animal Form

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His Face, his appearance,(A Face, any face, indicates his appearance)

The Eye of the Sun, Venus,(Yellow, meaning indicated earlier)

The Nose, the dual holes (Dark Blue, alludes to the nostrils as dual orifices)

The Mouth, the water source,(Pink, The Mouth, any mouth, indicatives a source of water. In this context it refers to the watery

underworld. The Mouth is alluded to by the House sign's position where the mouth would normally be) Turning,

(The “U” Shaped turning sign)Through it,

Illustration 15: His Face

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(Stance)The One, His Location,

(The Numerical one based on the fingertip, Linguistically, it means location)On the sides.(Positional)

Illustration 16: His Face

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These glyphs have been translated beginning with the largest Form, Image or Sign down to the smallest. Because the glyphs are non linear one could probably begin reading them at any point. But it has been found that they seem to make the most sense when translated according to size..