Tag Archives: Native Americans

Condor Petroglyphs, Death Valley National Park

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Jack Elliott

Two men, a valley, and ten thousand foot peaks. “Who heard the Desert whispering? The gray prospector, hope-wandering that land of vacant sadness, saw through his burning thirst, where from far receding margins gazed the wrinkled ghastly ranges. . . And … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara | Tagged Archaeology, Death Valley, Desert, Hiking, History, Indians, National Parks, Native Americans, Petroglyphs, Rock Art, Travel | 4 Comments

Chumash Rock Art, Santa Barbara County

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Jack Elliott

These Chumash paintings show little wear from the elements over the last several decades. They are presented here without alteration, but for a slight intensification of the existing natural color. They measure roughly about twelve inches in length. The pictographs … Continue reading →

Posted in Santa Barbara County | Tagged Archaeology, Art, Chumash, History, Indians, Los Padres National Forest, Native Americans, Pictographs, Rock Art, Travel | 6 Comments

The Mighty Chia Seed, Cuyama Badlands

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Jack Elliott

The Cuyama Badlands can be a wicked and terrible place for a human on foot with minimal supplies. Heaved aloft, scorched and desiccated, it’s a land clawed open and washed away by spotty cloudbursts that quench a sparse growth of piñon pine, juniper and sagebrush. … Continue reading →

Posted in Reference | Tagged Backpacking, Badlands, Chia, Chumash, Ethnobotany, Flora, Hiking, Native Americans, Nature, Non-fiction, Travel | 7 Comments

The Politics of Rock Art

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Jack Elliott

Santa Barbara County vintage making use of Chumash pictograph motifs. When one takes an interest in actively seeking out and visiting Chumash rock art paintings they soon learn that there is an emotional and contentious political subculture swirling around these archaeological … Continue reading →

Posted in Articles | Tagged Archaeology, Chumash, Hiking, History, Indians, Los Padres National Forest, Native Americans, Pictographs, Rock Art, Santa Barbara | 17 Comments

Chumash Indian Mortars and the Puzzle of the Midden

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Jack Elliott

We had set out to go spearfishing, but a south wind and a west swell combined to ruin conditions. We drove up the mountain from the beach and hiked down into the canyon, the creek within which drains into the … Continue reading →