TimWaagBlog: WAAG'S WORLD: Thunderbird Petroglyph Project

November 30, 2018:

I really do NOT like meetings, yet I go to them ALL THE TIME. To pass the time, I have learned to re-draw American Indian petroglyphs (rock art chiseled into a volcanic rock surface, revealing a much lighter color below the "patina" on the surface) that I have photographed. (I can concentrate better on the meeting discussion while I am drawing).

I feel that I can bring out some of the beauty that is often obscured due to deterioration of the rock surface. I hope you enjoy them in the spirit for which they were intended - reflection of beauty and thought from another time. Peace.

January 9, 2016: While attending an all day training session for the Red Cross on how to set up and staff an emergency disaster shelter, I felt it was time to start drawing some more petroglyphs. I drew 10 more of them, by using the search engine prompt: "Thunderbird Petroglyphs". I wanted to see how similar my recently viewed "Thunderbird" petroglyphs of Saline Valley ("SV") fame were to other ancient rock art renderings. I knew that thunderbird-style petroglyphs were rare, though birds were not as rare. Turned out, they weren't very similar, as you can see. First, here is the famous Saline Valley Thunderbird petroglyph:

Above: Saline Valley Thunderbird petroglyphs. Saline Valley is a big place, so you won't be able to find them from that clue. Click to enlarge.

Above: Click to enlarge. photoshopped SV bird image. Black appears to be main image (traced in photoshop). Red is superfluous rock chipping that appears unrelated to the bird. Note the distinct cut across the fan of the tail. On all the thunderbirds at the site, they had this same distinct line across the tail feathers, often more deeply gouged into the rock than any other part of the image, making it seem important. Superimposed inside the image is the profile of a turkey vulture or condor, which is most likely the type of bird depicted here.

Now, here are 10 more thunderbirds that I found and drew during the class. A few are similar to our Saline Valley birds, but not very many.

Above: I'll start with one that is most similar to our SV bird. Note that our SV birds don't have legs and feet. Also, they have a distinctive horizontal cut through the tail feathers that are of unknown intention. Click to enlarge.

Above: Also similar to our SV bird. Click to enlarge. My hand drawn version makes this bird look like the life of the party! This petroglyph bird is perhaps the most well-known of it's type. This petroglyph can be found at "Legend Rock State Historic Park" near Thermopiles, Wyoming. Read more here: http://letsgetdealstoday.com/exploring-ancient-rock-art-at-legend-rock-state-historic-site-wyoming/

Above: A more abstract (and typical) rock art representation of a large bird. Click to enlarge. This is another popular thunderbird image on the internet. It can be found at Horse Thief Lake, Washington. Read more here: http://www.gatheringthestories.org/2013/10/20/bridge-of-the-gods/

Above (click to enlarge): This is also a very common petroglyph bird to show up on the internet. It is located at Jeffers Petroglyphs in Cottonwood County, Minnesota. Read more here: http://www1.umn.edu/marp/rockart/rockart.html

Above (click to enlarge): This was not one of my favorites, and it was not very representative of the look and feel of the original petroglyph, which is my goal. Sue thinks my version looks like a prehistoric pterodactyl.

Above (click to enlarge): This was an interesting one that I did not finish before my meeting ended. On my desktop computer, I could only find the image of this thunderbird petroglyph that was done in transistors and circuit boards! (the upper image). I'm sure I drew it from a petroglyph photograph, and not from the "circuit board" art! Does anybody recognize this petroglyph, and point me towards its general location and an image of it? Thanks! You can see the "circuit board" thunderbird petroglyph by going to this web page: http://hyperallergic.com/122464/thunderbirds-and-underwater-panthers-in-an-overlooked-american-indian-art-history/

Above (click to enlarge): This is one of my favorites, but I could not find the image on the internet on my desktop computer. Does anybody recognize this petroglyph, and point me towards its general location and an image of it? Thanks!

Above (click to enlarge): This is also one of my favorites, but I could not find the image on the internet on my desktop computer. Does anybody recognize this petroglyph, and point me towards its general location and an image of it? Thanks!

Above (click to enlarge): Not really a favorite of mine, but I could not find the image on the internet on my desktop computer. Does anybody recognize this petroglyph, and point me towards its general location and an image of it? Thanks!

Brief discussion from an archaeological site about the SV Thunderbirds

Tim Waag: Finally got to the "Thunderbird" Petroglyphs in Saline Valley. Located in an amazing geological area with cool slot canyons and wind eroded mini-caves. Also, a few rare turtles thrown into the mix, plus some bighorn sheep riding each other. Thanks to CU for guiding them to us. One of the locals said that Mary Dedecker found some Indian baskets in these "wind caves" - true story? who knows? Now just part of Death Valley lore. Photos enhanced a little bit in photoshop, since they are in light-colored rock and hard to see.

Interestingly, this "Thunderbird" petroglyph in Saline Valley reminds me of a turkey vulture (inset in the image in black on white), which is native to North and South America. I photoshopped the original photo to create contrast, then drew the main image in black. Superfluous lines that exist on the rock surface, but do not appear to be part of the original "intention" of the artist (or were added before or after the "bird") are drawn in red. From here, I'll hand draw my version of the petroglyph's black lines.

AG: I really think that site deserves an article. Have you ever crafted a research piece Tim? Professor Waag?

Tim Waag: You are too kind. Native American rock art is not my field of expertise...Anyways, from what I understand, these petroglyphs are from a well-known site in Saline Valley. I've heard of it for decades, and finally got out and saw it on my last trip.

Tim Waag: See the dotted red line in the image. There are about 6 or 7 "thunderbirds" in this canyon, and they all have the horizontal line across the middle of their tail feathers...

Tim Waag: Also, I fixed the head, as it was in error in the previous thunderbird, but correct in this one. All the other thunderbirds have this head, again, that resembles a condor.

TF: May be depicting them taking off. A condor taking off is an amazing sight. The line may represent the horizon.

Tim Waag: Don't think so. Interestingly, in all the glyphs, that horizontal line is noticeably deeper than all the other lines. Also, none of the glyphs show legs/feet, which is what you see when they take off...This photo taken at Bishop Peak in San Luis Obispo of a turkey vulture (either landing or taking off - not sure which).

AS: Wondering if such a "bar" across the tail -- a real one or a drawn one? -- would prevent this bird from flying? A way to capture it?

*****ORIGINAL POST: December, 2012: While taking my Hospice Client to church (where the services are more than 2 hours long! yikes!), I began bringing photos of my favorite petroglyphs with me, and began to re-draw them while sitting in the pew of the Church to kill a little time. Call it divine inspiration or whatever, but I became amazed at how the elegant and beautiful lines of this ancient California art began to jump off the page at me.

I wanted to share this with those who appreciate this amazing communication art form left behind by the ancient Californians. Enjoy. For each art file, the left is my drawing made in church, and the right is the actual petroglyph that I reproduced.

Click on the art to enlarge.

Bighorn Sheep, Coso Range, China Lake Naval Base, California