Pictographic Clues on the Cultural Landscape of Southern California
Southern California is rich in pictograph and petroglyph evidence of Native American interactions with their landscape. Digital rendering advancements over the past decade have augmented opportunities to expand our understanding of southern California rock art -- especially pictographs. In tandem with new site discoveries, we have a better handle on rock art “styles,” their distribution, and in some case regional style variations. The expressions of rock art along the primary Late Period ethnographic division between Yuman and Takic speaking groups has been of particular interest recently. Additionally, specific forensic analysis of pictograph impression handprints has supported conventional suppositions regarding the makers of certain types of rock art. This visually rich presentation by rock art researcher and author Steve Freers will demonstrate how much of this new information aligns with examples of pictographic rock art comprising the La Rumorosa, Rancho Bernardo, and San Luis Rey Styles.