Mark Harrison / The Seattle Times
Posted on 12/13/2014 6:51:28 PM PST by SunkenCiv
A fisherman stumbled upon a rock carving that appears to show a legendary battle in Quileute mythology...
An old petroglyph found by a fisherman in the Calawah River was celebrated with a ceremony by a group of Quileute tribal members before it was moved to the tribal headquarters in La Push. State archaeologists authenticated the carving and think it may date to around or before the mid-1700s...
The rock they stumbled upon appears to be a carving that depicts a legendary battle in Quileute mythology, according to tribal and state officials...
The rock -- which could weigh up to 1,000 pounds -- had been hauled up to the river bank by a power winch...
Stilson pointed out the head of what is believed to be K'wati, a transformative figure in Quileute mythology. With his finger, Stilson traced K'wati's head, beak and distinctive comb, and then K'wati’s tongue, which leads to another figure on the rock, believed to be the Red Lizard...
Stilson and Jackson wondered if the rock could have been a trail marker.
"On the 1893 General Land Office map, they show a trail here," Stilson said.
As state archaeologist, Stilson helped authenticate the rock. Whoever carved it used not a metal tool but stone, he said. That means it’s a "pre-contact" artifact, one made before Europeans moved into the region. Stilson guessed it dates to around or before the mid-1700s...
The Red Lizard, according to Quileute legend, made his home near the narrowest point of land between the Calawah and Sol Duc rivers and stopped people using it as a shortcut from one to the other. K'wati, a figure of good who was known as the "transformer" and turned the Quileutes from wolves into people, eventually killed the Red Lizard, who had a much poorer reputation.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.com ...
Mark Harrison / The Seattle Times
As we await the Sam Adams and Paul Revere time capsule opening? Perhaps Paul Revere Pewter and beer?
BTW, Sunk, anything anyone ever wants to know about Seattle, particularly about its rather unique mind-set, please go to:
www.thestranger.com
We stayed at Sol Duc back in May and the hotel there is one of my wife's favorites
Thanks!
At least he didn't call it a ritualistic object.
It does not follow that it has to be pre-contact, just because stone tools were used. There are many examples of metal using cultures that forbid the use of metal for various purposes, including the prohibition of the Hebrews use of metal tools when building altars.
It is also quite possible that whoever carved it didn't have proper metal tools on site, so used suitable stones at hand.
It is akin to finding a parchment or tree bark writing, and saying it had to predate the introduction of paper in a particular area. Or that corn husks in an outhouse means it predates Sears catalogs.
I wholeheartedly agree, there’s no reason that post-contact artifact wouldn’t have been carved with stone. Soon enough the artifact will be sequestered out of sight somewhere before (egad) it gets studied (egad).
Hmmm. Looking at the photo, I see some generic designs, but no historic battle. I certainly do not see a chicken headed warrior.
The tribe may make such claims, but all I can say is, “Cool story, Bro.”
There's a CRT Screen on the rock at about 3'o'clock. Press the round "on-off" switch in its lower right-hand corner and the chicken-headed warrior should come up.
If not, use the hammer at 11'o'clock and strike it smartly.
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