The Park Rangers are very protective of the archeological resources of the Park, and I totally sympathize. Even when Anthropology students have been shown sites, later vandalism has shown up in a couple of cases. Not, I am sure, from the students, but they tell a friend, who tells another, who has a teenage son who decides to hold a party at the site......and someone who barely knows what a petroglyph is scratches in his own initials.

The sites that are in the Park, and nearby, are surely sacred and spiritual places, and need to be treated as such. If you do happen to come across any such places, I highly recommend that you keep the knowledge to yourself.

However, I am prepared to open the window into the highly secret world of JTNP sacred sites just a crack. Don't expect me to give much in the way of clues as to where to go and find such sites for yourself though.

I have guided people into some of the sites I know, sometimes starting with

. . . .so people can see for themselves how such sites can be treated by the wrong people.

Besides pictographs, like those seen in orange above, special caves and rock faces have pecked in petroglyphs. Also, on the face of rocks, in a few cases, are small ground in circular holes (cupules), which were ceremonial in use.

Other signs of the former Native American culture to be found in JTNP are, pottery chards, arrow heads, drills, chipping sites, pipes, beads, shells, grinding holes and slicks, pestles and handstones (manos) for grinding, portable grinding rocks (metates), spirit sticks, fragments of baskets or yucca fiber rope, archeoastronomy sites, rock cairns, trails, pathways and steps worn into rock, campsites with fire smudges, and blackened earth from ages of fire building.

Unfortunately, as much fun as it is to share these sites, the truth is, it's best to keep them hidden and secret in most all cases. Anyays (updating 2010) I've moved to Myrtle Beach SC, so no more hike guiding in JTNP for me until at least that mysterious day when I might move back to the area.

Jay

5/12/2003