Stolen California Petroglyphs Returned, But Many Questions Remain

[moobu2]

Ancient petroglyphs that were sawed and blasted out of rock formations in eastern California have been recovered. The Bureau of Land Management has recovered the artifacts which are sacred to the local Paiute tribe.

You can listen to the NPR story or read the transcript here..
http://www.npr.org/2013/02/04/171103055/stolen-california-petroglyphs-returned-but-many-questions-remain


This is one of the stories near the time of the theft and destruction.

California Petroglyphs Damaged and Stolen, Tribes and Authorities Stunned

ICTMN Staff
November 23, 2012
Ancient petroglyphs were hacked out of the high desert chalk bluffs with power saws by thieves armed with ladders, generators and other equipment. Where once was ancient art there are now rough empty holes in the bluffs or Volcanic Tableland in California’s Eastern Sierr

“They weren’t surgeons; they were smashing and grabbing,” says Greg Haverstock, a field archaeologist in the Bishop Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management, in a Los Angeles Times video that shows a tour of the area. He describes how the vandals used a rotating concrete saw to remove chunks of the rock art. “It’s one of the worst acts of desecration that one can imagine. This site is on public lands, it’s managed for the enjoyment of all individuals…and these selfish individuals basically destroyed a major portion of the site for their own personal gain or profit.”

The area where the vandalism occurred has hundreds of rock art sites that are more than 3,500 years old and are sacred to the American Indian tribes in the area including the Paiute, Shoshone and Mono.

“These petroglyphs—in our language, rock writings—are held sacred to the people here,” Raymond Andrews, a Paiute who serves as the tribal historical preservation officer for the Bishop area, told NBC News. “Our ancestors etched messages in them, so they are sacred... People go and pray to them and try to seek guidance."

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/article/california-petroglyphs-damaged-and-stolen-tribes-and-authorities-stunned-145801

[Judi Lynn]

1. I hope the get the names of the people involved in this vile crime.

This is a case which really cries out for justice, although the despicable destruction can never be reversed.