Petroglyphs stolen from sacred Calif. American Indian site

Some of the petroglyphs found at the Volcanic Tableland, near Bishop, Calif. / Flicker/GSEC

BISHOP, Calif. Rock carvings that graced a sacred American Indian site in California's Sierra Nevada for thousands of years have fallen prey to modern thieves armed with power saws.

At least four petroglyphs -- some 2 feet wide and located 15 feet above the ground -- were hacked from lava cliffs in the Eastern Sierra, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.

Visitors to the area, known as Volcanic Tableland, discovered the theft and reported it to the federal Bureau of Land Management on Oct. 31.

"This was the worst act of vandalism ever seen" on the 750,000 acres of public land administered by the BLM field office in Bishop, BLM archaeologist Greg Haverstock told the newspaper.

The thieves must have used ladders, electric generators and power saws. In addition to the four carvings that were stolen, one was defaced with deep saw cuts on three sides, and another was removed but apparently broke during the theft and was left propped against a boulder near a visitor parking lot.

More than 3,500 years ago, Native Americans carved pictures of hunters, deer and other animals, and geometric and other designs into a half-mile-long volcanic escarpment. The images adorn hundreds of lava boulders.

The petroglyphs are probably worth only about $500 to $1,500 on the illegal art market but are priceless to American Indians, authorities said.

"We still use this sacred place as a kind of church to educate tribal members and children about our historical and spiritual connections," Paiute tribal historic preservation officer Raymond Andrews said. "So, our tribal elders are appalled by what happened here."

Volunteers have stepped up surveillance at the site, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The BLM is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to arrests. A first-time felony conviction for damaging or removing petroglyphs can carry a one-year prison sentence and a $20,000 fine.

Meanwhile, federal officials and American Indian leaders plan to mark the damage with signs noting that it was done by, as Haverstock put it, "malicious, selfish individuals."

[DanielCocciardi]

I have a petroglyph store on ebay if anyone is interested. Just got a few pieces in. I'm using one as a door stop right now. They also make great ashtrays.

[audemus]

As a boy, I was a bit of a rock-hound...always had an eye out for that next great "find." One day while walking along the banks of a river not too far from my home, I stumbled upon my very first arrowhead...a beautiful piece of flint about 3 inches long, reddish in color, all perfection and beauty and function, beautifully flaked and detailed...and still as sharp as the day it was made hundreds or even thousands of years before. Even at that early age (I was 10), I could sense something "special" about this find...I was to come to the understanding later in life that that something "special" I was feeling that day, was a sense of holiness, of being blessed with the gift of this wonderful object. Here was a practical tool, designed to secure safety and food for the one who made it, or perhaps it provided for a family that he cared for all those many centuries ago...the brilliance of design and the strong and unerring mind and hands that shaped it earned my deep respect and admiration that day...a practical work of art, truly a one-of-a-kind masterpiece of human creation. I've often wished I could have known these people...perhaps, in a way, I did.

To learn of the desecration of this holy place in California, brings me a sadness that's hard to explain. No one has the right to possess what belongs to us all.

[kbbpll]

BLM leadership generally doesn't give a hoot about this stuff. They're more concerned with oil leases and keeping the county commissioners happy.

[phwtb100]

When you think mankind has already hit rock bottom, some piece of garbage pops out of the sewer to remind you it's still a long way to the bottom.

May they forever be crippled by the boulder that fell on their foot.

[tsigili]

Humans are going to have to be restricted from those areas. They simply are not trustworthy creatures.

[hypnotoad72]

Unfortunately true.

We can't regulate ourselves but we can't trust the regulators, either...

[joesapper]

Well may I say that is not a Human problem but rather an animal problem that apprears to be in the form of a Human .

[OmegaWolf747]

Take a picture!

[hypnotoad72]

Agreed.

There is no actual value (as we would place "value" as being) in taking these. And to sell them online wouldn't get very far, either.

[Dopeyguns]

If these animals are found and the works get held by a private owner, bury them in an anthill up to their necks and walk away.

[joesapper]

Gee , why expose the ants to such scum !