Parowan Gap, UT - May 20, 2012 - Not Quite the World Traveler: Discover Places that I Love

Not Quite the World Traveler: Discover Places that I Love:

Parowan Gap, UT - May 20, 2012

Sunset at Parowan Gap

The sun sinks ever so slowly toward the narrow volcanic cleft in the rocks, shooting daggers of light and shadow across the basin, touching upon the rock cairns nestled in the prairie grass and sagebrush. The face of Tobats, The "Overseer" - an easily distinguishable profile of a face, overlooks the gap as thousands of years of human history recede from view while the light diminishes on the petroglyphs carved in the rock walls of the narrow gap. Here the blend of ancient and modern finds an easy rhythm in the calls of the birds from the sage, the cry of eagles nesting in the bluffs and the hum of tires on the asphalt. And we are here on a particularly important day - the first annular solar eclipse visible in this part of the country since 1994, a good 18 years past.

While already an important historically significant site, contemporary to the raising of the monoliths at Stonehenge, and used in a fashion to mark the passage of time and serve as a cosmic calendar for solar alignments of the sun, moon, and other planetary bodies such as the track of the planet Venus across the night sky, our visit on May 20, 2012 was precipitated by the ideal viewing conditions to observe the solar eclipse. While many mysteries surround the significance of many of the thousands of petroglyphs carved into the faces of the rocks here, several have been remarkable in their ability to predict the precise location of the sun and moon throughout the year. Also present within the Gap are two small caves, both inscribed with petroglyphs, and containing remnants of human inhabitants such as flint arrowheads, pottery pieces and evidence of soot from fires left on the ceilings. (And also a few bats!) These artifacts have been carbon dated back to 12,000 years ago. Such an enormity of human existence cataloged and recorded in one place boggles the mind.

As for more recent history, as the Parowan Gap website explains:

When the first Mormon Pioneers came there in 1849, Chief Wakara, a widely revered and greatly respected Paiute tribal leader, told them that Parowan Gap was "God's Own House." Recent research and observation is making both the scientist and casual visitor take this statement very seriously. There are solar and lunar events that happen there which were created by no human intervention. Phenomena occur which create a natural calendric structuring of the year's times and seasons with a kind of "Primal Logic of Nature". The pre-Columbian Fremont Peoples of the Parowan Valley noticed these yearly events and recorded them by date number and in many symbolic petroglyphic inscriptions. (www.parowangap.org)

Perhaps one of the most remarkable and memorable of the glyphs is the large aptly-named "Zipper Glyph" with its 180 tic-mark "teeth". Only beginning to be studied scientifically in depth starting in 1990, many of the glyphs were noted to contain lines and dots, tics and and repeating patterns. In studying the Zipper Glyph, it revealed itself to be a map representing the geography of the Gap itself and the surround region, with the tic-marks representing solar alignment positions, and rock cairns spreading into the basin marking the phases of the year for equinoxes, solstices and cross-quarters, or the dates between the equinox and solstices. Deliberately and carefully marked, the large Zipper Glyph is marking the time in observable, categorized segments.

As the website continues to explain "The angle between the arms of the Zipper Glyph closely approximated the horizontal traverse of the sunsets between the solstices. Consequently, we had a glyph of considerable size and detail which contains both the angular traverse of the sun and the number of days it takes to make that traverse. Furthermore the cairn system divides the solar traverse into four equal periods which matches the distribution of counts on the Zipper Glyph." After deciphering the purpose of the Zipper Glyph being used as a solar calendar, it only followed that there would be a corresponding lunar calendar, and there was. It was located just around the bend in the rocks, facing the opposite direction to coordinate with moonrise.

Similar to the Zipper Glyph, the lunar calendar glyph shows lines which indicate the phases of the moon, and even dividing the lunar cycles into 29 day cycles (months) each containing 4 divisions of "weeks", and even accounting for the partial lunar phase completing the year. Of particular interest to me were the geologic formations through which are visible the sun and moon between the lineup of particular gaps in the rocks, including The Overseer "swallowing" the sun through his mouth to herald the coming of winter and spitting it back out again indicating the turning of the seasons back to spring with re-giving light back to the earth. Another small shaft between the rocks documents the 19 year extreme southernmost rise of the full moon, through which gap the moonrise will appear.

The face of The Overseer

While many legends and stories surround the Parowan Gap, certain irrefutable evidence of past history is inscribed on the walls, such as the Spanish waybill dated 1839 and marked with a skull, crossbones and a cross, and other dates of 1882 and 1887 of settlers and pioneers passing through that left their marks. Unfortunately, modern graffiti including spraypaint and initials inside a heart and names carved into the sandstone spoil some of the petroglyphs located here, and sadly some very important inscribed boulders were destroyed in the forming of the road through the narrow gap in the 1960s, eradicating perhaps as much as half the total petroglyphs on site, a tragedy of epic proportions.

Spanish Waybill indicating the location of buried booty hidden from the slave revolts and uprisings of the local people captured and forced to work in the mines by the Spanish. These waybills were to disclose the locations of the mines or buried precious metals.

Archaeological evidence has shown that the Parowan Freemont peoples lived in this Parowan valley, near the shores of the shallow salt lake (now dry) located approximately five miles from the Gap. Used as a passageway by ancient peoples, other culture's artifacts have also been located on the site as well. Whether serving as a ceremonial gathering place, a hunting rendezvous, or simply a way to mark their passing, the petroglyphs here weree carved as a ritualistic set of drawings acknowledging the ancestors, their cultural legends and stories, an accounting for the passage of seasons, marking of solstices and equinoxes and a guiding plot map for other celestial bodies. Parowan Gap remains a place imbued with mystery. The footsteps across the ages of ancient peoples who stood in the same place where we now stand, watching the sun slowly making its way down the walls of the gap. Perhaps then even observed another eclipse with all the other-worldly majesty of such a remarkable event.

The moon creeps closer to totality in the eclipse, and the sunlight dims to an odd silvery-gray, the temperature noticeable cools, adding to the goosebumps coursing my skin. The night birds begin their calls, and the moon stands poised to overtake the last edge of sun as the crowd gathers in breathless anticipation. The moon takes over the fiery orb, shooting a flare outwards as a Ring of Fire forms around the sun. The crowd whoops and hollers, cat-calls and howls to the remarkable joining of the moon and sun in the heavens, a pop-top cracks open in celebration, and wondering eyes take in the spectacle for a few precious moments as the alignment of Earth, Moon and Sun form an awe-inspiring moment. Interlaced fingers cast crescent-shaped shadows as the Moon continues its journey, the "horns of the bull" reforming and the light returning to its accustomed golden glow as it sinks ever toward the waiting horizon.  

And finally, to close our adventure through time (and space), here is one of the local legends of "Rush Lake" - the salt lake located close to Parowan Gap. 

The Rush Lake Legend

A Pahute Indian named "Narro-gwe-nap" or Keeper of the Tales related the following legend to William R. Palmer (1877-1960) who was an advisor and advocate to the Cedar City, Utah Pahute Indian tribe.

In the early days, Rush Lake, Utah was a major travel route, watering hole and campground to the Indians. The lake was maintained by a spring that flowed from the point of the black hill. In recent years, Rush Lake has dried up - no doubtedly due to the lowering of ground water by wells in the area.

As the Legend goes, the Indian Oonuput (That one) killed Shinob (The god of love) at Rush Lake. This caused Oonuput great shame and disgrace. The chief god Tobats swore to kill Oonuput.

Petroglyphs at Rush Lake

Tobats built a small fortress on the top of the hill just east of the lake. (According to Palmer, a piece of the wall still stands.) Here Tobats waited for Oonuput to come for water so that he could kill him. Oonuput found out about Tobats plan of vengence and went to nearby water holes. After several days had passed and Oonuput had not come, Tobats decided to dig up all the water holes except for Rush Lake thus forcing Oonuput to come in for water. Tobats carried out his plan and all the water dried up except at Rush Lake.

Several days later as Tobats was inspecting the valley below, he saw Oonuput wriggling through the brush trying to sneak in for water. When Oonuput reached the lake and started drinking, Tobats shot him through the back with an arrow. Oonuput died and turned to stone.

William R. Palmer recalled that when he was a boy, he remembered seeing a large stone in the shape of a man with a hole in its back, lying at the water's edge. The stone was later broken up and placed into the rock fence next to the lake.

After Oonuput was killed, a great darkness fell over the land. It was so dark that fires could not be seen. There was great fear and mourning among the people. During this time, the Indians began wandering off in different directions getting themselves lost in the darkness. Tobats went to the top of the hill and cried down to the people telling them to stay in one place, grasp each other's hands, and to gather into a group. He then told them to come up to the top of the hill and make a circle around him.

In traveling up the hill, the Indians formed a trail that according to Palmer was still there during his lifetime.

After the people were gathered, Tobats took his quiver of arrows and began shooting them into the sky to see if the darkness could be penetrated. The arrows were made with feathers from different types of birds. After several attempts, Tobats picked up an arrow with Flicker feathers on it. The arrow pierced the sky and opened a small hole of light. When the arrow returned the feathers were streaked with red. Tobats then used an arrow with Magpie feathers. The arrow penetrated the darkness and light appeared. Upon returning, the Magpie feathers were streaked with white.

Tobats called the Flicker bird to him. (At that time the Flicker bird had no red.) Tobats told the bird that from this time forth it would be streaked with red in honor of what it did. He then called the Magpie bird to him, which at that time didn't have white, and told the Magpie that it would be streaked with white in honor of what it did. These two birds were sacred to the Indians. (http://www.scienceviews.com/indian/rushlake.html)

 
Petroglyphs showing the lines/dots pattern so common here. Entrance to the larger cave and a view of the petroglyphs carved inside.

Information, photos and more courtesy www.parowangap.org, http://www.scienceviews.com/indian/rushlake.html, http://www.scienceviews.com/photo/library/SIA1501.html (please see photo copyright information for Calvin J. Hamilton available at http://www.scienceviews.com/copyright.html)
and various images found on Google search - available on the web 
(Regrettably not noted as this was originally to be for personal use only).