Spirit Songs and Sacred Fire: Considering Native Perspectives through an Understanding of Klamath Basin Myth - Robert David

ARARA presents...

Petroglyph Point is a large rock art site located in what is today known as the Lava Beds National Monument. According to local sacred narratives, The Peninsula is the Klamath-Modoc people’s creation point. For over a century, the petroglyphs on this monument have presented something of a mystery to park visitors and rock art researchers alike. Starting in the early 20^th Century, writers and researchers attempted to explain these petroglyphs from a variety of perspectives. Conspicuously missing from these writings, however, were the voices of those who actually produced the petroglyphs- the Klamath and Modoc people themselves. Information preserved in our sacred narratives (i.e. myths), supplemented by early ethnographic and ethno-historic accounts, coupled with comparisons with other Klamath Basin rock art sites, demonstrate that we have retained a substantial amount of information about Petroglyph Point and our Klamath Basin rock art heritage as a whole.

Dr. Robert David is a member of the Klamath Tribes and hold both a Master’s Degree and PhD in Anthropology. He earned his doctorate at the University of California Berkeley and his Masters at Portland State University. In both programs he focused my research on Klamath Basin rock art. He has taught both Anthropology and Native American Studies courses at UC Berkeley, and currently Anthropology courses at Portland State University. During the summers he does fieldwork for the USDA Forest Service. Over the past 19 years, he has had an ongoing field project in the Klamath Basin where, with the generous assistance of numerous friends and volunteers, he tracks down and documents both known and unknown rock art sites. Currently, he is working on two projects that involve Petroglyph Point. The first is a book based on his research on the monument over the past seven years. The second is a film documentary in which he grounds his understanding of the petroglyphs in Klamath-Modoc mythology. His plans for the future include continued research in the Klamath Basin, teaching in the university system, and developing curriculums that include and centralize Native epistemologies. Dr. David is seeking funding for a documentary on Petroglyph Point. If you are interested in supporting this endeavor click here.