Are there name or identification indicators on or around the Shaman figures that would have allowed the Lower Pecos people to recognize the artist or Shaman portrayed?

So far, no one has attempted a detailed study of attributes that might serve to identify an individual shaman or artist but, based on our knowledge of Plains picture writing, such an insignia may very well be incorporated into the paintings. The Plains method was to picture the protagonists name - such as Red Arrow or Running Horse - by literally drawing the object or some approximation of it, usually floating above the person or attached to them by a line. The PRS artists are probably more subtle because their art was created for a different reason - but it is clear that some figures are intended to represent either the same person or the same class of persons, i.e. the rabbit eared shaman or the were-cougar. I have always felt that the three depictions of shamans with birds on their arms on and near the Devils River were the same person, perhaps a shaman who had actually or figuratively tamed a bird. Here it is useful to remember that the Lower Pecos people belonged to social units that were more important than the individual - i.e., so-and-so clan or family. In that way, the animal talismans might serve to signal your lineage and your extended family - facts that were very important in determining friend or foe, marriage possibilities, trading partners, territoriality, etc. It is quite likely that a detailed statistical analysis of the distribution of specific attributes, most particularly headdresses, elbow attachments, internal body designs, would turn up consistent patterns that could be interpreted as identifying symbols, at least at the group level. Keep in mind, however, that the Plains people were aggressively individualistic with a code of personal bravery and conduct that found its ultimate outlet in what we would consider bragging whereas the PRS people were participating in a religious system. Therefore, we would expect the shaman to identify himself or his source of supernatural power within the context of a specific religious iconography -- instead of boasting about his personal feats of bravery he would be presenting his supernatural qualifications for leadership. No doubt, however, the locals knew who was being portrayed or who had done the portraying. I don't think we will ever be able to say that "Site 41VV*** was painted by X Shaman in the year XXX" but we might well be able to recognize similarities that identify the artist/shaman (who were probably the same person).