| Another animal that figures prominently in Pecos River iconography is the deer, whether drawn life-size as here at Bluff Creek, or in miniature, as is more often the case. On the most elemental level, deer were the largest game animal in the region at the time these paintings were made, so their economic value was high. Group hunting success was certainly well within the province of the shaman and may have been one concern addressed by these ritualized paintings, but it is not a primary theme. The cyclical growth and shedding of antlers are a reasonable analogue for regeneration, marking the passing of the seasons and the rhythm of nature. The association between antlers and rebirth may explain the number of racks found in burial contexts in Texas. Antlers are one of the dominant motifs in petroglyph complexes in northern Mexico, where they are incised into prominent rock outcrops that may have served as lookout stations. A more practical interpretation is that the antler headdresses worn by many of the shamans in the Pecos River paintings may have identified their affiliation with specific medicine societies or hosts of the communal ceremonies. One group of composite figures, however, combines the attributes of birds and deer, adding supernatural qualities to the more functional interpretation of the antler motif. The larger of the two from Fate Bell Shelter shown here emits black waves of energy that extend beyond his wings, obscuring the neighboring shaman and perhaps illustrating the transcendence of the bird-deer incarnation. In outline form, examples of this composite figure were once thought precursors of the tri-motor airplane, much as many prehistoric artworks are now attributed to aliens from outer space. It is, however, another manifestation of the conflation of animal characteristics into magical form. Schematized and reduced to his simplest form, this figure soars across shelter walls as far south as the Sierra del Carmen.
One group of composite figures, however, combines the attributes of birds and deer, adding supernatural qualities to the more functional interpretation of the antler motif. The larger of the two from Fate Bell Shelter shown here emits black waves of energy that extend beyond his wings, obscuring the neighboring shaman and perhaps illustrating the transcendence of the bird-deer incarnation. In outline form, examples of this composite figure were once thought precursors of the tri-motor airplane, much as many prehistoric artworks are now attributed to aliens from outer space. it is, however, another manifestation of the conflation of animal characteristics into magical form. Schematized and reduced to his simplest form, this figure soars across shelter walls as far south as the Sierra del Carmen. |
