Indian Rock Art of the Southwest

This is a collection of Professor Schaafsma in her past visit and document of Native American rock art sites of the Southwest. It was a book of experience and research covering a massive area. It is a book of weight with almost four hundred pages with color and black and white pictures and text comment. She points out the most persistent misconception is the notion that all Indian rock is a form of writing, evidently by Martineau as a pan-Indian system akin to sign language. Of interest is that on page 144, the bottom picture shows a large rectangular maze connected to a small one. Another one is that she mentions masks and faces with almond eyes (p.199). Which ethnic group has almond eye, Asian or European? Page 204 shows pictures of turtle and rattlesnake, two animals highly valued by Native Americans. It is an enjoyable tour pleasure with Polly in deep learning and understanding her work. It is a great work.

This was the perfect book for my studies of early american indian art. Many color plates makes it much easier to examine the actual art pieces. Text is informative and complete. Great book for anyone interested in this specific subject or Art in early America./tb

Polly's book is great in that it tells not only about the rock art and the styles but also tells about the cultures that have created it. I have a small rock art tour company in central Utah, and have read both this book and Rock Art of Utah. They are both great and have been a great help to me in my field.