Laserfiche WebLink
What is unusual about the scene is that these three Archaic -style figures are <br />"surrounded" by two archers, situated several centimeters to the right, three horsemen, <br />and seven inverted U -shapes that possibly represent horse hoof prints; all in red <br />pigment, obviously dating no earlier than the Late Prehistoric acquisition of both the <br />horse and the bow and arrow. The red pigment, and application style, of all of the <br />elements, however, gives the impression of having been produced at the same time, <br />and likely by the same artist. <br />Seven of the eleven figures in Panel 3 have been impacted by bullet holes, including <br />the two archers, however they still retain enough definition to identify two pedestrian figures <br />facing to the left with well-defined legs and feet, arms extended and holding conspicuously <br />recurved bows and arrows bearing large triangular (metal?) points aimed at the Barrier <br />Canyon style figures (Plate 8). Although no examples of obviously recurved bows are known <br />to these researchers from documented Ute rock art sites, a number of examples are illustrated <br />in both rock art and ledger paintings from the Late Prehistoric and Protohistoric periods from <br />the northwestern Plains. These have been attributed to many of the late ethnic groups <br />including the Ute and Shoshone, which are known to have inhabited northern Colorado <br />(Keyser and Klassen 2001). The authors make no mention in the text differentiating the <br />depictions of the recurved bows from those showing single arcs, either artistically, ethnically, <br />or temporally. <br />Plate 8. Site 5MF948, Panel 3, detail view of showing one of the horse riders <br />with an apparent recurved bow and possible buffalo horn headdress. Note the <br />five bullet holes impacting the pictograph. <br />Pal <br />