New Rock Art Site Complex in the Arauák River Valley, Southeastern Venezuela

Briefing Document: New Rock Art Site Complex in the Arauák River Valley, Southeastern Venezuela

Source: Pérez–Gómez, J. M., & Swidorowicz, R. (2023). New rock art site complex in the Arauák River Valley, southeastern Venezuela. Rock Art Research, 40(2), 131-144.

Date: October 26, 2023

Prepared for: [Intended Audience]

Executive Summary:

This document summarizes the key findings of a recent study detailing a newly discovered rock art site complex in the Arauák River Valley, southeastern Venezuela. The research focuses on a prominent isolated boulder near Upuigma Tepui, featuring numerous pictograms, and briefly presents newly found petroglyphs in the same regional context. The paper explores the potential use of the boulder as a shelter and ritual space by indigenous hunter-gatherers, provides a preliminary stylistic analysis suggesting regional interrelationships, and identifies a possible source for the red ochre used in the paintings. The authors emphasize the need for further systematic research to understand the chronology and sociocultural context of these sites and advocate for their protection as valuable heritage.

Main Themes and Important Ideas/Facts:

1. Discovery of a Significant Pictogram Site:

• The primary focus is an isolated boulder in the Arauák River Valley containing extensive Amerindian rock art in the form of pictograms.

• The boulder is located on the slopes of Upuigma Tepui, within a landscape characterized by tepuis (flat-topped mountains), rainforest, and savannahs. The authors note that the "remarkable geographical characteristics of these mountains are likely to have had a significant phenomenological impact on the cultural perception and environmental interpretation of the nearby human groups."

• A walking survey revealed the boulder's strategic location, flanked by ravines and near a freshwater spring. A ferrous outcrop, potentially the source of red ochre, was found nearby.

• The boulder offers "a privileged position over the landscape, affording generous access from and magnificent views over the savannah while at the same time highlighting impressive mountain views."

• The boulder also acts as a watershed between the Arauák and Aparuren Rivers, potentially placing it at the center of a natural walkthrough for game migration.

1. Description of the Pictogram Panels:

• The researchers identified and documented several panels on the boulder, including the "principal panel," "yellow panel," "shelter panel," "aerial panel," "leaf," "mineral accretion panel," and "circles."

• "Principal Panel": Features mostly finger-marked pictograms in the red-orange range, with many superimposed motifs. Non-figurative motifs dominate, such as "dot patterns, penniforms, tectiforms, cruciforms, claviforms, pectiforms, scalariforms and geometric motifs representing quadrangles and triangles." A historic graffito from 1947 was also found here.

• "Yellow Panel": Located on a detached rock, displaying similar finger-marked techniques with some darker red-orange hues, possibly due to ochre decay. Superimposition is evident, suggesting a "sequence of production over time." A labyrinth-like geometric figure is a notable motif.

• "Shelter Panel": Situated within a natural shelter area with soot marks (suggesting campfires), this panel also features finger-marked pictograms, including "a few anthropomorphs, dot patterns, serpentiforms, claviforms, cruciforms, tectiforms, pectiforms and ‘Y’ forms." A "therianthrope characteristic" motif was also found.

• "Aerial Panel": A small, high panel accessible only by climbing, exhibiting excellent preservation, possibly due to its protected location. Motifs include "dot patterns, scalariforms, tectiforms, half circles, penniforms and cruciforms."

• "Leaf": A distinctive phytomorph motif, possibly representing a plant, feather, or lines, located on a high point.

• "Mineral Accretion Panel": Pictograms are largely obscured by mineral accretions, which could be valuable for future dating.

• "Circles": Features circles, dot patterns, and "plant" motifs. Superimposition and mineral accretion are present.

• Graphic documentation involved photography and computer enhancement using Photoshop and DStretch to maximize visibility and digitally trace motifs.

1. Preliminary Stylistic Analysis and Regional Interrelationships:

• The observed pictogram styles are similar to others in the Bolivar state region and the broader regional context, including Brazil and the Guianas. The authors cite numerous previous studies supporting this.

• The dominance of non-figurative motifs aligns with findings from other parts of Venezuela and northern South America.

• The study presents a preliminary typology and distribution of signs found on the boulder panels, with "claviforms (30.96%), dot patterns (17.8%), penniforms (8.02%), ‘Y’ signs (6.7%) and tectiforms (5.96%)" being the most prominent.

• The authors note that while precise meanings are unknown, these signs "seem to offer insight into the cognitive abilities and beliefs of the Indigenous People of Northern South America."

1. Identification of Potential Ochre Source:

• A large ferrous outcrop found 600-1000 meters west of the boulder is proposed as a "possible source of the ochre used in the rock paintings."

1. Discovery of New Petroglyph Sites:

• The research also identified several "other significant rock art sites in the Canaima region, including new pictograms and petroglyphs" not mentioned in previous literature.

• These new petroglyphs were found on the shores of the Caroni River and include incised grooves.

• The authors note similarities between Venezuelan rock art and that of the Caribbean, suggesting potential cultural and linguistic connections originating from the Middle Orinoco. However, the rock art of the Caroni River basin remains poorly understood.

1. Interpretation and Significance:

• The authors discuss various approaches to rock art interpretation, including iconographic, ethnographic, and scientific perspectives, referencing scholars like Bednarik, Lewis-Williams, Gell, and Reichel-Dolmatoff.

• They consider the possibility of shared understanding of symbols within the Northern South American rock art tradition but caution against assuming universal or timeless meanings.

• The potential connection between the rock art and ritualistic activities is highlighted, suggesting the boulder may have held significance related to the supernatural world.

• The landscape itself is seen as potentially having a powerful impact on the artists.

1. Call for Further Research and Protection:

• The paper stresses the "necessity of further systematic research" to better understand the chronology and sociocultural context of the rock art. Dating methods, such as radiocarbon dating of mineral accretions, are mentioned.

• The authors emphasize the need to continue exploring for similar rock art sites in the geographical context.

• They conclude that this is a "relevant archaeological site" and call for the "protection of these pictograms as valuable heritage sites."

1. Community Engagement:

• Despite finding no evidence of recent use or awareness of the sites by local indigenous communities (Pemón), the researchers gained access through permits from the Kamaracoto Indian authority.

• The authors propose a "community engagement project that includes establishing a local museum" to raise awareness, contribute to the protection of the sites, and stimulate the local indigenous economy.

Notable Quotes:

• "The remarkable geographical characteristics of these mountains are likely to have had a significant phenomenological impact on the cultural perception and environmental interpretation of the nearby human groups."

• "This paper examines Amerindian rock art recovered on an isolated boulder located near the Upuigma Tepui in the Arauák River Valley in Bolívar State, southeastern Venezuela. We explore some ideas about the possible use of this boulder by the indigenous hunter-gatherers, both as a shelter and as a place for enacting ritual activities, in the broader context of the cultural landscape."

• "Preliminary stylistic analysis suggests possible regional interrelationships of the pictograms with other rock art sites."

• "Evidence also suggests the source of the red ochre used for the paintings, which might have come from a mineral anomaly close to the site."

• "We stress the necessity of further systematic research into this phenomenon given the potential for encountering more pictograms and petroglyphs as well as other valuable data which would contribute to a better understanding of the chronology and sociocultural context of the long-past humans in this remote area of northern South America."

• "Finally, we call for the protection of these pictograms as valuable heritage sites."

• Regarding the non-figurative motifs: "While the precise meanings of these signs are not understood, they seem to offer insight into the cognitive abilities and beliefs of the Indigenous People of Northern South America."

• "The geographical context of this rock art is an impressive landscape that might have powerfully impacted the artists. The number of motifs associated with ritualistic meanings suggests that this boulder could also have performed an important function related to the supernatural world."

Further Actions/Considerations:

• The identified need for further systematic research, including dating and more detailed stylistic analysis, should be considered.

• The proposal for a community engagement project and the establishment of a local museum warrants further exploration and potential support.

• The newly discovered petroglyph sites require further investigation and documentation.

• The potential connection to ancient trading routes suggested by the similarities to rock art in the Guianas could be a focus of future research.

• Efforts to understand the cultural context and potential meanings of the dominant non-figurative motifs should continue, drawing upon various interpretative approaches.

This briefing document provides a concise overview of the significant findings presented in the Rock Art Research article. The discovery of this new rock art site complex in the Arauák River Valley offers valuable insights into the prehistory of southeastern Venezuela and highlights the importance of continued archaeological investigation and heritage preservation in the region.