Native American Symbols, Pictographs & Petroglyphs – Legends of America

For the earth, he drew a straight line, 
For the sky a bow above it; 
White the space between for day-time, 
Filled with little stars for night-time; 
On the left a point for sunrise, 
On the right a point for sunset, 
On the top a point for noontide, 
And for rain and cloudy weather 
Waving lines descending from it.
From The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

When European explorers arrived in America, Native Americans did not communicate through writing as we know it. Instead, they told stories (oral histories) and created pictures and symbols. This type of communication is not unique to Native Americans, as long before writing was developed, people recorded events, ideas, plans, maps, and feelings worldwide by drawing pictures and symbols on rocks, hides, and other surfaces.

Historic pictorial symbols for a word or a phrase have been found dating before 3000 BC. These symbols, called pictographs, are created by painting on rock surfaces with natural pigments. These natural pigments included iron oxides in hematite or limonite, white or yellow clays, soft rock, charcoal, and copper minerals. These natural pigments were mixed to produce a palette of yellow, white, red, green, black, and blue. Historic pictographs are usually found under protective ledges or in caves protected from the weather.

Another similar form of communication, called petroglyphs, was carved, pecked, or abraded into stone surfaces. This carving could produce a visible indentation in the rock or cut deeply enough to reveal unweathered material of a different color below.

Native American symbols were like words and often had one or more definitions and contained different connotations. Varying from tribe to tribe, it can sometimes be challenging to know their meanings, while other symbols are obvious. With the multiple languages spoken by Native American tribes, symbols or “picture writing” was often used to convey words and ideas. Symbols were also used to decorate homes, were painted on buffalo hides, and recorded important events of the tribe.

These images are a valuable record of cultural expression and hold profound spiritual significance for contemporary Native Americans and the descendants of the early Spanish settlers.

The arrival of Spanish people to the Southwest in 1540 dramatically impacted the lifestyle of the pueblo people. In 1680 the Pueblo tribes rose in the revolt against Spanish rule and drove the settlers out of the area and back to El Paso, Texas. In 1692 the Spanish resettled in the Albuquerque, New Mexico, area. As a result of their return, there was a renewed influence of the Catholic religion, which discouraged participation by the Puebloans in many of their traditional ceremonial practices. Consequently, many of these practices went underground, and much of the image-making by the Puebloans decreased.

There were many reasons for creating the Petroglyphs, most of which are not well understood by modern society. Petroglyphs are more than just “rock art,” picture writing, or an imitation of the natural world. They should not be confused with hieroglyphics, symbols used to represent words, nor thought of as ancient Indian graffiti. Petroglyphs are powerful cultural symbols that reflect the complex societies and religions of the surrounding tribes.

The context of each image is extremely important and integral to its meaning. Today’s native people have stated that placing each petroglyph image was not a casual or random decision. Some petroglyphs have meanings that are only known to the individuals who made them. Others represent tribal, clan, kiva, or societal markers. Some are religious entities, and others show who came to the area and where they went. Petroglyphs still have contemporary meaning, while the meaning of others is no longer known but are respected for belonging to “those who came before.”

The United States has thousands of pictographs and petroglyphs, with the greatest concentration in the American Southwest. The site that has the most is the Petroglyph National Monument in New Mexico. At the monument, archaeologists have estimated there may be over 25,000 petroglyph images along the 17 miles of the escarpment. A small percentage of the petroglyphs within the park pre-date the Puebloan period, perhaps reaching as far back as 2000 B.C. Other images date from historic periods starting in the 1700s, with petroglyphs carved by early Spanish settlers. It is estimated 90% of the monument’s petroglyphs were created by the ancestors of today’s Pueblo people. Puebloans have lived in the Rio Grande Valley since before 500 A.D., but a population increase around 1300 A.D. resulted in numerous new settlements. It is believed that most of the petroglyphs were carved from about 1300 through the late 1680s.

Arrow
 
Protection

Arrowhead
 
Alertness

Badger Track
 
Summer

Bear
 
Strength

Bear Paw
 
Good Omen

Big Mountain
 
Great abundance

Bird
 
Free of worry, Carefree

Broken Arrow
 
Peace

Broken Cross Circle
 
Four Seasons, That Which Revolves

Brothers
 
Unity, Equality, Loyalty

Buffalo Horns
 
Success

Buffalo Skull
 
Sacredness, Reverence for Life

Butterfly
 
Everlasting life

Cactus
 
Sign of desert

Coyote & Coyote Tracks
 
Trickster

Crossed Arrows
 
Friendship

Days-Nights
 
Time Passing

Deer Track
 
Game plentiful

Drawn Bow & Arrow
 
Hunting

Drying Rack
 
Plenty of Meat

Eagle
 
Freedom

Eagle Feather
 
Chief

Enclosure
 
Ceremonial Dances

End of Trail
 
Peace, End of War

Evil Eye
 
This symbol protects from the curse of the Evil Eye.

Facing Arrows
 
Warding off evil spirits

Four Ages
 
Infancy, Youth, Middle, Old Age

Gecko
 
Sign of Desert

Gila Monster
 
Dream Time

Great Spirit
 
The Great Spirit is a conception of universal spiritual force, or supreme being prevalent among most Native American tribes.

Head Dress
 
Ceremonial

Hogan
 
Permanent Home

Horse
 
Journey

Kokopelli
 
Flute Player, Fertility

Lightening
 
Power, Speed

Lightning Arrow
 
Swiftness

Man
 
Life

Medicine Man’s Eye
 
Wisdom

Morning Stars
 
Guidance

Mountain Range
 
Destination

Path
 
Crossed

Peace Pipe
 
Ceremonial, sacred

Rain
 
Plentiful crop

Rain Clouds
 
Good Prospect

Rattle Snake Jaws
 
Strength

Saddle Bag
 
Journey

Skyband
 
Leading to Happiness

Snake
 
Defiance

Squash Blossom
 
Fertility

Sun
 
Happiness

Sun Flower
 
Fertility

Sun God Mask
 
The Sun God is a powerful spirit among a number of Native American tribes.

Sunrays
 
Constant

Swastika
 
Four corners of the world, Well-Being

Tipi
 
Temporary house

Thunderbird
 
Unlimited Happiness, Caller of Rain

Thunderbird Track
 
Bright Prospect

Water Running
 
Constant Life

Wolf Paw
 
Freedom, Success

Zuni Bear
 
Good Health

Compiled, designed, and edited by Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated November 2022.

Also See:

Blythe Intaglios – Nazca Lines in California

Healing Crystals and Stones

Indian Proverbs & Wisdom

Medicine Bags or Bundles

Native American Totem Animals & Their Meanings

Sources:

Artsology
Geology.com
National Park Service
Native American Roots