A line runs through it: connected features in the White River Narrows and beyond, Southern Nevada

Abstract

The White River Narrows (WRN), a seven-kilometer canyon carved through volcanic tuff in southern Nevada, contains 15 rock writing sites. This paper draws mainly on Southern Paiute ethnography to interpret the significance of pecked human footprints, bighorn sheep, and distinctive horizontal lines with perpendicular appendages known as knotted strings (tapitcapi in Paiute). These rock writings, created by shamans (Puha’gants) informed by altered state encounters with spirit beings, mark a critical passage along ancient pilgrimage trails connecting spiritual sites farther south. The WRN’s position as a constricted corridor through which the White River flows—mainly below ground—makes it a focal point for the movement of water, people, and spirit beings. Knotted string petroglyphs serve as trail markers for spiritual movements along the Salt Song Trail, the sacred pathway traveled by souls of departed Paiutes to the spirit world. Many petroglyphs appear to merge with or disappear into cracks, reflecting Indigenous beliefs about the permeable boundary between physical and spiritual dimensions. This study demonstrates that rock writing sites are interconnected nodes within a vast network of above- and below-ground connections, reflecting Indigenous knowledge and utilization of hydrological connectivity across the landscape.

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