Art is one of several important features that distinguishes humans from other species.
These include imagery made by Native peoples such as the Hopi, Yavapai, and Navajo, which is still understood by elders of these tribes and others. This course will explore rock-art studies as an important line of archaeological evidence for prehistoric lifeways the world over. We will study rock-art with reference to human aesthetic and religious expression, interactions with landscape including economic activities, expression of ethnic identities and boundaries, and its significance to native peoples, researchers, Heritage Tourism, and land managers today. In addition, we will examine the dilemma posed to public land managers by Federal mandates to increase recreation opportunities, including public visitation to rock-art sites, and to protect Native American sacred sites, raising issues about appropriate interpretation, research, and conservation. Rock-art imagery has become a marketable commodity in South Africa, Australia, Europe, and here in the American Southwest.