The Bozeman courier., 1927-09-30
Petroglyphs Relate History
of Ancient American Races

emit light like that of a FREELY. After
finishing its work it would give one
hearty laugh like woman laughing and
then disappear. The next morning the
Indians would find another pictured
boulder in the vicinity where the object
had been seen the night previous"
The Indians often worshiped the in
scribed stones and others. Stone wor-
ship is common to all mankind in it's
youth, traces Of it being found in the
Bible. j. H. Lynde says Of the Dakotas
or Sioux:
"The deities upon which the most
worship is bestowed, if indeed any par
ticular one is naneable, are Tunkan the
Stone God, and Wikenyan the Thunder
Bird. The latter, as being the main
god Of war, receives constant worship
and sacrifices; whilst the alteration Of
the former is an everyday affair. The
Tunk, the Dakotas say, is the god that
dwells in stones and rocks, and is the
Oldest, they will tell you, because it is
the hardest"
This reference to the Thunder Bird
indicates that its worship was probably
common to the tribes east Of the rockies,
as it is known the Blackfeet looked upon
it as god, and many Of their stories
mention it.
Petroglyphs are found in our neigh
boring states, in Washington, Idaho
Utah, Colorado, and likewise here in
i
cavalry, y. S. A, told Charles Hallock
who reported the story to the bureau OF
| ethnology, that there were petroglyphs
near Fort Assiniboine.
Religious Ceremonies
"Some of the rocks of the sculptured
cliffs cleaved off and tumbled to the
ground, whereupon the Indians assem-
bled in force" he said, stuck up a pole
| hung some buffalo heads and dried
| meat had song and dancn and care.
| fully covered the detached fragments
/ (which were sculptured or patnted) with
cotton cloth and blankets Jim Brown
a scout, told Captain Hunter that the
Indians assembled at this station al
stated times to hold religious ceremonies
The pictures are drawn on the smooth
face Of an outcrop or rocky projection.
If those rock drawings are still visible
they should be preserved in some man
ner es relics Of vanishing race. Un
doubtedly there are other such rock pic
lures in Montana, and Will eventually
be discovered. 1t is well to call atten
ton to those in Hill county as they ma,
have escaped the notice Of its citizens
! I have never heard them mentioned
I Often those residing near pictured
rocks are ignorant of their existence
From the report Of the bureau Of eth
) nology gained the account which i
here given:
Z "One fthe curious facts in connec
2 ton with petroglyphs is the meager no
? tice taken Of them by explorers and evel
: by residents other than the Indians, VIII
are generally reticent concerning them
: The present writer has sometimes beel
e annoyed and sometimes amused by thi
4 indifference. The resident nearest tn
= many inscribed rocks at Kejimkoojtl
i Nova Scotia, was a middle-aged farme
Of respectable intelligence who ha
lived all his life about three miles fror
J; those rocks, but had only vague no
e ton Of their character, and with diff
o Guilty found them. A learned and in
dustrious priest, who had been workin
for many years on the shores Of LAX
y Superior preparing not only dictionar
T and grammar Of the Ojibwa Language
y but an account Of Ojibwa religion an
customs, denied the present existence {
Q any objects in the nature Of petroglyph
/. in that region.
e Only Mile Away
g "Yet he had lived for a year within
y mile OF very important and conspicuoJ