Diamond Solstice Pictograph Site - Joshua Tree National Park

Here is another of my favorite, and fairly unknown pictograph sites in Joshua Tree National Park. It is a favorite because of how awesome it is, and also because of how much work we put into getting to it (most of it needlessly).

As demonstrated by my wife's warmest winter gear, it was below freezing on day one. We had two options to get to our objective. Go through this overgrown and boulder filled canyon, or hike around it.  We decided to finesse and/or bully our way through it. Unfortunately, the canyon was having no part of that.

After a long and protracted battle that had us crawling under and climbing over countless boulders like these, we decided to call it a day. We would return the next day and take the long way in. If you compare my wife's cute little face with the things around her, you can see why we stopped. It was very late in the day and we were unprepared to spend the night in the park. There was also the matter of our diabetic travel buddy (Newman the cat), who would be needing his insulin injection that evening. He's a smart cat, but he hasn't figured out how to do it on his own yet.

Bright and early on day two, I came back by myself. 

I left out a lot of the scenery between this spot and where we'd been the day before (I said it's a secret place, right?) Right here I'm looking back down what I had just climbed. Kids, don't try this at home...

This is the overhang that was our objective. If you squint your eyes, you might see something cool in the the middle of the photo. See it?

Here's a little closer look. See it now? 

The overhang had kept these pictographs out of the sun and rain for a long time. I had seen them many decades earlier, but they didn't have the same impact on me then as they did now. I sat under the overhang for quite a while. I ate my lunch and took in the feel of the place. I felt the presence of the ancients who had been there before me, but what I mostly felt was my grandmother. She was the person who first took me here decades earlier. I know I've been promising and I will get a post together about her.

This part of the pictographs really doesn't need much enhancing, but I did it anyway.

This is the summer solstice marker. More on it at the end of the post.

This one is very hard to see.

It looks like a row of tic-marks. I'm not sure of the meaning.

This one needs some enhancing.

I've said many times that we really don't know the meaning of most symbols. This is NOT one of those symbols. When I explain the title, I'll tell you.

The view looking back towards the way I came into this alcove.

Same view, but enhanced, so you can see most of the pictographs in this photo.

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I haven't seen or heard very much about this location either on the Internet or in books. However, every time I have, it was referred to as the "Diamond Solstice Cave" or "Diamond Solstice Site." I'm no expert, If you remember, I've said that most of the symbols drawn or scratched in the places I've shown you, were either done by a Shaman, or initiates. These diamond symbols were likely painted by initiates, more precisely, "puberty initiates."  I've read things about these red diamond symbols in a couple of places. The following quote is from one of them.

"The final event of the Luiseno Indian puberty celebration consisted of a race, called a "hayie," to a certain rock where a relative of each girl awaited her with a little pot of red ochre paint. On arrival each initiate painted a design on the rock.  Indian informants indicated  that these designs were always diamond-shaped and represented the rattlesnake."  (Dolcie H. Vuncannon)

As with most rock art, there is little in the way of actual proof relating to any of it.  Oh yeah, I almost forgot. In the 14th and 15th photos there is a known symbol that I said I'd explain to those of you who don't know it already. That symbol is called a "Yoni" and has been a part of American Indian rock art for thousands of years. A "yoni" is a female hoo-hoo. The symbol is not really a sexual reference, but one of fertility. 

So is this solstice site, or is it a fertility related site? I may be wrong, but when you combine the red diamonds with the "yoni" in the same small place. I think the answer is pretty clear. Well, as clear as something like this can be anyway. I guess it's both!

During the summer solstice "A finger like pointer of sunlight enters the site to interact with the half circle pictograph with the 14 tally marks sticking up from it." 
If you look at the 9th photo from the end of this post, you will see the half circle that looks like the sun and sun rays. I stand corrected...

If you actually hung around and read all this, I commend you and I thank you...

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