Page 14 - aruba-today-20190423

A14 LOCAL
Tuesday 23 april 2019

Episode XV

Petroglyphs of Siribana, Santa Cruz - Aruba Each week we share the most interesting and revealing
articles regarding Aruba, a destination to be explored,we
can find,and so doing uncover amazing and informative
stories along the way.
ORANJESTAD — Long before writing was developed, people recorded events, ideas,
plans, and feelings by marking them on a rock. Sometimes they carved into the
stone. Sometimes they scratched off a surface coating. Sometimes they painted on
the rocks. The method that they used was typically determined by the availability of
color pigments to be used as paint, the hardness of the rocks, and the availability of
tools that could be used to produce their message.

All of these markings are referred to as of the Catholic Church of Santa Cruz, it`s
“Rock Art.” People worldwide have been very beautiful and in the open air place
producing rock art for thousands of years. where starry nights and full moons assem-
Some of their messages can still be seen blies were held, honoring the sky spirits. It
today. The oldest are usually found in rock does not show many big Batholith boul-
shelters and caves where they are pro- ders upon the surface as at other sites il-
tected from the wind, rain, salt and sun lustrated in our previous articles. However
light. However, in arid climates as ours these boulders are present, but not visible
some examples of rock art have persisted since most of them are under ground level
for ten to fifteen thousand years, depend- and what we can observe is merely the
ing upon how the art was produced, the tips or heads of the emerging boulders
direction that it faces, and the type of rock out of the ground level. Siribana is the only
used as a “canvas.” known site that we can depict Petroglyph
There are two basic types of rock art at on the whole island. Petroglyphs, as de-
this particular site, petroglyphs and pic- scribed earlier are designs that have been
tographs. Petroglyph is an image that is scratched, carved or chiseled on the rock
carved into a rock. This “carving” can pro- surface, exposing the less weathered rock,
duce a visible indentation in the rock, or in this case lighter colored stone, which on
it can simply be the scratching away of its part gives the expression its contrast. A
a weathered surface to reveal unweath- stone that has been long exposed to the
ered rock of a different color below. The elements tends to have form a different
two headed deity of the legendary twins outer layer or crust color.
is carved into pinkish granite exposing
the more gray colored stone, shown here The particular incision in this rock looks very
near the top of this article is one of the Siri- similar to one pictograph representing the
bana site petroglyph. The prehistoric artist Hopi Bow clan, keepers of the fire in Ari-
must have scratched the surface of the zona, United States. However we did not
rock with probably a lithic tool. This work receive confirmation till now, whether this
produced an indentation in the rock and carving shown on this picture above was
also exposed an unweathered material of considered to be recent carving by mod- phytic vegetation has cov- by this big thorny Acacia
lighter color below. ern Arubans or that it has been completely ering a great part of what shrub known locally as Hu-
ignored by experts. used to be old paths use bada. Pap.“ Who-bâ-da”
This next petroglyphs shown, is a recur- by the natives to climb up Acacia turtuosa Lin. This
ring design of which we find back on During the course of a few decades, to these mystical grounds Acacia, together whit a
various sites on the Island and else ware, this site has become almost impossible since bay gone times. The list of introduced and in-
whether as pictograph or like here as a to reach. This due to the less hospitable vegetation has taking over vasive plants and animals
petroglyph. This drawing is referred to, as conditions that have formed in relation wherever it could. This are doing irreversible harm
a portal design, a door way a hole in the to former access routes for visitors. A very phenomenon, of xeno- to our fragile ecosystem.
sky in which you could be transported in difficult terrain to it has become when go- philes over growth has in Let’s be conscious and pro-
to the spiritual world. Siribana rock forma- ing up from the southern road for the less become a great problem tect our local species since
tion that lies some 1500 meters north-east experienced outdoors men. A thick xero- and very much covered every day is Earth Day! q