Rock Imagery: A Cultural Landscape Analysis in the Yakima Uplands

<p>This thesis evaluates the history of rock imagery documentation and the ways it can be improved moving forward. This study also explores the potentials of using viewshed analysis to examine the cultural landscape. The documentation and locational analysis support recommendations for future study and protection of rock image sites. There are currently twelve known rock imagery sites at the Joint Base Lewis-McChord - Yakima Training Center (YTC). Most of these sites have not been assessed for changes in integrity or damages in over twenty years. Prior documentation efforts have produced site forms with varying degrees of accuracy and completeness. During the documentation effort for this research, eleven of the twelve rock imagery sites were re-documented using a standardized methodology to ensure that all eleven sites were documented to the same level of completeness; including scaled field drawings, digital photographs, and digitally enhanced images of the pictographs and petroglyphs. Thus, providing YTC cultural resource managers a standard baseline with which to assess these sites later on. The cultural landscape surrounding the rock imagery was examined using a viewshed analysis to make a connection between patterns in the landscape and the rock imagery itself. Seven of the twelve sites have a direct line of sight with special horizon events, with a potential eighth; indicating that horizon events may be a contributing factor to rock imagery placement. Viewshed analysis did not seem to be as useful for establishing associations between rock image sites and other factors, such as potential root soils.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Cultural and Environmental Resource Management

Year dc:date.available

2019

Author dc:creator

• Delgado-Morris, Jessica Eliana

Contributors dc:contributor

• Steven Hackenberger
• Jennifer Lipton
• Sterling Quinn

• Rock Art
• GIS
• Viewshed Analysis
• Landscape Archaeology
• YTC
• Columbia River
• Archaeological Anthropology
• Geographic Information Sciences

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/etd/1307

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.cwu.edu:etd-2330