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elbeau
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"Tablas" as a Writing System in Prehistoric Baja California
I had some thoughts about the use of "Tabla's" in Baja and it ended up turning into a bit of an article that I thought I'd share:
Was there any kind of a writing system in prehistoric Baja California?
There are many factors that need to converge in order for a writing system to be recognized in the archaeological record. For instance:
* A writing system must have existed in the first place.
* Something must have been written in a way that it would be preserved for many centuries, such as rock carvings or painted panels that avoid
significant weathering.
* The preserved writing must by found and be made available to qualified scholars.
* These scholars must be able to recognize it as being a writing system (as opposed to other forms of expression such as rock art).
Since archaeologists appear to agree that there is no archaeological evidence of a writing system in prehistoric Baja California, one or more of the
things listed above has not happened. Let's consider each one in particular:
* A written language must have existed in the first place
If there never was a writing system in the peninsula, it would certainly explain why one has never been recognized there.
* Examples of writing must be preserved for many centuries
The next reason that no evidence of a writing system has been recognized could be because people never wrote down anything using a medium and
writing surface that would be preserved long enough for us to find it.
* Archaeological examples must be discovered
Another reason that no evidence of a writing system has been recognized by archaeologists might not be because the evidence doesn't exist, it
might be because it simply hasn't been discovered and/or presented to scholars yet. Baja California has been dubbed "The Forgotten Peninsula" by
professional archaeologists because of the lack of archaeological research that the peninsula tends to receive from scholars (although this has been
getting better in recent years). There is clearly much more that we will learn from future archaeological work. It's usually a good idea to remember
the old phrase: "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence".
* Archaeological examples of an ancient writing system must be recognizable to scholars
It is possible that scholars have evidence of a written language in hand, but have not been able to identify it as such. This is a possibility
when it comes to Baja archaeology. For instance, the following engravings still defy an explanation:
Regarding these carvings, Arthur North stated:
"until some method of deciphering these petroglyphs is discovered, all that can be predicated of the earliest Californians is that they were
sufficiently advanced in civilization to clothe themselves and to employ an alphabet."
Although modern scholars offer few alternative explanation's to North's description of the panel as an "alphabet", they do take time to call his
statement "unsuitable", "brief", "anecdotal", "whimsical" and "just incorrect". (http://www.xaguaro.com/MemoriasCD/page3/styled-32/styled-49/...).
Other than archaeological discoveries, what evidence of writing systems might we expect early observers to recognize among the native Baja
Californians at the time of historic contact?
One way we can look for evidence of a writing system in prehistoric Baja California is by studying the early accounts of European interaction with
natives of Baja California. Unfortunately, the most prominent early writers were fond of mocking the intelligence of the Indians and the primitive
nature of their culture. For instance, there is one humorous story in particular that is repeated by several early authors which seems to prove the
absence of any concept of a writing system among the Indians:
"Shortly after the Jesuits began to establish their missions in California one missionary sent two loaves of bread by an Indian neophyte to another
missionary with a letter, in which he told him about this gift. The neophyte tasted the bread on the way; and, finding it good, he ate it all. When
he reached the missionary to whom he was sent he handed him the letter; and when the bread was demanded from him he denied having received it, as he
could not guess who could have told that to the missionary. He was advised that the letter had told it to him. Notwithstanding this, he insisted in
the negative, and so was dismissed. In a short time he was sent again to the same missionary with another gift, also accompanied by a letter. On the
way he yielded to the very same temptation. But just as he had been betrayed the first time by the letter, he hid it under a stone while he devoured
all that he was taking to the missionary. After he had handed him the letter, and had been newly convicted of theft, he replied with this strange
simplicity: 'I confess to you Father, that the first letter told you the truth, because it really saw me eat the bread; but this other one is a liar
in affirming what it certainly has not seen.'" (Clavigero, 1937, p92)
This is a fun story to read, but it sure seems to put a damper on any hopes that the natives were familiar with written records of any kind, but once
you understand the nature of the peninsular writing system, you will find that there is actually evidence of their writing system in this story about
the boy and the bread.
Not only was their a writing system being employed and formal training in that writing system being conducted by the natives of the peninsula, but the
story we just read actually sheds light on the nature of their writing system.
To understand why early writers denied the existence of a writing system in the peninsula, it is important to understand some things about the
writers, the time periods and cultures that they come from, and their reasons for writing. For instance, some of the harshest language by any Jesuit
towards the native Californians comes from Johann Jacob Baegert. Baegert's extensive, first-hand ethnographic descriptions are a fantastic source for
us to learn from, but he makes no pretenses about how he feels about the intelligence of the natives and the quality of their education and lives:
"As a general rule, it may be said that the California Indians are stupid, awkward, rude, unclean, insolent, ungrateful, mendacious, thievish,
abominably lazy, great talkers to their end, and naive and childlike so far as intelligence and actions are concerned. They are an unreflecting
people, without worries, unconcerned, a people who possess no self-control but follow, like animals in every respect, their natural instincts."
For the sake of our conversation about why early Jesuits denied the existence of a writing system, it is important to understand that most of the most
acclaimed writings were written with the intent to demonstrate to the world what great hardships the Jesuit enterprise had to endure and the great
accomplishments that they achieved in the peninsula and how mistreated they were by the crown when they were expelled. In most mission accounts the
biases of the authors are very strong.
In many instances the authors were so preoccupied with their own concerns that they improperly characterized the culture of the Indians. In their
minds, their own world-view was considered "civilized" while the culture of the Indians was consistently labeled "barbaric". It was not natural for
them to conceptualize that a writing system might be substantially different than their own, nor did it serve their purposes to recognize anything
other than the "barbarity" of native cultures in their publications and correspondence.
Stories like the one about the Indian boy who thought that the paper was able to see him eat the bread emphasize what the Jesuits saw as the
"stupidity" of the natives. These types of stories prop-up the idea that the Jesuits were civilizing the barbarians, so it is natural for them to
observe and share such stories. If we're honest with ourselves, we probably see things through a similar world-view when we first read that story
ourselves, but let's take a moment now and read it from a different perspective.
Instead of looking at what the Indian boy didn't know, let's look at what he did believe. He
believed that the paper that accompanied the bread, a paper which was covered with written characters, could actually talk. From his perspective,
that paper had seen him eat the bread and had tattled on him.
When we ask ourselves why he thought that a piece of paper could see and talk, the simplest answer seems like a complete answer: "The missionary told
him that the paper said it". But when we learn a little more about native customs and education, we find out that his belief about talking paper
probably predated his experience delivering the letter.
There is a particular type of artifact that is often described in early descriptions of the natives and their cultures, and some examples of this
artifact have been found in archaeological contexts. Early writers called this type of object a "Tabla", because it is a flat tablet made of wood.
Although modern scholars often refer to "Tablas" as artifacts found throughout the peninsula, it has been well-known for many years that there was
significant variation in the form and function of various Tablas corresponding to different geographical areas and peninsular cultures (Aschmann,
Central Desert, p138).
In the northern parts of the peninsula, Tablas have been recovered that were painted in a similar way to rock art in the area. These northern Tablas
had a handle at one end and were used in funerary and other ceremonies. Other Tablas in the northern areas of the central desert were strongly
associated with small idols that were carried by the natives.
In the southern areas of the peninsula, Tablas have been found that were irregularly shaped and did not have handles like the northern Tablas, but had
a variety holes in them and strangely-contoured edges. An example of this was published by our fellow nomad Lee Massey and has been posted here: (http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=61261&pag...)
Another type of Tabla shows up in many ethnographic descriptions is associated with the central portions of the peninsula. Although there are no
known examples of this type of Tabla, the references to their existence and purpose are numerous, beginning with a description of their manufacture,
the education associated with them, the story of their purpose, and their relation to religious traditions. Speaking of "Guamas", the magical or
religious leaders of the natives, Clavigero wrote:
"These Guamas, or charlatans, were selected from those children who seemed to them most astute and fit for this office. After taking them to the most
secret places in the woods they trained them in their mysteries, and especially to make on certain little boards some strange figures which they
pretended were copies of those which (as they said) the visiting Spirit had left them on departing. These little boards were their books in which
they professed to read the nature of illnesses, the remedies suitable for them, the future changes of the atmosphere, and even the destiny of men.
They were so careful about the secret of such instructions, and they commended it so earnestly to their pupils that the missionaries could not find
out about it until some years had passed." (Clavigero 1937, p112-113)
I want to emphasize the following points from that description:
* In a secluded educational setting, children were formally trained to be Guamas.
* They were taught to keep the education system a secret from the missionaries.
* Part of their education was to learn how to make "little boards".
* They were taught to inscribe the boards with very specific "strange figures".
* The "strange figures" were originally given to them by "the visiting Spirit".
* Part of being trained as a "Guama" was to create exact copies of these "strange figures".
* Once completed, the boards served the natives like books serve us.
At this point we need to ask ourselves three important questions:
1. Why didn't the missionaries recognize tablas as a written language?
2. If these tablas were, in fact, a writing system, why didn't the boy in the story recognize the writing system of the Missionaries?
3. If a writing system already existed in the peninsula, why would the boy ascribe supernatural powers to the missionary's letter, believing that it
could see him and then tell the missionary what it saw?
I believe that the answer the first question is that the missionaries didn't recognize it as a written language because it wasn't a written
"language". We have no idea what the "strange figures" on the Tablas looked like or represented, but they were not recognizable as an alphabet to the
missionaries who saw them. It is probably incorrect to assume that the "strange figures" looked anything like the Great Mural rock art tradition
because the natives consistently denied any knowledge of the Great Mural paintings or their significance other than to say that the paintings were
created by a race of "giants" that predated their own culture.
Homer Aschmann, one of the most prominent anthropologists to write concerning the central deserts of the peninsula, reviews other references to tablas
and helps us understand the significance of Tablas and how they were used:
"in the vicinity of La Purisima Cadegomo, and again at the northern edge of the Central Desert or beyond it, these tablets served in different ways.
They were peculiarly the property of the shamans, and bore designs or markings carved or painted on their surfaces. Father Hostell (Stocklein, letter
763), who served at Mission Dolores del Sur, states that the designs on the tablets had a mnemonic function, enabling the shamans to reproduce long
rituals, and bore a name, Tiyeicha, which is translated as 'It can speak.' Sales (I:70-71), reporting from the other end of the peninsula, also notes
that the thousand signs said to be on one tablet had a mnemonic function. The tablet was used particularly in mourning ceremonies, and possessed one
peculiar feature, a hole in the middle through which the shaman repeatedly thrust his tongue during recitals. This behavior may be readily
interpreted as suggesting that the tablet was doing the speaking." (Aschmann, Central Desrert, p115-116)
When all the evidence is considered, it is doubtful that Tablas were inscribed with a written "language". Instead, the tablas were used in a mnemonic
role. In other words, the inscriptions were meant to remind the Guama/Shaman of historical events, and to help them predict future events.
With this understanding, we can answer the second and third questions that we posed above. In fact, we can see that the answers actually lie in the
story about the boy and the bread. In the same way that the missionaries looked at the inscriptions on the Tablas and saw a thousand "strange" or
"ridiculous" signs and associated them with a poor concept of a "book", the boy would also have seen the missionary's letter as being inscribed with
"strange figures" and would have associated the letter with a Tabla. While the missionaries were probably quite unimpressed with the literacy of the
boy, the boy was probably quite impressed with the powerful shamanistic powers of the missionaries' Tabla: the letter.
North of 30 degrees latitude, there was a native tradition called "The Man Come From Heaven". This "Man Come From Heaven" was said to have visited
the people in ancient times and his coming was celebrated and reenacted every year at their largest celebration. "The Man Come From Heaven" tradition
might be related to the legend of the "visiting Spirit", who the natives say provided them the original "strange figures" that they copied on their
Tablas from generation to generation. In both celebrations and funerals, the Tablas were used by the Guamas to help them in their orations as they
narrated the history of their people and fortold future events:
"The head shaman, often with assistants, dressed in a hair cape and other ornaments and danced before the whole gathering. Using an inscribed tablet
he spoke at length, either eulogizing the dead or boasting of his own relation to supernatural powers. Though the parallel is not mentioned by the
missionaries, it is not difficult to see in this performance the equivalent of preaching and encouragement to adhere to the value system of the
society." (Aschmann, Central Desrert, p128)
It is very possible that someday one of the Tablas from the central peninsula will be discovered with painted or inscribed "strange figures" on it.
If such a Tabla ever does turn up, it will be interesting to see what we can learn about the mnemonic writing system employed in prehistoric Baja
California.
[Edited on 3-9-2015 by elbeau]
[Edited on 3-9-2015 by elbeau]
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David K
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Here is the tabla that was found by Massey... may be the only one not burned/ destroyed?
[Edited on 3-9-2015 by David K]
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elbeau
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Yes, that tabla exhibits a hole that might have been used like Sales reported where the Shaman would thrust his tongue through, perhaps symbolizing
that the tabla could speak.
Unlike the descriptions of tablas that the Jesuits provided, Massey's tabla is not very rectangular, and is somewhat elongated. The dimensions that
were described for tablas were 30" X 15" X 1"...which of course is an approximation, but is significantly different from the one pictured.
Other tablas were discovered in the far north of the peninsula. These had handles and have been associated with La Angostura rock art (http://www.xaguaro.com/MemoriasCD/page3/styled-32/styled-49/...):
I think it is doubtful that these northern tablas are the same as those described as being painted with "a thousand ridiburrous figures". It is
possible that Massey's tabla could have been painted or inscribed with the figures, but it would appear that none were apparent when he described the
artifact.
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elbeau
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Why does the word "r-i-d-i-c-u-l-o-u-s" keep getting transponsed to "ridiburrous" when I submit it?
I can't even fix it when I edit the original post.
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David K
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New Nomad software... a-s-s words change too. C-u-l-o is a bad word in Spanish, so Doug made it convert to burro... only the new software does it to
any place it sees those letters together and not just alone (like the old software could).
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elbeau
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Ah, that explains it. Thanks.
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Osprey
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Waited many years too long to buy the book "The Rocks Begin to Speak" by Lavan Martineau. Finally, with book in hand I retraced some of my wanderings
in Indian country in and around the Great Basin where I lived and camped and hiked for 45 years. I was astounded to learn what the rocks said. The
"paper (tablas)" speak, the rocks speak, the hand speaks (sign language) and they all said one hell of lot more than I had hoped to learn. Just before
retiring to Baja California I was beginning to get on top of much of what the rocks were talking about -- learning how to find game, water, safety,
trails and more. There will be many more discoveries now that we know a little about what we should have been looking for if we only knew the signs.
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elbeau
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The university nearby has a copy of "The Rocks Begin to Speak". I'm definitely going to check it out. Thanks for the tip!
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wilderone
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"The Rocks Begin to Speak" by Lavan Martineau
After learning about this book here, I got this book from Alibris. OMG - it is fascinating. Not only learning about individual figures and their
meaning, but interpretation of the panels and learning the ancestral puebloans' stories as told by them. The drawings are so precise in their
meaning, and tell so much. Very enlightening to say the least. Thanks, Osprey, for mentioning the book here.
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David K
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Quote: Originally posted by wilderone  | "The Rocks Begin to Speak" by Lavan Martineau
After learning about this book here, I got this book from Alibris. OMG - it is fascinating. Not only learning about individual figures and their
meaning, but interpretation of the panels and learning the ancestral puebloans' stories as told by them. The drawings are so precise in their
meaning, and tell so much. Very enlightening to say the least. Thanks, Osprey, for mentioning the book here. |
Cindi, can you look at photos of Baja petro sites and provide meaning to them? The circles within circles mean water, yes?
'The squarecircle' and rockart circles (Montevideo)...
and I wonder what this says??? (Petroglyph Park, east of San Quintin)...
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elbeau
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| Quote: Originally posted by wilderone | "The Rocks Begin to Speak" by Lavan Martineau
After learning about this book here, I got this book from Alibris. OMG - it is fascinating. Not only learning about individual figures and their
meaning, but interpretation of the panels and learning the ancestral puebloans' stories as told by them. The drawings are so precise in their
meaning, and tell so much. Very enlightening to say the least. Thanks, Osprey, for mentioning the book here. |
I know! Right?!
The book is absolutely awesome! I checked it out at the library right after Osprey recommended it and I love it.
There are a few moments in it where the author gets a little over-ambitious, but so what. He demonstrates VERY clearly that the "rock art" is usually
not meant as art at all. It is a writing system that is capable of representing complex thoughts and is based upon Indian sign language.
Although he doesn't explain every symbol out there, he explains enough to help anyone start interpreting many of the scenes represented in Native
American rock writing.
For instance, the upper-right set of concentric circles that David shows above are not representations of water. If the circles are are all actually
closed circles, then they probably denote something that can hold something but is empty.
A circle represents something (or someone) holding something (or someone) else. If you find an empty circle inside another circle, then it means that
the thing that holds something is empty. If you find a filled circle (sometimes just represented as a dot) inside another circle, then it means the
thing is full. For instance, a circle with a dot inside often often represents a nearby water tank with water in it.
Since there are numerous empty circles in DavidK's photo, it probably means that something that used to hold a lot of stuff is now empty.
...but...
You have to be sure that all the circles are closed circles and that there are no other symbols modifying it. For instance, if the "container" circle
has a corner, we might think that the author did a poor job at making a circle, but in reality the corner is intentional and it changes the meaning.
I can't tell for sure if all the circles in David's photo are closed. That may be important and could change its meaning significantly.
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David K
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Las Pintas, billboard rock at the top of the canyon and a bit beyond.
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wilderone
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"Since there are numerous empty circles in DavidK's photo, it probably means that something that used to hold a lot of stuff is now empty"
You'll see in that drawing that some of the circles are not completed toward the bottom - something was allowed to empty or escaped I think. Very
thought provoking. Several Nomads should read the book - we could have an interpretation fest. I'm about half through the book - I'm going to go
through my photos of the Great Murals of San Francisco and see if I can determine their meaning. I'm already starting to think there was a great
amount of killing done there - the black (evil), red (blood), the arrows through the heart, the quadrapeds going uphill to try to escape. ?? It's an
exciting book.
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elbeau
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Now THAT's a great idea.
I'll kick it off with my interpretation of a panel in the Valley of Fire near Las Vegas. I know it's not a Baja panel, but it's the only one I've
really tried to decipher completely.
...Of course, it's only been a little over a week since I even heard of Martineau and I'm not quite done with his book, but here's my first shot at
interpreting a panel (Click for much larger version of the image):
I think it says:
"Traveler(s) can't, and should be apprehensive about crossing a place that is deep and has high walls which is a long distance to the left, uphill, on
a path above the traveler(s), which leads to a river of water. Traveler(s) can't go around this river. Traveler(s) can't, and should be apprehensive
about going above to the trail above the river because it comes to a point that can't be passed. The trail above the river on the hill becomes rough.
Traveler(s) can't travel across the canyon by the river. No crossing exists. A trail across the canyon would lead to nothing. This is a long way
from the good journey in the other direction. The river can be avoided by traveling a short, good journey to the right"
Here is how I come to this interpretation:
1. Traveler(s) can't (outstretched arms)
2. And should be apprehensive (arms angled down and away)
3. To cross a place ("crossing" symbol is inside the "place" (rectangle) symbol)
4. That is deep and has high walls
5. A long distance (long horns) to the left
6. Uphill
7. On a path above the traveler(s)
8. That leads to a river
9. Of water.
10. Traveler(s) can't go around this river (outstretched arms).
11. Traveler(s) can't (outstretched arms)
12. And should be apprehensive about (arms angled down and away)
13. Going above
14. To the trail above
15. The river.
16. It comes to a point that can't be traveled (outstretched arms)
17. The trail above the river
18. On the hill
19. Becomes rough.
20. Traveler(s) can't (outstretched arms) travel (Notice that seven travelers are represented hand-to-hand with one crossing here just like #1 above)
21. Across the canyon
22. By the river
23. No crossing exists (the crossing symbol is empty).
24. A trail
21. Across the canyon
25. Would lead to nothing (symbol of an empty container).
26. This is a long way (long horns) from the good journey (open horns) in the other direction.
9. The river
27. Can be avoided (bypassed symbol)
28. By traveling a short (short horns), good journey (open horns) to the right
Things I haven't explained:
29. Vulture head shape?
30. Water symbols again?
31. Holding/Containing symbol
32. Looking symbol (two dots = two eyes)?
33. Missed symbol?
34. Pointing to the left symbol?
35. Pecked rectangle representing a place? With something pecked inside at the bottom?
Of course, I'm sure I've got a lot of things wrong, maybe even the whole story. But it's my fist try. Thoughts?
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David K
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One of the most interesting Baja Nomad posts! Keep up the great work elbeau! Thank you!
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Osprey
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Great job, great read Elbeau. It's important to note that your newspaper is Ute or Paiute about 600 years ago and the
Baja Cave paintings oldest are 7500 years old, then a lot at 3500 years old, then more recent.
I have never been convinced that walkdown tribes did the cave paintings so I don't read them like they were the same rock language.
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elbeau
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| Quote: Originally posted by Osprey | Great job, great read Elbeau. It's important to note that your newspaper is Ute or Paiute about 600 years ago and the
Baja Cave paintings oldest are 7500 years old, then a lot at 3500 years old, then more recent.
I have never been convinced that walkdown tribes did the cave paintings so I don't read them like they were the same rock language.
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The great mural and some other peninsular styles are distinct and were separated in space and time from the petroglyphs that were familiar to
Martineau. Whether or not his interpretations can be applied to them might make a good test of his theory about diverse cultures being able to
communicate effectively using a common subset of Indian sign language. If there are significant correlations then it might also help us expand our
understanding of the antiquity of the sign language and writing system.
There are definite similarities between Great Mural paintings and Martineau's interpretations. For Example:
Upside-down human figures represent death in Martineau's book:
Single curved horns on human heads represent "became dead" in Martineau's book:
Downturned horns represent losing power in Martineau's book:
Quadropeds seem out-of-place in a fighting scene, but Martineau says they represent human journeys, which makes plenty of sense in a fighting scene:
Martineau's "taking flight for safety" symbol in Baja paintings:
Upturned arms representing burdensome things:
There are many other examples, but you get the point. I can't say that these aren't coincidences, but investigating them seems promising.
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wilderone
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YES! In the last one - or arms upraised in surrender (and feet in non-movng stance) with thoughts that they would be killled otherwise (small upside
down bodies near their heads). Possibly the large quadraped superimposed behind the surrendring figures means some of them did escape or fled under
attack but many could not and had to surrender or be killed.
Good work on your first panel, Elbeau.
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David K
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Fantastic work amigos! Baja is a time machine!
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elbeau
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In the last photo I posted that shows the raised arms, notice the bulging shoulder muscles. That may also contribute to the idea that they are
expressing that something was burdensome. Just a thought.
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