Skeleton Shaman and Helpers, American Desert

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This rock art panel was painted between 1000 and 2000 years ago. It is is thought to depict a shaman as the main figure along with two spirit helpers. On the left we see a helper in the form of a human-bison conflation and above the shaman we have a rattlesnake helper. Both helpers are fairly common in shamanistic rock art.

What is not common about this pictograph panel is its condition. It is said to be among the best preserved pictograph panels in the world. Age, sunlight, wind and weather have taken a much bigger toll on most pictographs, and it is fairly rare to find any rock art that has not been deliberately vandalized.