| What: This is a very interesting pictograph site. The reason is that except for a few exceptions, each pictograph is like a chief's face. My theory is that if you were very famous or did something big enough, you got to have your face up on that rock. Some of the chiefs were so powerful that it took two rows of feathers or rays to show their power. After taking these 40 pictures I was haunted by how individualistic the faces are. Each chief was so different. There were a lot of chiefs here. It was an area with powerful chiefs. Yakimas means short and fat, but they were formidable warriors with beautiful horses and customs of intelligence.
On the sign it says: Origin of these paintings is unknown to present day Indian tribes of this region. They are similar to many others found in western North America and are often interpreted as depicting religious experiences, as well as records of hunts or meetings with other tribes. This location was on the old Indian trail which ran from the Wenas Mountains to the Ahtanum bank of the Yakimas. In 1850's, miners enroute to British Columbia gold fields use the same trail. Later, as Americans settled the Yakima Valley, a stage coach route passed these cliffs.
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