Archaeologist and presenter, Frank Lee Earley, will discuss abstract petroglyphs and pictographs in the lower Apishapa Canyon and how he uses the Great Basin version of shamanism – especially the interrelated concepts of dynamic power, soul travel, and sacred pilgrimages – to explain these rock art images.
Between about AD 1000 to 1400, three major cultures lived in southeastern Colorado’s Arkansas River Valley and its tributaries.
These three groups – the Apishapa, Sopris, and High Plains Upper Republican – shared a lifestyle of agriculture and hunting. Their archaeological remains are found principally in the Arkansas, Apishapa, and Turkey Creek drainages.
Based on his research, archaeologist Frank Lee Earley notes that the Apishapa archaeological phase was likely an eastern extension of
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Between about AD 1000 to 1400, three major cultures lived in southeastern Colorado’s Arkansas River Valley and its tributaries.
These three groups – the Apishapa, Sopris, and High Plains Upper Republican – shared a lifestyle of agriculture and hunting. Their archaeological remains are found principally in the Arkansas, Apishapa, and Turkey Creek drainages.
Based on his research, archaeologist Frank Lee Earley notes that the Apishapa archaeological phase was likely an eastern extension of the Great Basin Desert Culture. For this reason, Archaic Period rock art for the two groups is remarkably similar.
Earley looks to Great Basin ethnography to discuss abstract petroglyphs and pictographs in the lower Apishapa canyon. The Great Basin version of shamanism – especially the interrelated concepts of dynamic power, soul travel, and sacred pilgrimages – helps to explain many rock art images.
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A Colorado Springs native, Frank Lee Earley received a BA and MA from the University of Denver and an MA from the University of Arizona. His principal interests are the archaeology of eastern Colorado and the archaeology and ethnography of the American Southwest. He taught anthropology and history at Arapahoe Community College in Littleton for 35 years, and served as director of the college’s Southwest Studies Program. Since retirement, Earley has remained active in archaeological research. He is author of Chaco Canyon: A Study Guide and The Missions of New Mexico: A Study Guide.
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