Old Man Owl: Myth and Gambling Medicine in Klamath Basin Rock Art

Abstract

For the past 15 years, rock art research in the Klamath Basin has demonstrated a strong relationship between rock art sites, shamanic vision questing, and ritual curing. Inquiries into anomalous sites that do not fit this patterning are not yet forthcoming. A newly discovered petroglyph site in the upper Sprague River Valley in the eastern portion of the Klamath Basin provides an excellent opportunity for us to expand our understanding of the art. The use of myth as an informing context provides exceptional insight into the meaning and purpose for the rock art in this region. Referred to in this chapter as the “owl site” because of the owl motif comprising the main panel, this site corresponds strongly with the description of power quest rituals related to gambling as provided by Modoc mythology.