The Timeline of Karl's Study of Serpent Rock

The Story of Serpent Rock

POINTS OF VIEWING
/
AN INVENTORY OF POSSIBILITIES: OBSERVATIONS
AND CONSIDERATIONS ON CHUMASH SOLSTICE SITES,
SYMBOLOGY AND COSMOLOGY

for Norm Hammond

Preface

In 1978, I was privileged to be the first blue eyed witness of a winter solstice sunset event at a Chumash site I came to call Serpent Rock. The next year I also witnessed a midday event at the same site. The winter solstice sunrise event was first found by the archaeologist Robert Gibson a couple of years later. At Painted Rock in 1980 or 1981, I witnessed another winter solstice event, sunset; this time just before the sun moved behind a mountain, sunlight poured through a hollow boulder to strike another boulder, move upwards and before fadeout move into a carved groove. I reported these events to a few close friends, Chumash and archaeologists. I did not follow through with rigorous scientific analysis. All I felt was necessary was to report these findings for those already skilled in analysis for them to fully research both of these sites and uncover what had been unobserved for a long time. Not until the last couple of years, the end of the 20th century, has anyone studied Serpent Rock with rigor. The study was done by my friend, Norm Hammond, after his successful recovery of other solstice and stellar sites in the back country of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties. It is because of his efforts that I dedicate Points of Viewing / Inventory of Possibilities.

Introduction

When you watch a sunset, do you see the sun moving downward or the horizon moving upward? When you watch a sunrise, do you see the sun ascending or the horizon dropping? Do you stand there with arms outstretched trying to feel yourself wheeled many hundreds of miles per hour eastward as our planet rotates in its orbit? Our terms Œsunrise¹ and Œsunset¹ are European language artifacts from a stationary earth centered cosmology. Note how our language shapes perception in spite of our knowing the contrary. Like this, all sorts of subtle and not so subtle bias cloud the brightness of Chumash solstice sites, their known and yet to be known workings.

Then there are questions arising from occurrences that arrive before us from dimensions outside the normal academic rational and analytical scope of investigation and experience. Of many I could offer up, consider our society¹s Anglo American English monosyllabic and increased aconymic tendencies. Note its application to our region of the California Central Coast, SLO, an identity rooted in the Spanish conquest of the Chumash homeland. A tag from a name of a saint from the conqueror¹s homeland we live with. In fact, an individual from the vanquishing royalty is what the City of San Luis Obispo and San Luis Obispo County are named after. But, the Anglo¹s tung, genetically muscled for compression, reduces all this to squeeze out the simplest possible SLO. Surviving Chumash descendants inwardly smiled, I am sure, about this long before I noticed, which was years ago, the irony of this Anglo sign. In Chumash, the sound SLO means eagle and North Star, its eye. The unraveling of this significance by any number of angloized academic disciplines may probably make for as many theories. This has yet to be seen by any of them. The Chumash, of course, maintain a tight lip and a knowing sparkle in their eyes. This is outside the boundaries of the limited rational function of mind as is much of the era of what I call the ³high technology of stone² in which the Chumash thrived for what now appears, as they have claimed all along, uncountable generations.

As our culture pushes onward in its development of information accompanied by the new juggling and digesting abilities, so too were the Chumash masters of their symbols which for the most part were oral and visual signs woven into a complex emotional-mental-intuitive-tactile-spiritual cosmology. How they read these symbols (and what actually made a symbol) and wove with them into the physical, dream and spiritual divisions of their view of the whole, we are not privy to. Nor do we have access to the living and breathing forms that they shaped and were shaped by. Thus, theories are composed, most of which get tossed onto the compost pile, as each generation of researchers, interpreters or reinterpreters attempts recovery.

The mere existence of Chumash solstice sites threw many theories onto this compost pile. Hunter and gather people, considered inferior to agricultural people by those in the conservative academic fields of study in which there was a supposed evolutionary ranking based on the economic sophistication of a people, supposedly had no use for such efforts. Solstice sites were deemed primitive time pieces related only to planting, growing and harvesting cycles and accompanying rituals. At the time of the Chumash solstice site finds, it was not known the Chumash were horticulturalists, perhaps the first in California to harness the acorn harvest and cycle secrets. In this particular climatic province, solstice events do not appear to be indicators predicting flora cycles. Given the varying rain patterns, the blooming of specific plants would offer an observer much better forecasting information. Besides, the Chumash were more than Œmere¹ hunter and gathers; they were horticulturalists who maintained and cared for the huge carbohydrate oak groves resource. The oldest known acorn grinding station in California at this moment is found near Morro Bay. The list of trees and plants tended to remains incomplete but larger than anyone suspected.

As our capacity to store facts and information increases, individually and collectively, our will power to memorize shrinks knowing the easy accessibility of the reservoir, the information bank. Our social organization continually reduces contact with the non human life forms and ways of the planet. Daily, the straight lines we are exposed to inside and outside our homes are man made, the longest of which are the transport functions of street, highway, rail, fuel or power line, etc. carved into or strung across landscape. The prodigious memories in non literate cultures are well documented. Quite possibly many surviving visual symbols are doorways into stories or songs that long ago unraveled from a teller¹s, poet¹s or singer¹s recall for days, maybe even weeks, on end. A Chumash scanning a landscape from a distance will have a detailed memory of its parts far greater than most of us can even imagine. It has been walked for uncountable generations stocked piled with lore. Horizon to horizon line of sight was the longest straight line for the Chumash; memory extended it beyond. Pin points of fire extended site lines further at night. Even more distant, of course, are the solar, lunar, planetary and stellar beings. How the Sky Beings and their distance were related is unknown.

At least yearly in this area, Chumash are forced to reveal a new fact about a particular segment of land. Once again there looms the threat of destruction from one of our cultural¹s numerous unconscious and inherently unconcerned razing processes. With each new glimpse comes a reshaping of theories. And a short while ago, two major radio carbon dates have brought national and international attention to Chumash land. The first pushes back human habitation to 13,000 years ago on the Channel Islands. Chumash cosmology says they arrived on the mainland from the islands; this is now the oldest date in Chumash land. The second shows us that 10,000 years ago, a few miles east of Pismo Beach, seed grinding tools were in use. This pushes back by 2,000 years the known use of such implements in North America. A third date of 11,000 years was recently announced for the area east of the Cuesta Grade. It was the age of a projectile point, only the 3rd such 11,000 year old date in California.

With all the new focus and the tumbling of outdated ideas onto the compost pile, I would like to offer up some observations and considerations relating to Chumash solstice sites, points on the landscape viewing first and last sunlight on solstice and equinox days. Some of these concepts have come about recently through discussions with Norm Hammond, who has become a sophisticated recoverer of solstice sites and recoverer of previously undetected techniques of the Chumash. While these discussions are rooted in years of observations by both of us, the extrapolations and suggestions are mine. Should they prove to be further compost material, Norm is not to blame; these are my musings, some of which are 20 years or so old, now recast due to Norm¹s exciting recoveries.

The search for Chumash solstice sites should be undertaken with a respect and understanding of this people¹s way. The Chumash way, cosmology and symbols, like those of all traditional peoples, are/were thoroughly integrated with Mother Earth who is viewed as a living, conscious being. Our culture¹s Œrational¹, Greek Aristotelian way folded into the Newtonian and Cartesian cosmology of perception and how and what we call landscape is not how the Chumash experience(d) and respond(ed) to and with it. Nor can their particular response be assumed to fit neatly with other cultures of the pre-European invasion Americas. One must drop as many preconceived ideas, external cultural functions, forms, and bias as possible.

Inventory

a) Considerations

The continual conflict of form and function should be reexamined, if ever it has been seriously considered. Is the function or the form the solstice or equinox event? Or is the form or the function the physical site? Is it possible to divide a physical location and the time event in this manner within the context of Chumash cosmology? But, even these may vary and flip flop site to site as one observes through our culture¹s specific moments in time: sunrise, mid day and sunset. Our 30 or 31 day month counts should be dropped. So should our minute and hour count. What is the Chumash numerology, day division and day groups that parallel, if at all, our week and month?

While many of us have been looking ahead or upward for events on rock features or in caves, Norm began looking downward and recovered important Chumash form and function unnoticed until his first blue eyed witnessing. Our conditioning by left to right reading, trains our thinking and observing in terms of bits and pieces rather than reading the landscape as a whole. Then, there is the entirely different matter of altered states of consciousness as well as an intuitive knowing totally at odds with our Œrational¹ tendencies. But, it is generally the latter through which sites are hunted for documentation and hence missed.

By shifting back to the era of the Œhigh technology of stone¹, and viewing landscape as alive, Mother Earth as a living consciousness, I as able to startle a would be recoverer who remains attached to the rational, logical function of the mind. Assume, I told Norm one day, that Mother Earth has on and within Her prescribed formations aligned for solstice and equinox observations for the Chumash to discover. That is to say, from a possible Chumash cosmological point of view, there existed naturally occurring solstice and equinox alignments for their Œfinders of cast light and shadow¹ to discover put in place by The Mother. I then suggested to Norm that he and his friend, the rationalist, follow the solstice and equinox lines from one of his back country recovery sites. They pursued my idea with skepticism only to recover an additional alignment site. His friend was rather surprised my advice checked out on their first attempt. With the chaparral overgrowth too dense to penetrate any further, other potential sites within view could not be surveyed.

There is little or no understanding and respect for the qualitative and quantitative manipulation of rock (and land?) accomplished by the Chumash. Close by Whale Cave, above the Pirate¹s Cove area south of Avila Beach, one can see a tub like feature carved out of bedrock. A long ³Y² forked gutter carved into the bedrock face leads to the tub. I recovered this 15 or more years ago. This appears to be on line with the winter solstice sunrise-summer solstice sunset line upon which Serpent Rock miles away is to be found. If not exactly within a narrow band width (for we do not know how wide a sun line was accepted as a pathway to exhibit itself on specific points or from aligned site to aligned site), it does provide another of the many beautiful first sun light appearance, or dawning, viewing points for solstice and equinox events. It may be a solstice or equinox location of its own. And, according to Bob Gibson, an identical tub-like feature exists on the Channel Islands (its relationship to solstice and equinox events should be compared). Norm took a geologist to Serpent Rock for additional insight. His friend assured and surprised him that what is currently designated Œthe observatory¹ is not natural erosion but of human making. Nowhere I know of in the literature about the Chumash is there reference to such a scale of rock sculpting. Even smaller, and obvious to me, some rock carvings a Serpent Rock were discounted by so-called rock art experts. This adds another dimension for those interested in solstice site recovery. Questions to be answered are 1) how much rock and land altering was accomplished by this culture?, and 2) how was it used to manipulate sun light and shadow?

Consider the Chumash culture used solstice alignments to mark the boundaries of sacred precincts within which ceremonies dedicated to fulfill obligations maintaining the cosmological balance. The winter solstice sunrise line, the northern boundary; the winter solstice sunset, the western boundary; the summer solstice sunrise, the eastern boundary; and the summer solstice sunset, the southern boundary. This array, at least suggested at Serpent Rock, I extrapolated from Norm¹s newest recovery efforts adding to the 20 years old recovery events by Robert Gibson and me. Other such configurations surely exist elsewhere, if this is indeed the use here. If this is not the case, then modern solstice site makers can make use this concept.

Given the use of parallelism with the winter solstice sunrise-summer solstice sunset axis line at Serpent Rock, there is a possibility that the width of Chumash solstice light lines varied according to function. Perhaps rather than a single line of sites, sites may act as border indicators for wide paths of light. Again, if this is not the case, then modern solstice site makers can make use this concept.

Consider the Chumash use of sunlight and shadow as signifiers as part of a complex cosmological system consisting of esoteric and exoteric prayers, songs, dances, stories and visual arts. Rather than creating a symbolic use of light as a penetrater or eraser of shadow, a conqueror of shadow, a dominant gesture of one force over another or over a lesser force so commonly assumed in our culture¹s view, this culture creates a standing together, a display of polar opposites in partnership, not conflict. Either a shadow moves tangentially up to a carved object illuminated by sunlight or sunlight moves tangentially to the edge of a carved object in shadow. Or, a sunlight shaft is created to stand next to a shadow of equal size. Or a pole cast shadow approaches and touches the outer edge of a hole or some other shape or symbol. Such events take place either singularly or as part of a larger complex of tandem events with or without the making of a precinct boundary.

Consider this culture looks upon light and shadow as polar opposites and perhaps not signifying male and female. It understands the opposition as a dance of cooperation, not competition. The polar opposites or compliments are viewed as two parts of the greater whole. Perhaps theirs is an ideal view where both male and female are equally full of the potential of complete consciousness and hence light as well as full of the potential of complete unconsciousness and hence darkness. Such a culture in its ideal cosmology (rather than pessimistic such as being born into sin) does not rank male or female above or below the other by happen stance of gender but individual action. How the Chumash cosmology actually holds this polarity is not known at this time outside the closed Chumash circle.

Consider reflected sun light off planets at night and refracted as lines on the ocean, estuaries, lakes, ponds or water filled bowls. Not that such lines of light on water went unnoticed by these keen astronomical observing people, but the question is how they wove these lines into the physical form of their cosmology. In Painted Cave in Santa Barbara County, one can view a rock painting in which there appears to be the symbol for a planet ‹ a red disk (Mars?) with legs: a Œstar¹ that walks.

Associated with a handful of potential solstice sites is a particular rock art symbol that appears to be a lizard. Its upraised claws or hands are adjacent to a solar symbol or elsewhere tied by artwork lines to possible stellar symbols. This is an image of supposed anatomical impossibility because of the arrangement or representation of the outstretched and raised limbs. Consider that the women in this culture gave birth up to 2 generations ago with the aid of gravity by squatting, not the horizontal position favoring the comfort of the Anglo system doctor to the discomfort of the birth-giving mother. While squatting, they clung onto something, a pole? This position happens to be the exact rendering of this lizard. Such renderings in other animal or abstract forms are well documented in Mesoamerica as well as other traditional cultures world wide, the Mauri culture surviving in New Zealand being one. Does this lizard associated perhaps with solstice sites, give us an insight into some sort of birth? Who is giving birth and what is birthing?

Another intriguing symbol is the bear claw. One of Norm¹s sites contains a vast number of such carvings. At another significant recovering, Norm found another bear claw carving or pectoglyph. This brought on another discussion between us regarding the use of symbols to designate a clan observation area or a clan shrine, chapel, church or temple. There seems to be some debate about use of such terms for these sites. Some, it seems, are reluctant to use Œchurch¹ or Œchapel¹. Is this because it may Œelevate¹ the Chumash sites to equal status of other religions? If what we are beginning to see with the addition of Norm¹s recovers is a sophistication far exceeding previous assumptions, then I for one do not hesitate to use Œchapel¹, Œchurch¹ or Œtemple¹ for various sites. The smaller sites would be chapels. One such as Serpent Rock, depending on archaeological excavation, would be either a church or temple because of the numbers of people the precincts could hold. Painted Rock without a doubt could be called a temple or cathedral. The Chumash did have a priesthood. Within this priesthood, there at least can be assumed to be those skilled in the use of light and shadow, an illuminati, who maintained the spiritual rituals that framed these events. How and what took place is known only to the Chumash.

Twenty years ago after recovering two solstice sites, I looked at maps to see if, as in Europe, solstice and equinox sites align with each other. I became convinced that at least among the Chumash a complex of related sites, a solstice-equinox grid, exists. It appears several known solstice sites and other sites such as villages or coastal points are in various solstice and/or equinox alignment. With this in mind, I present the following list of sites and areas to survey as possibilities. I have not had for a long while the physical ability to verify or discount any of these potential sites during the moment of possible occurrence, which of course is the only true test. Anyone can come to a site outside the time frame of an event and discount it; this has unfortunately been the case in this area in the past. One such site, Serpent Rock, is where Norm has made new and unsuspected solstice event recoveries. He has also made new recoveries at previously unsuspected sites and documented new forms previously undetected any where. These latter lead him to the newest recoveries at Serpent Rock. Perhaps someone or ones will invest meaningful time for thorough testing of these observations and proposals within the time period of the real events.

b) Sites to check out

Alignments w/ Serpent Rock long distance: a) winter solstice sunrise-summer solstice sunset line, b) equinox line and c) winter solstice sunset-summer solstice sunrise line, c) test my mapping that Painted Rock lies east along the Equinox line.

Equinox sunrise over Picacho Peak south of Arroyo Grande at the summer solstice sunset alignment at Arroyo Grande Creek midden mound near mouth with Point San Luis.

Painted Rock ‹
a) Inside: shadows and light patterns on the painting panel for summer solstice sunset, actually its afternoon shadow (and equinox?). Years ago, Norm and I watched as the shadow line seemed to stop at important locations on the panel. When all the panel was in shadow, one small sun glyph remain lit. It now seems to have been removed by vandals.
b) Outside: on the east side where a large hollow boulder marked with a x bisected by a cross symbol (a solstice-equinox north-south diagram?), on the winter solstice afternoon around 3pm (relate time to summer solstice time of shadow movement across panel) sunlight pours through this rock (how much of the large hole is the result of enhancement?) and shaft of light travels up another boulder to a carved slit.
c) Check this area and the east side of Painted Rock itself for winter solstice, equinox and summer solstice sunrises events.
d) Verify whether or not Serpent Rock and Painted Rock are aligned to the equinox event
d) Check out the possibility that the roack art panel as a whole is a map of the lost Chumash zodiac perhaps on the summer solstice --added Dec 2003) after finding out about possibility of one of th French Cave paintings m ay be their zodiac 20,000 bce--.

Where wssr - ssss line across Serpent Rock to western most land point on Pecho Coast leaves land --Point Buchon?, Diablo Canyon?

c) Complexes

1.
a. Winter solstice sunset line from Point Sal to somewhere in the dunes
b. Summer solstice sunset from Point San Luis to dunes (Norm seems to have found it at a midden mound near Arroyo Grande Creek mouth)
c. Where winter solstice sunset line from Point Sal somewhere inland meets summer solstice sunset line from Point San Luis.
d. Trace the equinox line from ocean eastward through this point.

2.
a. Solstice lines across Huasna Peak
b. Equinox line across Huasna Peak and Osso Flaco Lake to the west and line eastward.

3.
a. Check all alignment lines off and of the nine sisters including Morro Rock
b. Check axis line of the 9 sisters to see if it parallels a wssr-ssss line

4.
a. wsss from Point Buchon
b. See where this meets ssss line from Morro Rock
c. ssss from Point Estero
d. From intersection of wsss from Point Buchon and ssss from Point Estero check alignments from coast inland.
5.
wssr from Lodge Hill in Cambria -- marker may be Holister Peak or check wssr in Cambria as related to Holister Peak.

6.
A.
Alignments of other prominent coastal points of wsss-ssss (wsss for the southern point of a bay or possible pairing and ssss for the northern point)) meeting points as possible equinox sites. Point Conception should be high on the priority list.
B.
Follow equinox line from each coastal point intersection from coast inland and check where they cross potential solstice lines

7.
Most difficult of all would be finding the old shore line before the ice sheet melt, and follow the above suggested model from prominent coastal points and respective alignments.

8.
Check out long distance alignments of various known solstice and/or equinox sites to other known sites, especially the horizon high points in between for other potential sites. This could also lead to other recoveries. These locations and check points have to be viewed during the events¹ time frames. The varying landscape slants and refraction of light are but 2 of many variables making mathematical formulas and guesses from potential locations outside the time frame unreliable.

9.
Make a map of the grid

Karl Kempton
2470 Grell Lane
Oceano, California
June 3, 2001

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