At a secret spot in Wyoming at sunrise on the winter solstice an amazing thing happens. When the sun just crests over the horizon, the sunlight passes through a series of boulders on the ground and points to a spot on a native American petroglyph which shows the days will start getting longer.
The thought, dedication and perseverance of the folks who created this amazing work of technology and art demonstrates a complex understanding of the world and the environment.
While I am not an expert in American Indian symbology, I am amazed at the time, effort and apparent technology it took to create these sandstone carvings.
The sunlight arrow on the sandstone face only appears when the sun rises from the south. In the summertime, the sun does not reach the hole in the rocks. At the winter solstice, the sun shining through the crack perfectly aligns with the carving on the petroglyph. Then, as the sun moves north, the alignment vanishes, indicating the days will get longer.
The creators of this site had to have amazing knowledge of the skies, the seasons and the stars.
Imagine the work that went creation of this site.
The tribe wintered in the valley below the cliff.
Every morning, in the winter, the artist had to walk up the hill to the cliff before sunrise. Then, as the sun crested the horizon, the artist had to track the sun filtering through the rocks to determine where the sun hit the face of the cliff. Then, on the shortest day of the year, the artist had to carve the depression in the cliff that exactly aligns with the sunlight arrow. That exact alignment shows the days are getting longer.
As the sun shifts to the north, the alignment disappears. The celestial petroglyph shows the days are getting longer, and Spring is on the way.
Like Stonehenge, the Mayan calendar and the pyramids, the petroglyph is a miracle of ancient astronomy.
The cliff is notoriously hard to find. The landowner keeps it secret, because the sandstone housing the petroglyph is fragile and subject to vandalism.
The first two years I traveled to the site I could not find it.
On year three, I finally found the spot. Clouds covered the horizon, so the interplay between sun and shadow on the cliff was obscured.
Then, finally on the fourth year on a clear day, a couple years ago, I was sitting at the edge of the cliff, when the sun peeked over the horizon. As if by magic, when the sun emerged over the eastern hills, the light shown through the rocks and outlined the arrow on the petroglyph.
Indiana Jones stories pale by comparison, because this site is real. Sometimes, true life is more exciting than fiction.
We cannot underestimate the knowledge and ingenuity of the Native American forefathers.
A lesson can be learned from this site, and others like it. If we take time to be quiet and observe, much can be learned from our surroundings.
But we can only learn when we close our mouths and open our eyes.
That being said, on this Christmas week, let us all take time to appreciate the miracles constantly around us.
From my family to yours, Merry Christmas and God’s blessing.
Tom Lubnau served in the Wyoming Legislature from 2004 - 2015 and is a former Speaker of the House. He can be reached at: YourInputAppreciated@gmail.com
