People of the Land

People of the Land. Surviving on Scarce Resources. Prehistoric people survived in this semi-arid region by making the best of what the landscape offered. The Anasazi, or Ancestral Puebloans, found tillable soil and enough water to grow corn, squash, and beans. They lived in this area from approximately 1 to 1350 A.D. The Hopi call their ancestors the Ancestral Puebloans, or Hisatsinom; the Navajo call them the Anasazi. All present day tribes feel a strong reverence and connection to the prehistoric peoples that inhabited this region. , Lands too high in elevation to be suitable for farming provided historic peoples with other vital resources. On the Skutumpah Terraces east of here, Archaic, Anasazi, Paiute, Ute and Navajo peoples hunted wild game and collected plants to supplement their diet. , Today, undisturbed archaeological sites and artifacts can tell archaeologists a great deal about these prehistoric cultures. Please, leave sites undisturbed and artifacts where you find them. , "Each animal has a legend behind it, each plant has a spirit within it; we bring upon ourselves injustice if we are not in harmony with respect to each living matter that God has created." , , Travis Parasbonts of the Cedar Band of Paiutes , Historic Inscriptions , More Than Just Graffiti , Many years ago, the people who traveled the Skutumpah Road through Johnson Canyon regularly used inscriptions as a means of communication. , Inscriptions are different than the prehistoric petroglyphs or pictographs. By definition, they are usually at least 50 years old and use both the alphabet and pictures or symbols. They are more than just graffiti: sometimes they were a way to advertise or simply the only way to leave a message or record of who had passed by. , The staff at Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is conducting an inventory of these precious records. If you find any historic inscriptions, inform Monument staff of their whereabouts. In that way you can contribute to scientific research and also lend a hand in preserving the historic record of this area.