Tonia Means: Paiute people welcome return of stolen petroglyph

Thursday, July 21, 2011  

"On behalf of the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe, I want to congratulate our fellow Paiutes from Pahrump for their dogged efforts to return stolen American Indian pictographs to their natural place. We have seen a number of incidents in the past where vandals and thieves have raided or desecrated these sites, and it is important to remind all of us who live here or visit here how valuable and rare these pictographs and petroglyphs truly are.

American Indian rock art is not graffiti. These drawings are sacred and historic writings that shared ancient stories and guided travelers through desolate lands. We can never fully know the spiritual depth and meaning that these artifacts had for our ancestors, but we do know that they are beautiful and are to be treasured by all of us, indigenous peoples and newcomers alike."

Get the Story:
Las Vegas Paiute Tribe Chairwoman Tonia Means: They are 'to be treasured by all of us' (The Las Vegas Review Journal 7/21)

Also Today:
Stolen petroglyph returns to canyon after rocky journey (The Las Vegas Review Journal 7/17)