Tutuveni is a prehistoric

petroglyph A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...

site at the base of

Echo Cliffs The Echo Cliffs are a prominent geological feature in northern Arizona. The cliffs stretch for and reach over 1000 feet (300 m) high. They are found in Coconino County, Arizona, Coconino County in the Navajo Nation about 20 miles (32 km) east of ...

Coconino County, Arizona Coconino County is a County (United States), county in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its population was 145,101 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The county seat is Flagstaff, Arizona, Flagstaff. The count ...

. The

Hopi The Hopi are a Native American ethnic group who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, there are 19,338 Hopi in the country. The Hopi Tribe is a sovereign nation within the Unite ...

, who have historic interest in this site, refer to it as "Tutuveni" meaning "Newspaper Rock". The site was used by young Hopi men during their ceremonial pilgrimages to

Ongtupqa The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a ...

(the

Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...

) to mark their passage into adulthood. They would stop and camp at the site and would etch their clan symbols onto the rocks, showing their participation and passage in that pilgrimage. This was a tradition that was carried on for four to five centuries by the Hopi. Although the site is recognized as a Hopi traditional cultural property, it is located on land now owned by the

Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native American reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah; at roughly , the ...

. There was therefore a decades-old dispute whereby the neighboring tribes fought over the ownership of the land. The conflict was resolved in 2006, with much of the disputed 1.5 million acres going to the Navajos.

Clan petroglyphs

The site contains more than 5,000 Hopi clan symbols, dating from perhaps as early as 1200 to the 1950s, inscribed on eight sandstone boulders. The boulders are scattered over an area of approximately , the tallest of which may reached over 5 meters. These petroglyphs cover the sides and tops of the boulders, and most of the symbols, 60% of the total, are on one stone known as boulder 48. The petroglyphs, each around 10x10cm, are of iconic symbols representing animals, plants, or cultural items. The unusual features of these symbols compared to other petroglyphs sites are that the symbols rarely overlap, and they may be arranged as rows of repeating images of up to 20 or more in a line. These repeated image may be from members of the same clan making the same pilgrimage to Tutuveni – new pilgrims would then put their symbols next to the symbols the previous Hopi pilgrims. The site however has suffered from vandalism, with graffiti added to the boulders and some symbols were erased or spray-painted over. As a result, fencing had been introduced and surveillance cameras installed.

References

{{Reflist Native American history of Arizona Petroglyphs in Arizona National Register of Historic Places in Coconino County, Arizona Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Arizona

Clan petroglyphs

See also

References