Graffiti sprayed over historic Indian markings (CA)
OCEANSIDE --- At first, it is the graffiti that stands out on a group of granite boulders that sit a few hundred yards from a small seasonal creek. But closer inspection shows a series of faint red markings with much more historic significance.
"These are clearly pictographs, and they're probably Luiseno," said Joel Seay, referring to the Luiseno band of American Indians who once lived in the San Luis Rey River valley.
An amateur archeologist and preservationist, Seay said he sees many common patterns, cross-hatched lines that look like netting, diamond symbols and series of dots that look like rain, repeated on the boulders.
"I keep coming back to this one right here," he said, pointing at a faint symbol with several points radiating from a circle. "It looks like a compass, and I've never seen it anywhere else."
Tucked behind a suburban subdivision off Douglas Drive in Oceanside's back gate area, the boulders have drawn neighbors' attention for years. Resident Warren Allen, who said he has lived in the area since the 1970s, said seeing graffiti on the boulders made him furious.
Read entire article at http://www.nctimes.com
"These are clearly pictographs, and they're probably Luiseno," said Joel Seay, referring to the Luiseno band of American Indians who once lived in the San Luis Rey River valley.
An amateur archeologist and preservationist, Seay said he sees many common patterns, cross-hatched lines that look like netting, diamond symbols and series of dots that look like rain, repeated on the boulders.
"I keep coming back to this one right here," he said, pointing at a faint symbol with several points radiating from a circle. "It looks like a compass, and I've never seen it anywhere else."
Tucked behind a suburban subdivision off Douglas Drive in Oceanside's back gate area, the boulders have drawn neighbors' attention for years. Resident Warren Allen, who said he has lived in the area since the 1970s, said seeing graffiti on the boulders made him furious.