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Early Man
2.875" H x 10.25" L x 6.75" W
Hand Created from a Green Stone with Many Circular Depressions on Both Sides
California Desert Stone Cupules are small, artificial cup-shaped depressions (concavities) pecked, pounded, or ground into boulder or bedrock surfaces by Native American peoples. They are a widespread form of rock art found across California, including desert regions like the Mojave Desert, Colorado Desert, and Anza-Borrego areas.
Key Characteristics: Size and shape: Typically 2–8 cm (about 1–3 inches) in diameter and relatively shallow. They resemble small, rounded pits or dimples.
Creation method: Made by direct percussion with hammerstones or similar tools—no metal tools were used. They can appear singly or in dense clusters (dozens to hundreds on one boulder).
Location: Often on horizontal, vertical, or inclined rock faces, including in rock shelters, caves, or near occupation sites. They differ from deeper bedrock mortars (used for grinding food like acorns), which are usually larger, deeper, and on horizontal surfaces. Cupules can sometimes be hard to distinguish from small/incipient mortars or anvils.
Appearance in deserts: In arid environments, they are often associated with granite, sandstone, or other durable rocks. Some sites (e.g., in the Mojave) feature them alongside pictographs (paintings) or other petroglyphs. Cupules are among the oldest and most common rock art motifs worldwide, but in California they are part of indigenous traditions spanning thousands of years. In the California deserts and southern regions, they are frequently linked to Late Prehistoric periods (roughly the last 1,000–2,000 years), though dating is challenging and some may be older.
Possible functions and meanings (interpretations vary and are not universally agreed upon):Ritual/ceremonial: Often tied to fertility rites (e.g., girls’ puberty ceremonies, conception rituals where powdered rock dust was collected), weather control (rain or wind), or shamanic practices.
Viewed as non-utilitarian petroglyphs that could connect people to the spiritual power of the rock or landscape. Some were painted with pigments.
They are associated with various groups, including those in the Mojave region (e.g., potentially Kawaiisu, Serrano/Vanyume, or earlier peoples), and are part of broader "pit-and-groove" traditions in California and the Great Basin.
Examples in California Deserts Sites exist in the Mojave Desert (e.g., rock shelters with cupules on floors or walls), Anza-Borrego, and surrounding foothills. Many are near villages, milling features, or other rock art.
From the Private Museum: Museum of the First People, Laguna Beach, California - Len and Toni Wood collection
Condition:
Good
Tribe:
Anasazi - Hohokam - Salado - Caddo
Year Range:
Early Man
Region:
Southwest
Dimensions:
2.88 in10.25 in6.75 in
Category:
Stone Artifacts - Censers - Paint Palettes - Donuts - Balls - Other
