Art of the Columbia Plateau 

Rock art is found all across the Columbia Plateau, but are most commonly found in caves, canyons and basically anywhere dry and protected from the elements. There are two different types of rock art: petroglyphs (which are carvings into the rock) and pictographs (which are paintings on the rock). Many of these pieces were made 6,000 years to 8,000 years ago and were often made by adolescents who were seeking their spirt helper during vision quests.

These petroglyphs are from the Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park Museum's outside exhibit. They were removed from three different places along the Columbia River in preparation for the construction of the Wanapum Dam. They were most likely created by ancestors of the "river people" or as we know them today, the Wanapum tribe. 

Unidentified Wanapum artist. Petroglyphs. N.d. Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park Museum, Vantage, Washington. Vantage Rock Art Sites. 16, Dec. 2007. Web.  

http://users.stlcc.edu/mfuller/vantageRock.html

These petroglyphs were found in the Petroglyph Canyon by Celilo Falls, but were removed before The Dalles Dam flooded the area in 1957. They were removed, cleaned and restored by the US Army Corps of Engineers in 2003 and are now located in Horsethief Lake State Park, Washington along the Tamani Pesh-wa (Written in the Rock) guided trail. While they were created by unknown artists they were likely made by ancestors of either the Nez Perce Tribe, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon or the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakima Nation. All four of these tribes shared the resources of Celilo Falls.

1. Unidentified Artist. Tsagaglalal or "She Who Watches". N.d. Columbia Hills State Park, Washington. "Petroglyphs and Pictographs... Horsethief Butte, Washington" N.d. Web. http://columbiariverimages.com/Regions/Places/horsethief_butte_petroglyphs.html
2. Unidentified Artist. Water Spirit. N.d. Columbia Hills State Park, Washington. "Petroglyphs and Pictographs... Horsethief Butte, Washington" N.d. Web. http://columbiariverimages.com/Regions/Places/horsethief_butte_petroglyphs.html
3. Unidentified Artist. Spedis Owl. N.d. Columbia Hills State Park, Washington. "Petroglyphs and Pictographs... Horesthief Butte, Washington" N.d. Web. http://columbiariverimages.com/Regions/Places/horsethief_butte_petroglyphs.html 

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Additional References

"Member Tribes Overview." Columbia Indians. Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, n.d. Web. 8 Feb. 2018. https://www.critfc.org/member_tribes_overview/

Special to the Oregonian. "Rock Art Hunters, but Not Gatherers: Amateur Archaeologists in Oregon Help Scientists by Documenting Pictographs and Petroglyphs." Oregonlive.com. 14 April 2012. Web. 8 Feb. 2018. http://www.oregonlive.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2012/04/rock_art_hunters_but_not_gathe.html