Five Faces

About This Experience

Five Faces – A Family on the Canyon Wall? It was one of those brutally hot days in Canyonlands when even a relatively short hike feels much longer than it really is. Fortunately, the distance to the Five Faces was not great, but the sun was relentless and there was very little relief from the heat. For most of the way the approach was straightforward, until the final section suddenly became much more demanding. The panel was above us, and reaching it required climbing a very steep section of open sandstone. It was a short climb, but steep enough to make us concentrate carefully on every step. When we finally reached the site, however, the heat and effort were immediately forgotten. The panel was gorgeous. Five human-like figures stood together on the sandstone, almost shoulder to shoulder. Their rounded U-shaped heads, simple horizontal eyes and elongated bodies gave them the unmistakable appearance of the Canyonlands Faces Motif, yet this particular composition somehow felt more intimate than some of the larger groups we had seen. The five figures seemed almost to belong together. Our immediate reaction was: could this have been a family? It is a tempting thought, but there is no archaeological evidence showing that the five figures portray a literal family of parents and children. In fact, the repetitive and simplified faces characteristic of this style make individual portraiture unlikely. The broader interpretation of the Faces Motif is nevertheless surprisingly close to our first impression: these figures may have represented ancestors or members of a kin group, perhaps expressing common descent and community identity. Their simple slit-like eyes have even been interpreted as possibly suggesting the closed eyes of deceased people, although this remains speculative. The setting adds another interesting dimension. Five Faces is associated with a granary site, rather than being simply an isolated rock-art panel. That connection between the paintings and a place where food was stored may be important. Across Canyonlands, many Faces Motif figures occur near habitation structures or granaries, suggesting that the imagery belonged closely to the communities actually living and farming in these canyons. At Five Faces there are exactly five anthropomorphs, several showing hair arrangements, eyes, body paint, jewelry and other ornamentation. What makes this panel especially beautiful is the amount of detail still visible on the figures. They are not merely five identical silhouettes. Necklaces, earrings, body markings and clothing give each one a slightly different appearance. Across the Faces Motif, jewelry seems to have been particularly important: earrings, necklaces, pendants and other ornaments occur repeatedly, and researchers have suggested that their shapes and colors may have conveyed information about social or kin-group identity. The central figure is particularly remarkable. It has a feature that is apparently unique among the known Faces Motif anthropomorphs: red-and-white concentric circles beside the head that resemble earspools. It also wears a necklace, a bandolier across the chest and what has been interpreted as a kilt. The combination makes this figure appear more elaborately dressed than its companions and immediately raises questions. Was this someone of special status? A leader? A ceremonial participant? Later Pueblo imagery sometimes associates bandoliers with male warriors, so one possibility is that this figure represented a man with a particular social or ceremonial role, although that interpretation cannot be demonstrated with certainty. Looking at the group, it is easy to begin inventing stories. Perhaps the central figure was the head of a family and the surrounding figures represented relatives. Perhaps they were members of the same lineage. Perhaps they were deceased ancestors whose identities would have been immediately recognizable to the people who lived nearby. Or perhaps the arrangement conveyed something entirely different that we can no longer understand. The important distinction is that while the idea of a literal family is our own speculation, the interpretation of the Faces Motif as imagery connected with kinship, shared ancestry and group identity has archaeological support. That possibility made the Five Faces especially engaging for us. Unlike a single isolated anthropomorph, these five figures naturally invite you to look at the relationships between them. Why five? Why place them side by side? Why give some different ornaments or markings? Was the central figure intentionally emphasized? Were the differences telling an ancient viewer something about status, gender, age, family position or ceremonial role? We can ask the questions, but the painters left us no explanation. The figures most likely belong to the Pueblo III period, approximately AD 1170–1300, when small Ancestral Puebloan communities lived, farmed and stored food in the Canyonlands region. The wider interpretation of the Faces Motif suggests that such publicly visible anthropomorphs may have symbolized the unity of a kin group and its connection to a particular place and its resources. If so, placing ancestral imagery near structures and food-storage areas could have carried a powerful message about belonging: these were the people, the ancestors and perhaps the land of a particular community. That interpretation remains hypothetical, but it gives the panel an intriguing social dimension beyond its obvious artistic beauty. Standing there after the hot approach and steep final sandstone climb, we did not need a definite answer to enjoy it. Five silent figures had been watching from that wall for roughly eight centuries, still wearing traces of their jewelry, clothing and body decoration. Whether they represented a family, ancestors, important members of a community or something completely different, the composition felt unusually personal. We stayed for quite a while simply looking at them. Some rock-art sites impress because of their size or dramatic location; Five Faces was different. It was the group itself that fascinated us. The figures seemed connected, almost as if we had interrupted a gathering that had begun centuries before we arrived. The heat and steep climb were quickly forgotten. This was simply one of those panels we really liked—a beautiful, intimate and mysterious group of faces whose story remains hidden in the sandstone.