In the Garden: September, 2007 Regional Report  Share |
Arborglyphs carved into aspens near Lake Tahoe were
sheepherders' form of communication and art, explains University
of Nevada professor Joxe Mallea-Olaetxe.  Arborglyphs and
Unwanted Autumn Visitors  On a recent trip West, I did some time
travel back to the 1880s through 1940s when Basque sheepherders
tended flocks among glistening-leafed aspens in the Lake Tahoe
Basin forest. Ensconced with their sheep for weeks, they
communicated by way of trees, carving "arborglyphs" into young
aspens.  The sheepherders, visiting families, and female
companions carved their names and initials, dates, phrases in
several languages, and human and animal figures -- many
depicting highlights of everyday life.  Sheepherding, the
world's second oldest profession, was fundamental to the
development of the West, explained Dr. Joxe Mallea-Olaetxe,
history professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. He's
recorded about 20,000 arborglyphs and written Speaking Through
the Aspen