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Presentation on ancient Chamorro rock art Saturday
The Northern Marianas Humanities Council invites the public to a presentation on ancient Chamorro rock art that will be held at the Visitors Center Theater, American Memorial Park on Saturday, March 15, beginning at 6pm.
Visiting archaeologist Dr. Rosalind Hunter-Anderson will present the results of a recent pilot study to determine the composition and age of several ancient images that were painted on the walls of the Mahlac Cave in Guam. Her work was funded by a grant from the Guam Preservation Trust.
These painted images, known as pictographs, have been found in caves and rock shelters throughout the Mariana Islands. Pictographs come in a variety of motifs including human and animal forms as well as more symbolic designs.
Hunter-Anderson will discuss the methods employed to identify the composition of the paint used to create a series of six images in the Mahlac Cave and how their ages were determined by radiocarbon analyses.
Hunter-Anderson, who holds a PhD in Anthropology from the University of New Mexico, first came to Micronesia in 1980 to undertake archaeological fieldwork in the Yap Islands. Over the following 25 years, she worked in several other areas in Micronesia including the Mariana Islands. She currently serves as an adjunct associate professor of anthropology at the University of New Mexico.
This presentation is a part of the Council’s ongoing Community Lecture Series. It is open to the public and free of charge. Call Council staff at 235-4787 for more information.(Humanities Council)
