Part 3. Basque Sheepherders, Artists of the Range
What is an arborglyph? A tree carving, like the one we find here. Originally it was cut into the soft, smooth bark of the young tree about 5 ½ feet above ground. Now it has expanded with tree growth and filled with black scar tissue, leaving names and dates that are barely legible.
Arborglyphs, also called dendroglyphs, are common all over the world.Usually, they show nothing more than someone was on that spot at a given time, like “Kilroy was here”. Sometimes arborglyphs convey an important message, such as “fresh water over next ridge” or “good pasture north”. Some might call it campground art, but other messages read like graffiti. All hold significant historical interest.
Basque sheepherders were among the earliest herders in the American West, especially following the Gold Rush era. Scots, Irish, and a few Indians and Chinese also herded sheep on the open range in early days. Over the years many have whittled messages into trees including American Indians, explorers, surveyors, hunters, trappers, fishermen, travelers, and cowboys, but it is the Basque sheepherders that are usually credited with most western tree carvings. Many of the names and messages are in Spanish, and the Basque sheepherders are known to have roamed the range herding sheep during the dates indicated.
A quick search in the grove reveals that this is the only aspen to bear an arborglyph. From the top it reads, “July 21″ (or maybe “27″), next down is a clear date of “1879″. Then just below that is a carving that may be the brand of an early ranch. Finally, the last line shows the letters “Bem,” the first letter, upper case, and the last two, lower case. I have shown my photo of this carving to many people. Only one person thought the “m” might be an “n.” If so, then the name could be read “Ben”. But, the entire carving is very well done, very clear. If that last letter is indeed an “n”, it is so poorly carved as to be totally out of character with the rest of the carving.
Tree carvings have no doubt been made since humans began to scratch various marks on rocks. Virgil, one of Rome’s greatest poets, writing in the first century BC, mentions arborglyphs. Nowadays the problem when searching for really old tree carvings is that the life span of an arborglyph is limited to the life span of the tree. Many old trees are already gone, but there are still thousands of known arborglyph trees across the United States. While they do constitute a valuable cultural history, the custom should be discouraged. No matter how slight the wound, it opens the tree to insect damage and disease organisms. Today it’s better to take photos; sketch; tell the stories; recreate the history; but let the trees live, healthy and unmarked.
(An interesting read: Speaking Through the Aspens: Basque Tree Carvings in Nevada and California by J. Mallea-Olaetxe (http://www.unevadapress.com) 2000.