The Portablised Petroglyphs

Portablisation gone wrong: a damaged Paiute Indian petroglyph located at a major rock art site on the Volcanic Tableland north of Bishop, California is shown in this handout image released to Reuters November 20, 2012.(Photo Reuters)

According to AFP in Los Angeles, "archeologists" have offered a US$1,000 reward "for information leading to the arrest of vandals who stole four priceless ancient rock carvings, and damaged others in the California desert". These thieves sliced the carvings out of the rock face with cement-cutting circular saws.  The US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) called the carvings "an "irreplaceable part of our national cultural heritage". Ours or theirs? Its a bit odd that over there in USA land, certain archaeological finds are "repatriated" to native tribes as "theirs, not ours" heritage, so when does "theirs" actually become "ours"?

BLM have assured folk that  they "have increased surveillance of our sites and are working with other agencies to bring the responsible parties to justice and to recover the petroglyphs". When they are caught, the courts will give the thieves a slap on the wrist, fourteen days probation and a warning not to do it again. They will be allowed to keep their saws.

UPDATE the petroglyphs turned up again in February 2013. Nobody was charged with anything.