Sacred Stones

By Gene Kangas

INTRODUCTION Excerpted from Book

The concept for SACRED STONES began germinating over thirty years ago in the tiny rural town of Mesopotamia, Ohio. "Mespo," as it is called by locals, is in the heart of Amish country in Trumbull County in northeastern Ohio. This general area is home to the fourth largest Amish community in America. The center of town is a community oriented public green space or park. A tall Civil War Monument topped by a stone eagle was erected there in 1867 honoring area veterans. Over 2,000 people attended the dedication.

About half way north on the eastern side of the commons is Fairview Cemetery, which had its first burial in 1818. Like most cemeteries, the majority of the marker stones tend towards the routine. Many of those in Fairview were fashioned from soft white marble and now appear to be melting from years of exposure. Names, dates and other embellishments are slowly vanishing; history fades with each rain storm. Scanning the cemetery, however, several obviously different stones immediately summon each visitor's attention. They are not marble but seemingly indestructible hard granite. No detail has been erased by over a century of constant weathering. It is visually evident that a remarkable sculptural approach produced the various granite monuments in Fairview. One is a large highly detailed spiral sea shell. The largest is the Brigden Family marker accentuated by carved foliage and a friendly climbing bear. Another features a life-size seated curly coated faithful canine patiently waiting next to the headstone of a small child. These wonderful memorials originated from the self-taught artistic mind of Howard A. Brigden (1841-1913), a native of Mesopotamia. He also sculpted the stone eagle perched atop the Civil War Memorial. Being a sculptor, art teacher and folk art enthusiast, I was immediately attracted to Brigden's masterpieces of cemetery art. Their existence provided an excellent reason to take visitors to Mesopotamia.

About twenty-five miles (40+ Km) west of Mespo is the town of Chagrin Falls, Ohio. There, a contemporary of Brigden's named Henry Church, Jr. (1836-1908) gained a reputation as a maverick and eccentric. Among various artistic accomplishments was the ambitious thirty foot high relief carving locally referred to as "Squaw Rock." Its actual title is "The Rape of the Indian Tribes by the White Men." It boldly overlooks the Chagrin River for passers by to notice. Like Brigden, Henry Church sculpted a distinctive family grave marker in the form of a large reclining peaceable kingdom lion, protecting a gentle lamb that rests on one of its front paws. Fearing damage from vandalism, descendents eventually removed the lion and lamb from their original location in the Evergreen Hill Cemetery in Chagrin Falls and arranged for their relocation in the sheltered courtyard of the prestigious Cleveland Museum of Art. While Church's cemetery sculpture is now safe in the hands of art professionals, its new sterile modern environment lacks context and the emotional impact of a serendipitous encounter.

Enjoyment from the publicly accessible artwork of Howard Brigden and Henry Church eventually led to the stone and wood folk carvings of Silvio Peter Zoratti (1896-1992) who immigrated to America in 1919 from Udine, Italy. Zoratti lived a quiet private life in Conneaut in the very northeast corner of Ohio. He carved primarily for his own enjoyment. During his lifetime none of his artworks were for sale. Zoratti did not make overt political statements or attempt to craft other communal expressions. Yet, Silvio Zoratti's stone sculptures intentionally functioned as visual affirmations of his faith; each representing one of many elements of a total complex environmental matrix that evolved into his own unique Garden of Eden. He admitted that his colorful wood carvings tended to wear and deteriorate due to effects from the harsh snowy northeastern Ohio winters. Many required annual repairs, repainting or were discarded; but the hard stones, he believed, "They will last longer."

Zoratti was employed by the Nickel Plate Railroad to construct and maintain bridges, buildings and fences. That is where surplus stone for his sculptures originated. He created a multi-media shrine surrounded by brightly colored and fragrant flowers. It was situated on a prominent earthen rise in the very center of his beloved garden. Whether pruning fruit trees or harvesting beans, Silvio could fondly gaze upon his sacred hill. It was an extraordinary place, his special place.

The aesthetic accomplishments of these three individuals, Brigden, Church and Zoratti, were the essential inspiration for SACRED STONES.

[I contemplated a publication focusing on local or regional memorial artisans.] The idea gradually evolved; [actually] begged to be much larger. Was it possible to expand the basic idea into a worldwide survey? If so, how could such an overwhelming task be accomplished? The answer, proved to be quite simple. The Internet could and would provide global communication with virtually no restrictions. The Internet could quickly help discover foreign sites to consider as well as help develop a list of potential contributing professional and amateur photographers.

In 2005 a plan was set in motion. Key words such as "ancient tombstone" or "unique stone marker" were entered into various search engines. within seconds a series of thumbnail images appeared. Then, the initial editing of thousands upon thousands of public and private works helped focus on potential candidates for the book. Once an image was decided upon, the sponsoring website or the listed photographer was contacted via a short introductory email with an attachment explaining the project in more complete detail. Part of the letter included the following information, "SACRED STONES will feature selected stone carvings located in cemeteries from past centuries and in special ancient sites created thousands of years earlier, around the world. Liberal definitions of the word "sacred" include - dedicated or devoted exclusively to a single use, purpose or person; worthy of reverence, recognition or respect; and set apart for worship and contemplation. To those, the author adds . awe inspiring, honored, specially inspired, commemorative and/or mystical and magical. Monuments represented are to be stone sculptures that are unique, expressive and timeless. Each will hopefully reflect particular times and places in world history plus qualities of the culture and geographical area where it originated.

"This survey begins with monumental prehistoric and primitive public works and moves forward to the present. Mysterious megalithic environments like Stonehenge are to be juxtaposed against purely sentimental pet markers and personal human recordings created in technically advanced eras. The survey also includes cave paintings, petroglyphs and geoglyphs.

"I invite you to share the wonders located near you. All teachers and students of art, anthropology, geology, geography, photo-journalism and photography as well as avid travelers are invited to assist in this global endeavor. What great stone objects are out there?"

As expected, there were scores of non-replies, requests for exorbitant payments for use of single digital photographs and outright rejections of the idea. On the other hand, the majority of people contacted not only offered to contribute but were extremely helpful in benefiting the venture; most provided encouragement and support for the project.

The search was underway. Every morning for over a year, I awoke to the anticipation of new emails from distant places around the world. It was an exciting and very special time. [Many months] of emails resulted in the receipt of hundreds of digital photographs submitted from people in over forty countries spread around the world. In fact, many more pictures were provided than were required. All were graciously donated from professionals and amateurs alike. Each photograph is illustrated in either a full page or half page format to provide maximum impact. All are black and white and identified with captions as to place and contributing photographer. If any additional information is desired, one can "Google" the basic data presented to learn more.

The three examples cited, Brigden, Church and Zoratti, are indicative of what can be easily discovered by electronic inquiries. Sufficient material exists on them and others to justify separate publications; however, the intention of this book is limited to a visual survey. Since it is a general review, it encompasses a wide range of images from the Gobi Desert to the Arctic Circle.

SACRED STONES Excerpted from the Book

Sacred stones are found throughout the world. Some of the earliest are located at Ubirr, Australia ca 40,000 to present; Grotte Chauvet, Ardìche, France ca 30,000 BP (before present); Mal'ta, Irkusk, Siberia ca 20,000 BP; Wadi Kubbaniya, Aswan, Egypt ca 17,000-15,000 BP; Altamira Cave, Cantabria, Spain ca 16,500-12,000 BP; and Lascaux, Montignac, France ca 15,000 BP. The surprising creations left there and in many other locations were the first aesthetic global expressions of our thinking feeling ancestors. Artistic approaches tend to share common similarities and common purposes. The first artists moved and arranged monumental boulders. They drew narrative murals on cave walls and inscribed symbolic images on isolated rock formations. Those creations represent the initial presentations of this survey.

Eventually singular burials evolved into the social concept of a carefully maintained cemetery or necropolis. Some became garden-like with an abundance of ponds, trees and manicured lawns. Tombstone designs for all sites embody final statements for the living and about the dead. The wealthiest underwrote substantial expenses for grandiose statements fashioned by the best available carvers. The finest stone was essential. Stone has always been the preferred material, because of its relative permanence. Gravestone iconography offers insightful information about a person's status, level or lack of affluence, occupation, talents and/or beliefs. Cemeteries are open air museums dedicated to eternal memory. They are places frequented by people remembering relationships and honoring someone important to them. Many bring flowers, leave handwritten notes, place small stones near the grave site and offer other personal "gifts," as a means of maintaining a connection. Some stand or sit in silence, while others conduct private conversations with the deceased.

Grand cemetery avenues are lined with the magnificent edifices of the rich. Elaborate mausoleums and towering obelisks command attention. Yet, unexpected treasures, modest masterpieces and hidden surprises wait to be discovered around almost every corner. Stones dedicated to the memory of young children are especially touching. So are modest markers that portray images of family pets. Some are puzzling mysteries. One in particular was encountered during onsite research for the survey. Quite a number of unrelated cemeteries in different regions across the United States include small tombstones featuring a reclining animal (usually a lamb or dog) and a single name, "FREDDIE." The headstones date to the last half of the nineteenth century. None of the cemetery historians contacted has yet been able to offer a viable explanation as to the actual meaning. Why "FREDDIE?" There are only vague guesses.

The preservation of ancient cemeteries has remained a continuous struggle against the effects of weathering, vandalism, looting and urban development. Sky rocketing land values have encouraged the "paving over" of sacred sites. Our moral human compass appears broken. Hate crimes against humanity are perpetrated by extreme fringes of militant religious fundamentalists, who believe "we are right and everyone else is wrong." Little respect or compassion for the beliefs and traditions of others is shown. Unfortunately, [contemporary] examples [of] terrible acts of ethnocide and public monument obliteration are not the only brutal examples. History has recorded many others.

Some eastern religious/cultural death rituals shocking to westerners have been banned. One example is "Sati" (self-mortification or widow burning), which emerged circa 500 AD. In early historical eras, devoted widows of upper class warriors who died in battle performed Sati on their husband's cremation pyres. Dressed in her finest marriage robes or other finery, a grieving wife sat or lay on the funeral pyre next to her deceased husband. Some leapt into the consuming flames after they had been ignited. The woman's desperate sacrifice earned her honor and respect. The practice was outlawed by British rulers in 1829. Combinations of Sati and warrior tombstones were prominently located over parts of western India. Several featuring warriors on horseback and images of bent upward reaching arms are illustrated. Well meaning British missionaries and evangelicals in distant Great Britain urged enactment of a regulation prohibiting Sati. The 1829 law exemplifies another instance of one culture's moral imposition of its beliefs on another culture.

SACRED STONES is presented in a casual chronological order with prehistoric works generally preceding more modern examples. The creation of the most ancient stone artworks relied solely upon readily available local materials and elementary technology. What was accomplished under those circumstances is truly astonishing. As new innovations developed, sculpting techniques changed as well. Long ago, symbolic imagery was crudely scratched into resistant surfaces using primitive stone tools. More recently, specialized diamond saws were invented to enable quarry workers to remove mammoth blocks with relative ease. Sophisticated computer-guided equipment simplifies the processing of stone into any shape desired. Today refined masking and stenciling methods permit the sandblasting and/or acid etching of intricately detailed photographic images. Exotic stones that were once considered rare are now accessible from all continents of the globe. In fact, a flourishing world marketplace exists for the custom manufacture and distribution of monument commissions.

SACRED STONES is a broad sampling of the tremendous variety of sculptural forms created through thousands of years of human existence. Markers from diverse cultures are juxtaposed for comparison and contrast. They range from abstract megalithic formations to peaceable kingdom portrayals to minimalist geometric formations to extravagant Victorian expressions. Some sacred stones stand alone in an isolated wilderness area while others are integral components of a densely populated necropolis. Some are situated in manicured urban-like environments while others are slowly being reclaimed by nature. [These images provided by the many photographers from far and wide] permit you to journey through time in exploration of enduring expressions of love, respect and compassion.

Contributing Photographers to SACRED STONES: Dinny Addison, Namit Arora, Walter Ballenberger, Howard Banwell, Brad Barlage, Jeremy Barnes, Jeffrey Barth, Andrys Basten, Robert Beifan, Todd Bolen, Mary Ann Campbell, Sandy Carter, Andy Carvin, Michael Connealy, George Currie, Mylene D'Auriol, George DeLange, Larry D. DeRolf, Otto De Voogd, Dwain Diehl, Lesley Dimmock, Thomas Donaldson, Kenneth Fadeley, Kevin Fisher, Adrian Fletcher, FotoAleph, Michael Fox, Ed Gaither, Steve Gall, Bernie Gates, Raymond Gilbert, Dan Bittinger, Leslie Gray, Philip Greenspun, Lynne Guitar, Brian Hargis, Loy Harrell, Nancy Hendrickson, John S. Henville, Charlene Ann Hillier, Hilary Hitchcock, Aspen Hochhalter, John W. Hoopes, Mark Hoschek, Iran Traveling Center, Lyndon Irwin, Laura James, Marla Jones, Gene Kangas, Sanda Kaufman, Boris Kester, Pedram Khosronejad, Victor Korchenko, Hege Myrlund Larsen, Ron Lutz, Adrian L. Melott, Ian Middleton, Vyacheslav Mizin, Myriam Montaudie, Frank Morelli, Mark Moxon, Henning Mühlinghaus, Jyri Näränen, Dudley Parkinson, Jacek Piwowarczyk, Michael Preyer, Ray Rasmussen, Jacob Reeves, Samantha Reeves, Dr. Ron Reminick, Jim Richter, Karen Rodenbaugh, Katherine Savery, Jeffrey Leigh Sedgwick, JoLynn Mangum Self, Moti Shem Tov, Brook Silva-Braga, Alastair Smith, John Stampfl, Q. Trung, U.S. Library of Congress, Juliette Van Krieken-Pieters, Gary Van Loon, Ignazio Viaggiare, Jason Wall, Alexandra Whitelock, James M. Wierzba, Wikipedia, and Darko Zubrinic.

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