Bear Panel
The Bear Panel, located high up on the cliff face, is the clearest example of Ute rock imagery at McConkie Ranch. The panel includes two figures facing each other: an anthropomorph and a zoomorph that clearly resembles a bear. This anthropomorph is unlike the trapezoidal figures of the Classic Vernal Style and is similar to human figures at other rock imagery sites in the Uinta Basin that were created by Ute people and date to the period after they were moved to the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation. The bear is a very important animal for the Ute, and bear figures are common in Ute rock imagery. The Bear Dance, held every spring, is one of the most important events of the year for members of the Ute Tribe.
“The Bear is called ‘father,’ so some people and some bands believe that they may have come from the Bear. They look at him as their father. That's why they built their ceremonies around him.
I suppose it was this way a long time ago, that's when it happened. And in order to communicate with the Bear, they put the paw prints on the rock, because they are talking to the Bear.”
-Clifford Duncan, Ute elder and historian
The Bear Panel also includes a Fremont trapezoidal anthropomorph to the right.
