A History Inscribed On Trees Tree carvings made by Basque sheepherders reveal a little-known slice of American history.
Boise State Arborglyph project.
By David Malakoff
A series of inscriptions is seen on this dendroglyph in Idaho.
american archaeology
On the edge of a remote alpine meadow high in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, letters carved into the snow-white bark of an aspen tree offer an unexpected greeting:“KAIXO.”Those who understand Euskara, the language of the Basque people of Europe, know the word means “hello.” It’s not the only such message: On tens of thousands of trees across the American West, Basque men who came to the United States to work as sheepherders in the 19th and 20th centuries carved messages, pictures, and even poetry into tree bark, creating a living record of their presence.
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