The study of the artifacts that are a part of the Native American heritage in the United States resulted in many publications with line drawings as well as photographs of the symbols used by ancient as well as modern Native Americans. Some of the symbols are a parts of messages from petroglyphs expressing religious belief about God and the spirits of the universe. Other symbols are on pottery, shells, or copper work. The few examples here represent the universality of the sun as the symbol of giving life or destruction. Drought and the unrelenting sun spelled hardship, while the sun and seasonal rain meant good crops and life. There are petroglyphs that portray not only the sun but other celestial bodies as well. We know from the earliest exploration of the New World by modern Europeans in the 1500's that some Native Americans worshipped the sun or appealed to the spirits to bring good crops through animal and vegetable sacrifices. What may have began as a recognition of the importance of the sun devolved into anthropomorphic symbols that then became idols and the objects of worship.