All Kinds of Rocks, Fossils

Indian Arrowhead

India-asean Fta: Implications for India’s Northeast

Introduction

India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)[i] have concluded negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) after years of difficult negotiations. This agreement will be signed into a treaty at the India-ASEAN Summit to be held in Bangkok on December 2008 and will come into force from January 1, 2009 if everything goes as planned.

Expectations from the India-ASEAN FTA are high. The Joint Media Statement of the Sixth ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM)-India Consultations stated that “the AIFTA could be a major avenue in harnessing the region’s vast economic potentials towards sustained progress and improved welfare not only for ASEAN and India but for the greater East Asian region as well.”[ii]

The India-ASEAN FTA is the result of many international and domestic factors. On one hand, the trend of international regionalisation and the proliferation of FTAs and the failure of the Doha round of multilateral talks to yield concrete results led both India and the ASEAN countries to consider alternative solutions towards freer trade. On the other, the adoption of policies by India and ASEAN to develop better cooperation with their immediate neighbours in recent years has helped accelerate this negotiation.

In this context, India’s Northeast came to be seen in a new light. Several steps have been taken to improve relations with India’s immediate neighbour Myanmar. India has also trade relations with Thailand and Singapore. India and Myanmar shared a 1643 km long border. Myanmar being a member of ASEAN, the north eastern states of India become an important link between the two parties.

This paper is an attempt to analyse what forebode India and its Northeast states in the light of the much-hyped India-ASEAN FTA. It will start by looking into the relationship between India and ASEAN and culminate with the present agreement. After that, the paper will analyse the implications the AIFTA can have on the north eastern states of India. It will, however, not delve into the security-insurgency dimension that has almost become an anthem for most writers on north eastern India except in giving some passing remarks. It will, instead, try to highlight the many projects, plans and proposals that has been undertaken in the north east during the past few years and explore possible opportunities, problems and solutions for this region and for the FTA.

 

India and ASEAN: Shared ties, divergent policies and convergence?

Although India and ASEAN countries have shared cultural and historical ties, India’s interactions with ASEAN countries was quite limited during the Cold War as the two pursued policies which were not very conducive to deep rooted interactions and commitments to each other. Soon after the end of the Second World War, India championed the process of decolonisation and drew recognition and appreciation from different parts of the world. It became one of the founding members of the Nonaligned Movement (NAM). Even though Indonesia was also a member of NAM alongside India, this relationship did not extend beyond that.

The arrival of bipolar politics in Southeast Asia, the Vietnam crisis and India’s close ties with the Soviet Union led to the adoption of divergent policies by both India and ASEAN. ASEAN was formed in 1967 during the Vietnam War primarily to diffuse regional conflicts and to promote better relations between members. Communist victories in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia soon worsened the already fragile security situation of Southeast Asia. Thus by 1976, ASEAN was forced to contemplate to become an association with security as its main concern. The reunification of Vietnam and the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia created another security dilemma. While ASEAN chastised Vietnam, India supported Vietnam. ASEAN’s suspicions of the Soviet Union and the paranoia it had with anything communist led many, including India, to regard ASEAN as allies of the capitalists or a pro-American bloc. Suspicion was so high during this time that India refused to hold dialogues with ASEAN twice in 1975 and 1980.

But with the end of the Cold War, interactions between India and ASEAN became more frequent; and relations between the two began to improve at a very fast pace. Following the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, India began to adopt liberalisation policies. Meanwhile, ASEAN had also emerged as an important regional organisation with great potentials and opportunities for growth. The transformation of the international system and new outlooks led to the adoption of the Look East Policy by India. When India initiated its Look East Policy in 1991, it marked a strategic shift in its foreign policy and perceptions towards its eastern neighbours. ASEAN’s strategic importance in the larger Asia-Pacific region and the potentials it has in becoming India’s major partner in trade and investment also added an impetus to India to develop closer ties with it. In addition, considering that the proposed South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) is unlikely to produce any solid outcome, this policy shift and agreement on the part of India is as strategic as it is important. The Indian Prime Mister Manmohan Singh commented thus, “This was not merely an external economic policy; it was also a strategic shift in India’s vision of the world and India’s place in the evolving global economy. Most of all it was about reaching out to our civilizational neighbours in the region.”[iii]

In continuance of India’s Look East Policy, the process of interregional cooperation was institutionalised with India becoming a sectoral dialogue partner of ASEAN in 1992; a full dialogue partner in 1995 and member of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in 1996. India became a summit-level partner of ASEAN in 2002 and concluded the ASEAN-India Partnership for Peace, Progress and Shared Prosperity in 2004. India also became engaged in regional initiatives such as the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). India has now become a member of the East Asia Summit (EAS) since December 2005.

The deepening of relationship between India and ASEAN is reflected in the buoyancy of trade figures between the two. During April-September 2007-2008, trade grew from US$ 15.06 billion to US$ 17.02 billion, that is, trade grew by 13 per cent. India’s Foreign Trade with ASEAN, according to the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS), is also on the rise. During the period 2005-2006 to 2006-2007, India’s exports to ASEAN registered a growth rate of 20.67 per cent. Similarly, India’s imports from ASEAN during the same period registered a growth rate of 66 per cent. India-ASEAN trade stood at US$ 38.37 billion in 2007-2008 and is projected to reach US$ 48 billion during 2008-2009.[iv]

At the first India-ASEAN Summit held at Phnom Penh on November 5, 2001, India called for an India-ASEAN FTA within a 10-year time frame. In this context, the second India-ASEAN Summit held at Bali on October 8, 2003 was a significant landmark in India-ASEAN relations. This Summit saw the signing of the Framework Agreement for Comprehensive Economic Cooperation between India and ASEAN. This agreement envisaged the establishment of an FTA within a period of ten years. In March 2004, an ASEAN-India Trade Negotiations Committee (AI-TNC) was established to negotiate the implementation of the provisions of the Framework Agreement. India has, since then, entered into numerous agreements with ASEAN. At the sixth India-ASEAN Summit held at Singapore on November last year, India proposed to increase its bilateral trade with ASEAN to the tune of US$ 50 billion by the year 2010. The latest agreement is therefore, the result of many years of tactful policies that led to the thawing of the ice between these two important emerging economic powers in Asia.

In addition to these agreements with ASEAN, India has also made consistent efforts to develop bilateral ties with ASEAN members. With Thailand, India has 61 years of diplomatic relations. India also has a Free Trade Agreement with Thailand that was signed in 2004. The framework agreement on bilateral FTA of 2003 was the basis of this FTA with Thailand. Trade between the two increased from a mere US$ 606 million to US$ 3.14 billion in 2006-2007.

With the CLV countries (Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam), India entered into a number of bilateral agreements for cooperation in the fields of trade, science and technology , agriculture, defence, visa exemption, tourism, IT and culture. India has major projects in the fields of education, entrepreneurship development and IT in these three countries. In 2004, India extended a credit line of US$ 27 million to Vietnam.

Malaysia is a major source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) for India, particularly in the areas of LPG, power plants and highway constructions. Trade between the two rose from US$ 2.2 billion in 2002-2003 to US$ 6.6 billion in 2006-2007. Indian public sector undertakings such as BHEL and IRCON have also undertaken and completed a number of projects in Malaysia. Presently, after the India-ASEAN FTA negotiations, it is reported that about 150 Indian engineering firms are eying to diversify their export base in ASEAN markets and are planning to make Malaysia the regional hub to penetrate the region.[v] Many of these companies are exploring the possibilities of joint ventures, technology transfers and investment opportunities.

It was mainly because of the insistence of Indonesia that India became a part of the East Asia Summit in 2005. Relations between the two had been very good for many years. Bilateral trade between the two increased by 44 per cent from 2005-2006 to 2006-2007.

India has a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) with Singapore since 2005. This agreement included bilateral investment promotion treaty, double taxation avoidance agreement, an air services agreement and an FTA. Singapore, along with Indonesia had been an important factor for India’s inclusion into the East Asian Summit. In addition, it was Singapore’s role that paved the way for India’s association with the ARF. Singapore is the biggest source of FDI for India among ASEAN countries. During the period 2000 to 2008, the cumulative FDI of Singapore into India was worth a whooping US$ 4.35 billion. Concurrently, over two thousand Indian companies were based in Singapore.

India also has plans for a free trade area with Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia by 2011 and with the remaining ASEAN countries by 2016. Since 1995, India had actively engaged Myanmar in trade. It has signed several agreements and MOUs including the Tripartite Maritime Agreement with Myanmar and Thailand, Border Trade Agreement and for cooperation between civilian authorities between India and Myanmar. Since 2000, a number of high level visits have taken place. During these visits, several agreements and MOUs have been signed in areas ranging from hydroelectric projects on the Chindwin River and IT cooperation to cultural exchange programmes. In the year 2003 alone, seven Agreements/MOUs were signed to promote trade and communication facilities. By 2006-2007, bilateral trade between India and Myanmar reached US$ 650 million as compared to US$ 341.40 million in 2004-2005.

 

India-ASEAN FTA, Look East Policy and the Northeast

The announcement came after the conclusion of the 6th ASEAN AEM – India Consultations held at Singapore on 28 August 2008. The text of the India-ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement will be finalised before the India-ASEAN Summit to be held in December 2008 at Bangkok where it will be formally signed into a treaty and will come into force from January 1, 2009. This Summit will be attended by the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

This agreement, it is expected, will bring a free trade regime to about two billion people from 11 countries with a combined GDP of $2,381 billion as of 2007. The agreement covering billions of dollars in trade in goods but not in services was supposed to have been concluded last year but talks were bogged down because of differences over products that India wanted excluded from tariff cuts. India had submitted a list of 1,414 products but ASEAN’s target was only 400. In the end, the agreement permits India to have 489 products in the ‘exclusion list’ and 606 sensitive goods that will come under partial duty reductions.

This agreement is to be viewed against the backdrop of the long drawn-out Doha round of multilateral talks. As the Doha talks continue to drag on, this agreement between India and ASEAN can be seen as a natural course of action for countries refusing to entangle themselves in the protracted Doha round of talks. This agreement, along with the comprehensive FTA between ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand (AANZ FTA), became the first major trade agreement in the post-Doha era of trade policy negotiations.

The India-ASEAN FTA is also the result of recent changes in ASEAN’s policy towards its immediate neighbours and other important trading partners all over the world. In recent years, ASEAN has been involved with its major trading partners in concluding FTAs. In 1999, the ASEAN+3[vi] was formed for the establishment of a common market and a currency. China was the first to conclude an FTA with ASEAN followed by Japan and South Korea. The present FTA between India and ASEAN, and the AANZ FTA completes this trend. ASEAN will now be able to strike a fine balance in trade among its immediate neighbours.

The India-ASEAN FTA also needs to be viewed in the broader context of global trends towards regional or bilateral trading arrangements (RTAs/FTAs). Out of the 108 RTAs notified to the General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) over the period 1948-1994, 33 of them had been established in the early 1990s. By the year 2000, almost half of the 220 RTAs notified to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) are initiated after the Cold War. Such is the importance accorded to RTAs or FTAs in recent times that no country can ill afford to ignore it. Till July 2007, some 380 RTAs have been notified to the WTO.[vii]

For India, this agreement will be a major milestone in its Look East Policy that began after the collapse of the erstwhile Soviet Union. The current agreement will take India far beyond its existing trade agreements with Myanmar, Thailand and Singapore.

It is in these contexts that India’s Northeast came to be seen in a new light. Rajiv Sikri, the Secretary East of the Ministry of External Affairs remarked that the Look East Policy “envisages the Northeast region not as the periphery of India, but as the centre of a thriving and integrated economic space linking two dynamic regions with a network of highways, railways, pipelines, transmission lines crisscrossing the region.”[viii]

Myanmar, now being a member of ASEAN and having shared a 1643 km long border with India, is now becoming the major link between India and ASEAN countries. The Northeast states of India have now also been seen as the ‘gateway’ to the ASEAN countries.

One early outcome of the Look East policy was the Indo-Myanmar Trade Agreement signed in 1994. According to this agreement, border trade between the two is to be conducted through Moreh in India and Tamu in Myanmar; Champhai in India and Hri in Myanmar and other places that may be notified by mutual agreement. Several Indian companies are also engaged in oil and gas exploration in Myanmar.

In 2001, India upgraded the 160 km long Tamu-Kalewa-Kalemyo highway. Plans for a 1400 km long trans-Asian highway that will connect India, Myanmar and Thailand is now being finalised. A railway link that will extend up to Imphal in Manipur in the first phase and up to Myanmar in the second phase is also being planned. Bilateral trade between India and Myanmar has also been expanding at a significant rate since 2001. India has extended a number of general and project-specific credit lines in the last few years. Some major projects between the two, besides the ones already mentioned include the Rhi-Tiddim and Rhi-Falam Roads in Myanmar, the Kaladan Multimodal Transport Project and the Tamanthi Hydro Electric Power Project.

The Kaladan Multimodal Transit-cum-Transport project agreement was signed in April this year. Jairam Ramesh, the Minister of State for Commerce said that the Rs. 548 Crore project will help increase connectivity between the two countries. This project will link Kolkata and Sittwe, Kaleutwa in Myanmar by road and would go through Mizoram in India. It also envisages the development of a 225 km waterway on the Kaladan River and the construction of ports along the way. The minister said that north eastern India will be able to boost its border trade with Myanmar. We will also consider opening up of trading points in Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. At present, we have only one trading point at Moreh in Manipur. This project will also help India to effectively integrate with the ASEAN region through Myanmar.[ix] Plans to allow free movement of Myanmarese citizens up to Moreh town in Manipur is also afoot. The Manipur Government has also submitted a Rs. 200 Crore project proposal to the Central Government to develop infrastructure at Moreh.

In 2006, a proposal for a bus service between Imphal and Mandalay was considered and accepted by the Indian Government. But till now, no such service has been undertaken. But during the September 2008 visit of a 17-member trade delegation from Myanmar at Imphal, the Myanmar trade delegation expressed their desire to implement the proposed Imphal-Mandalay bus service definitely. This visit was a reciprocal visit after a trade delegation from Manipur visited Mandalay during the month of April 2008. After holding a series of meetings, both the sides agreed to put pressure on their respective governments to improve the existing border trade between India and Myanmar.

Earlier in April 2008, after the visit of a strong Myanmar official and business delegation to India, both the two countries had agreed to increase border trade that is restricted to only 22 items, all being agricultural products. There are now plans to free more items including life saving drugs, fertilizers, garments, x-ray papers and motor parts.

The latest agreement signed between India and Myanmar is the four-point economic cooperation agreement signed in June this year. This agreement was signed by the Indian Minister for Commerce and Power Jairam Ramesh and the Myanmar Minister for National Planning and Economic Development U Soe Tha. First, the Bilateral Investment Promotion Agreement (BIPA) was signed to encourage investment between the two countries. Second, a credit line agreement between the Exim Bank of India and the Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank was signed to finance three 290 kv transmission lines in Myanmar. This US$ 64 million project will be executed by the Power Grid Corporation of India. Third, a credit line agreement for US$ 20 million between the Exim Bank of India and the Myanmar Trade Bank was signed to finance the establishment of an aluminium conductor steel reinforced wire manufacturing facility. This facility will be used for the expansion of power distribution network in Myanmar. Fourth, the United Bank of India (UBI) and the Myanmar Economic Bank signed an agreement to encourage border trade through Moreh. There are also plans to expand trade centres to include Arangkhu and Lungwa in Nagaland, Zokhawthar in Mizoram, Pangsan Pass in Arunachal Pradesh and Behiang, Skip and Tusom in Manipur.[x]

At present, only Moreh border trade centre in Manipur is functional with other centres becoming non-functional.

Till now, results are far below expectations, especially for the Northeast. In practice, the agreements between India and Myanmar do not extend much beyond granting formal sanctions to the already existing exchanges between the local people. In effect, border trade remains insignificant and did not contribute much towards economic growth for neither country. Among the many problems faced by both countries, security concerns and the poorly developed infrastructure for trade are the most acute. For trade and commerce to flourish, the entire network of transport and communication, industries and agriculture throughout the Northeast also needs to be revamped and developed. Unless this is done, the much touted India-ASEAN FTA will be just another statistics in the minds of a very few researchers, academicians, scholars and administrators in Northeast India.

An important point to note is that although trade performance has improved with India’s eastern neighbours, many of these exchanges had been done through seaports, leaving the northeast states in the lurch. If the northeast is to benefit from any improved trade relations or any present or future FTAs, the numerous plans and proposals that has been put forth and are in paper only must be implemented and brought to fruition first. The very few roles that the northeast states are playing right now should also be promoted to a more central role so that the north east states could reap the fruits of its own fields.

In a nutshell, Northeast India, a storehouse of great natural resources but very backward economically, needs to be built up and readied if it is really going to be the ‘gateway’ or ‘centre’ of trade between India and East Asia. Unless the region is developed to catch up with the rest of the country in its growth rate and development, it will be hard to achieve what the people aspired for – peace, security, prosperity and all round development. To make this possible, substantial investment in infrastructure, construction of roads, bridges, communication networks, harnessing of the region’s vast natural resources and other physical infrastructures that will facilitate trade and economic progress needs to be developed.

With the impending AIFTA, India’s Northeast region has suddenly become the centre of focus once again. But this region has been lacking behind other Indian states in most respects in spite of its vast natural resources and strategic position as a link between India and Southeast and East Asian countries. The main reasons why this region remains backward are the lack of any infrastructure that could facilitate any development in the region, poor market access and, to some degree, security issues.

The Indian government also concedes that the Northeast has a long way to go to achieve the national growth rate of nearly 9 per cent. The growth rate of Northeast is only 4 per cent. To increase the growth rate and economy of this region will be an important step because herein lies many solutions to some pressing political and security problems.

Therefore, in the context of the present FTA, the author is of the opinion that unless the Northeast region is developed wholeheartedly, neither India nor ASEAN will really benefit from it.

Concluding Remarks

Lately, there has been a flurry of activities that are of great importance to the north east states with some conscious efforts being made to develop this region. The Union Minister for the Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Mani Shankar Aiyar said that the Centre is aiming to promote the region as a major FDI destination and an export centre. The minister added that these are all attempts to make the region the arrowhead of India’s future economic growth. On July 2, 2008, the Indian PM released the North Eastern Region Vision 2020 document which contained detailed reports for the development of the north eastern region. The PM gave his assurances that the visions contained within this document will be made a reality. To quote him extensively, he said, “Infrastructure deficiency remains a major concern of the Government. You will be happy to know that we have decided to link all State Capitals with railway lines. These projects have been given the status of National Projects with a special funding pattern. Airports are being modernized and new ones are being built. An ambitious programme of road building has been taken up under the Special Accelerated Road Development Programme for the North East (SARDP-NE) and an amount of Rs. 31,000 Crore is being invested on roads in the 11th Five Year Plan. There are relaxed guidelines for rural roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) so that even the farthest hamlets on the border are linked by road. Within the 11th Plan period, these interventions will begin to show positive results. To bridge the infrastructure gap in the region, our Government has taken several initiatives. Work on the Tipaimukh and Loktak Downstream Hydro Electric Projects, costing about Rs.6,000 crores and Rs. 800 crores respectively, has been expedited. The 726 MW Palatana Gas based Power Plant, with an outlay of Rs.3,000 crores, a 750 MW Thermal Power Plant at Bongaigaon with an outlay of Rs. 4375 crores, and the Assam Gas Cracker Project have all broken ground. The Kumarghat-Agartala railway line has been approved as a National project, with an outlay of Rs. 750 Crores. The Jiribam–Tupu-Imphal railway line, which will put the Manipur valley on the rail map of India, has also been sanctioned as a National project for Rs. 727 Crores.”[xi]

On September 12, 2008, Lt. General ML Naidu visited Imphal and discussed with the Manipur Chief Minister issues pertaining to security, law and order situation in Manipur. It is still not clear if this visit has any significance in the context of our current discussions, but is certainly significant if we take into account the timing of the visit and the rank of the visitor.

 

End Notes

[i] ASEAN was formed in 1967. Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines constituted the five original members. Brunei became a full member in 1984; Vietnam in 1995; Laos and Myanmar in 1997; and Cambodia in 1999.

[ii] http://www.aseansec.org/21895.htm

[iii] Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's address at the 16th Asian Corporate Conference driving global business : India's new priorities, Asia’s new realities. URL: http://www.indianembassy.org/newsite/press_release/2006/Mar/35.asp

[iv] India’s trade statistics and other commercial information can be had from the DGCIS website at http://www.dgciskol.nic.in/

[v] http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news_business.php?id=351756

[vi] ASEAN+3 include ASEAN, China, Japan and South Korea.

[vii] http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/region_e/region_e.htm

[viii] http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050412/asp/opinion/story_4590622.asp also see http://meaindia.nic.in/speech/2005/05/31ss02.htm

[ix] http://www.financialexpress.com/news/India-Myanmar-expects-Kaladan-project-to-increase-border-trade/292285/

[x] See http://commerce.nic.in/PressRelease/pressrelease_detail.asp?id=2280

[xi] http://pmindia.gov.in/speech/content.asp?id=693

About the Author

The author has a Ph. D. in International Politics from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
His areas of interest are Southeast Asia, Southern Africa and Latin America and writes mainly on the politics of regional integration in these areas. He also writes on issues pertaining to South Asia, particularly on India's Northeast.

Daniel Boone, James Harrod and the legend of John Swift's Silver Mines

            Daniel Boone, John Filson and James Harrod were all great pioneers in the early settlement and establishment of Kentucky.  An old legend claims men under the leadership of Captain John Swift were mining silver ore in this wilderness during the mid 1700's. Boone and the others were in the same region during the very same time but they never mentioned the legend. The current historical accounts are favorable to Boone but have little regard for John Finley. This was an unfortunate omission. While the silver mines have never been discovered there is no proof they don't exist.

                                   

                               Book excerpt from new novel Swift by Ed Henson

                                                    The First Clue

 

            The summer the air was hot and stagnant. And without a breeze, the humidity was so high every breath was like drinking. This had been one of the hottest summers on record. Why Will Morrow picked this day to hike up the rocky slope of the mountain remained a mystery to his companion, Jennifer. Yet, trudging up the steep mountain trail offered a new adventure. The climb, nearly too much even for Will, prompted him to wonder about Jennifer. He reached the bottom of the massive cliff and perched himself atop a large boulder to rest and wait until she, perhaps a hundred yards behind him, made her way up the difficult climb.

            "We're at the base of the cliff, so the tough part is just ahead," Will teased as she huffed the last few paces towards his resting place. Jennifer offered no comment, precisely because she was using every available sticky breath to take in oxygen to sustain her arduous climb. Will studied Jennifer from his seat as she walked the winding path to meet him. Her auburn hair flowed regally against the luscious green forest covering the mountain slope, and her deep blue eyes provided such striking contrast that had always captivated Will. He thought her to be among the more beautiful women he'd ever seen at the bar where he worked. Jennifer never considered herself pretty. She never really meditated on her physical appearance much at all. Jennifer's pride was her independence, which made her all the more attractive to Will. She stood toe-to-toe with Will, or anyone else, when discussing nearly any subject. A voracious reader, she loved to learn about anything scholarly, being more prone to peruse the non-fiction aisles of the library over the New York Time's Bestsellers selection.

            "My God, Will, we're going to have a heat stroke," Jennifer complained as she arrived at Will's resting spot, a little red in the face and dripping with sweat. She dropped to the ground, amid the dried leaves and pine needles, on the opposite side of the trail from the boulder.

            "Here, have some water and cool down a bit," Will said as he handed Jennifer a bottle of water from his pack. 

            Jennifer more than welcomed the rest from her difficult climb of Pilot Knob.  Though famous in the region, no one recalled for sure how the mountain had gotten its name. It was the last great peak on the western edge of theCumberland Plateau, which covered the eastern third ofKentucky, and the grand geologic feature marked the end of the rugged terrain ofEastern Kentucky,VirginiaandWest Virginia. Here the highlands suddenly ended and gave way to the much more benign bluegrass region ofKentucky. The view from Pilot Knob was spectacular, and held the unique distinction of being the point at which Daniel Boone, noted pioneer, had first observed the impressive "levels" of Kentucky's landscape.

            The smells of the deep, rich woodlands had now given way to the fresh scent of the smallVirginiapines growing in abundance on the cliff tops. Will had learned many of the indigenous tree species and identified them along the way. He always enjoyed trying to name them during his many trips into the woods. This trail was well defined and obviously used by the many hikers who made their way each year to the top of the famous knob. Although a little winded, he still maintained enough stamina to make such climbs, and quite often would go on weekend explorations around the region. As a boy, he loved to hunt for Indian relics and pretend he had found the most priceless of treasures.  As he grew in years, he continued his hunting forays, minus the imagined treasure, and one of his greatest pastimes was to walk freshly plowed fields each spring searching for arrowheads. He used to find lots of broken flint pieces, pottery shards and on the lucky occasion, bone tools. Nowadays, the law had changed to protect artifacts from being removed from their original environment and Will, having fostered a certain respect for the history such artifacts provided, abided by those laws.

            Will Morrow, 26 Years Old, stood tall and strikingly clean cut with dark brown hair and eyes to match. Trim and fit, he looked the part of the dashing adventurer, and his love for the outdoors left him with a perpetual tan. Having never developed much of an interest for golf and other "modern-men" activities, he preferred to spend his free time fishing and exploring off-beat trails around the region (no doubt a result of his relic hunting days.) Time for these simple joys had lost ground to the demanding responsibilities of life, making this particular trip more fervent.

Will worked as a bartender at the Brick Yard, a popular bar and night spot in downtownFrankfortand the hours had turned him into a bigger night owl than he would have liked.  Being a bartender hadn't been part of his original plan. He had started college ripe with sincerity and on track to study Geology, but had dropped out his second year when both parents became ill. His older sister had married a rancher and moved out toWyomingand was unwilling to shift her new life back home to care for their sick parents. They agreed Will would be the caregiver since he still lived at home. Over the course of several years, his parents' health continued to decline until each died within the same year. He had intended to return to school someday and get his degree but his interest had waned over time. Will attributed his temporary educational disinterest to the stress of these events and had every intention of finishing his education. With both parents gone, the family farm and a substantial inheritance belonged to him and his sister; and since she had no desire to return toKentucky, the farm passed to Will. Working outdoors and maintaining the farm suited his disposition, and he found solace taking care of his parent's horses, dogs and assorted chickens. After taking control over the farm he had assumed a variety of jobs, all of which postponed his schooling. But tending the bar at the Brick Yard seemed liked a good fit. Bartending meant odd hours and long nights, but it was more than balanced by the tips which provided a means for Will to pursue his daytime hobbies. Most days, he was content just to mind the farm, and make a little time for his girlfriend. Jennifer Morgan, his latest love interest, recruited him as her guide this hot Saturday in August. 

            Will had been to Pilot Knob before and agreed to take Jennifer to the top of the landmark so that she could take scenic photographs of theBluegrassto the west. She frequently sold her pictures to local interest magazines and newspapers. Jennifer, a beautiful 24 year old, had completed college and graduated from theUniversityofKentuckywith a major in journalism. Although a good writer, she positively loved photography. It had become her passion, and she never went anywhere without her camera. She excelled at her crafts, and consistently won top honors at the Kentucky State Fair for her lush landscapes as well as the Hearst Award for journalistic excellence. She specialized in landscapes and scenic vacation spots and she had always wanted to go to the top of Pilot Knob and take photos of the area in hopes of selling them to a nature or tourist magazine.

            "Are we ever going to reach the top?" Jennifer whined as she reached the small rock overhang at the base of the main cliff towering above them. This particular cliff was massive, made of trillions of grains of sand and quartz pebbles cemented together by iron ore and other minerals in a concrete concoction of nature. Will moved off the well-defined trail to find a rock bench.

            "We're nearly there. Just got to get to the top of this cliff."

            "How much farther?"  

            "Tell you what, let's walk along this ledge for a ways and see if we can find us a gentler climb to the top if you're tired," Will suggested. He figured the statement would fire her up and she would refuse, allowing them to take the straight-on-up direct route and get to the top quicker. She surprised him this time.  

            "Okay by me, let's do it." 

            For the next few minutes the two hikers eased along the ledge following the base of the cliff looming above them. It was not pleasant going, climbing over boulders and negotiating thickets of Mountain Laurel clinging to the rocks and meager soil. The laurel bushes with their small spoon shaped leaves filled in every nook and cranny of the hillside; and in the summer there was always the danger of rattlesnakes around these dry cliff areas. Will navigated the underbrush and disappeared around a corner.

            "Look at this!" Will yelled out.

            "Look at what? What is it?"

            "A tiny hole in the cliff." 

            "Well, so it is!" Jennifer exclaimed after she came around the point of the rocky mountain ledge. 

            "A tiny natural arch! I guess wind and water keep carving away at this soft sandstone rock and these strange formations happen," Will conjectured.

            "I am going to take some pictures," Jennifer said, already hunching down to find the best angle in relation to the afternoon sunlight beating down on the them and the cliff.

            "I've been here on this knob more than once but never aware of this formation up here," Will admitted. "Well, I've never actually been around this way before on this side of the mountain. Just goes to prove there is always something to be found."

            While Jennifer took several photographs of the unique rock structure Will continued exploring further and discovered a rather prominent overhanging ledge past the arch formation. The massive cliff above them jutted out to form a roof like structure often referred to as a rock shelter.

            "Nice rock shelter," Jennifer said as she arrived.

            "Sure is," Will said, secretly impressed she knew the correct terminology. "I've never bothered to come around this way before and check this area out."

            The rock shelter was in two levels and contained obvious signs of campfires being built here on more than one occasion. Numerous boulders lay strewn about on the floor. Some large, some small and each presumably dislodged from the main rock formation many years ago. Will imagined violent earthquakes shaking so hard the boulders simply fell away from the cliff. The floor of the rock shelter was sandy with bits of charcoal scattered about. In one or two places, heavier concentrations of charcoal indicated places large fires were burned. On the softest part of a rock wall, near the edge of the shelter, the carved names of previous visitors to the site glared out like a garish visitor's registry.

            "Hey, smile a little and face at me," Jennifer surprised Will and snapped a shot. "Got to at least record this accomplishment." 

            "What say we eat lunch? It's nearly2:00 o'clockand I'm hungry," Will grumbled.

            "This is as a good spot as any, right here under this cool ledge." Jennifer said. The two settled down to rest in the breeze beneath the overhang, using a large boulder as an improvised table to lay out their assortment of high energy trail food. Nothing fancy, just granola bars, raisins and some water comprised the meal rations. "This would be a nice place to bring a real picnic," Jennifer suggested.

            "Depends on how much food you plan on packing up this mountain!" Will joked.

Satisfied they began to explore around the rock overhang kicking around the sand and dirt hoping to find a hidden treasure but knowing years of use by local teens, hikers and tourists guaranteed they'd find nothing.  

            "Take my picture." Jennifer handed the camera to Will and showed him what button to push and scrambled up next to the cliff to pose. "Okay, I'm ready," she said as she backed up against the rock wall. "Go ahead. Look through the viewfinder and make sure I am in the right lower quarter of the picture. Hold your breath, and push that button I showed you, okay?"

            "Okay, let's see here. Okay, I see you good, good. Here goes," Will said, dramatically demonstrating he was holding his breath.

            "Uhhhhm… I think you closed your eyes and I'm not sure I framed it right. Let me try again, just in case."

            "Oh, so you're an expert now are you, Mr. Morrow?" 

            Ignoring Jennifer's sarcasm Will very intently held the camera still and peered at Jennifer through the view finder.

            "What the hell?"

            "What?" Jennifer yelled. "Something wrong with the camera?"

            "Behind you, on the rock wall, I see something." Will gently dropped the camera to his side holding it with one hand and stared intently at the rock cliff behind Jennifer.  Jennifer had already turned, following Will's gaze to the rock cliff behind her.

            "What is that, some kind of marking?" Jennifer asked.

            "It sure does look like something's carved on the rock," Will exclaimed, getting excited. The way the light hit the back of the rock shelter, it highlighted the lichen covering the carved markings, making them visible. The peculiar angle at which Will had positioned himself relative to the rock caused a slight shadow appear over the surface of the back of the rock shelter.

            "That is the damnedest thing. I'm sure something is carved in the rock." Will passed the camera to Jennifer and moved immediately to the rock wall for a closer examination of the strange markings. The lines, symbols and other crude carvings resembled nothing like he'd ever seen, though they inexplicably reminded him of turkey track shapes. Will rubbed his hands over the strange markings, tracing them, gently feeling the stone surface trying to make sense of the unusual discovery.

            "I'm going to set my tripod up and take a detailed picture," Jennifer yelled over her shoulder. She headed back at the lunch rock to unpack her equipment. The simple grooved markings appeared to be gouged in the rock. The longest and deepest, a straight line, started at a slight angle from about six feet high on the wall sloping down to the left, almost to the ground. About midway and to the right side of the line a second line intersected the first near the top. This line ran almost vertically to the ground creating an off-kilter triangle. To the left of this intersecting line one of the markings reminded Will of a turkey, or other bird-like track. The other markings, which resembled x's, circles and more anonymous bird tracks, fell inside the triangle portion of the drawing,"

            "You know, this sort of looks like a map," Jennifer mused. 

            "Could be…although I've never heard of any such thing around here. You know what it might be?  Maybe it's an Indian carving of some sort. Heck, this might even have been a burial or camp site," Will continued. He had become familiar with some of the petroglyphs left long ago by the prehistoric people who hunted and lived in this region. These markings appeared completely unfamiliar, though. After a while of scratching around in the dry sand, no signs of Indian habitation appeared and they moved on to even higher ground for better angles for Jennifer's photos.

            Jennifer took some magnificent photographs from the top of Pilot Knob. Being especially excited about taking a shot southward of the escarpment where it meets the Bluegrass Region, she hoped this might be another picture that would end up published. On the way home that evening Will and Jennifer pondered the day and the strange carvings they discovered on the rock.  

            "This might be something worth checking into," commented Jennifer.

            "Oh, I don't know.  Probably some prank…kids goofing off.  Local kids play up around those rocks, I'd bet," Will thought out loud.

            "Are you kidding? Kids these days don't get fifty feet away from a computer or a video game. I'd bet this is something real. Real or not, I'll bet it's old."

"Still, I don't know what the thing means. Really, it doesn't make much sense. I've never heard of Indian rock carvings on this scale." Will thought about his buddy, Ray Deevers, a self taught expert in the rock carvings, folklore and history of the region.

"I know someone who might have a thought about this or have some information. His name's Ray Deevers.  He might be able to tell us something about this. I'll give him a call tonight," Will added.

            "I'll have the pictures ready for you tomorrow. I'll print them out tonight and drop them off at Brick Yard tomorrow afternoon, okay?" Jennifer offered.

            "Great!" 

            As soon as Jennifer gathered up her equipment and packed away they started their trek back down the mountain. The walking proved to be much less strenuous except for extra pressure on their legs going down. They followed the clearly defined trail placed to allow visitors to see the wonderful site and leave the least amount of impact on the environment. Getting off the defined route, like they did, was continuously discouraged by the numerous signs posted along the way. The carvings might not ever been discovered if they had stayed on the trail. Perhaps the discovery overshadows their infraction of the rules.

            In one fourth the time it took to reach the summit, they returned to the parked truck alone in the now deserted lot. The drive home relaxed them both as the evening approached. He drove straight to Jennifer's apartment hoping he could talk Jennifer into going out later for dinner. She agreed and they choose a place to go after they both cleaned up from the day of hiking. They didn't often get to eat out because he worked most evenings. This made the day together even more special. Will headed home, fed the dogs and jumped into the shower. In short order he was ready for an evening with his girl.           

As soon as the waiter took their order, Will flipped out his phone and called up his friend Ray and told him what he and Jennifer discovered. Ray couldn't recollect ever seeing rock carvings around the big mountain, but seemed interested. He didn't want to sound too excited, but to Ray Deevers, such a discovery was akin to parking a beer truck in the driveway of an alcoholic.  

            "I'll have some pictures tomorrow Ray. Can you stop by the Yard and give me your thoughts? I can tell you these carvings are strange and someone took some time to make them. They are water worn now and must be pretty old,"

            "Sure, I'll run by after work on the way home.  As good an excuse as any to have a beer I suspect."

            The next afternoon, Jennifer dropped by with the pictures as promised and Ray showed up around6:00 p.m.Will showed Ray the photographs Jennifer took of the strange rock carvings.  She also had drawn a crude replica of the carvings on thick parchment paper based on her photos which emphasized the curious markings.

            "These photos show exactly the way it looks Ray, right there carved into the base of Pilot Knob," Will explained.

            "I've been to Pilot Knob a lot of times but never saw any rock carvings. You sure they're old carvings?" Ray questioned.

            "I'm pretty sure they are old. They sure appear to me that way." 

            "Well, being close to the Indian Old Fields, maybe these are real Indian markings," Ray noted.  

            "What are Indian Old Fields?"

            "Oh, just the last great Shawnee Indian town inKentucky. It was called Eskippakithiki. That was theShawneename but since most of us can't ever pronounce it right, I guess people just started callin' it ‘Indian Old Fields' People used to find arrowheads and ax heads out in those fields years ago." 

            "Never knew that," Will had to admit. Ray knew a lot of local history and interesting yet obscure facts.

            "Sure enough, Indian Old Fields is a famous place, I reckon."

            Ray Deevers was Will's best friend. They attended the same high school, played on the same ball team, and made countless hiking trips together. Though he had the classic Irish ginger complexion and shocking red hair, Ray had no real Irish heritage. His freckles were overpowering compared to his pale skin tone and he never got the girls quite like Will did. While Will had at least attempted a run at college, Ray never did, but he did complete a couple of years at a trade school to learn about mechanics and had quite a knack for repairing cars. He loved to fix just about anything with his hands, and was quite handy around cars, lawnmowers and pretty much anything with an engine. Even though Ray and Will took different paths after high school, they managed to pick up where they left off as best friends after Will finished his brief stint in college. Early on Ray had worked as an hourly mechanic at one of the local dealerships but because his skills, he eventually went to work at a very well-known auto shop in town. Customers knew and trusted him with their cars and he never ceased to entertain them with random trivia.

            "Tell you what, why don't the two of us go back up to Pilot Knob and look around. I'd like to take a look at these carvings myself. Maybe I'd get a better fix on ‘em," Ray offered.

            "Sounds good, what are you doing next Saturday?" Will asked, hoping that would be a good day off for Ray.

            "Far as I know, nothing. Saturday would be fine."

            "I'll bring Jennifer, too, since she took the photos and knows about this. That'll be okay with you won't it?" Will added.

            "Who else knows?" 

            "Just you, me and Jennifer…why?"

            "Just a thought, but what if this has something to do with some kind of devil worshipers or something?

 

 

More excerpts will be added later. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                    

About the Author

 

    Ed Henson has been interested and knowledgeable of Kentucky history and lore for most of his life. Growing up in the Red River Gorge area ofKentucky, he became aware of the many varied stories and tales of the lost silver mines of John Swift. This is his first novel though he has written numerous magazine articles over the years. Ed currently resides with his wife, BeLinda, inFrankfort,Kentucky. He is currently working on his second novel.