Vandals have used power saws to cut out ancient rock carvings made by Native Americans around 5000 years ago, from a sacred American Indian site in California's Sierra Nevada.

Four rock carvings made by ancient Indians between 3,500 and 5000 years ago were removed from the volcanic cliffs near Bishop, while several more petroglyphs were badly damaged, The Los Angeles Times reports. One was marred with deep saw cuts, while another was apparently broken after being removed and was left behind near the visitor parking lot.

“When we went out there and looked at it, it hit my heart more than it did anything else,” the Paiute tribal historic preservation officer Raymond Andrews told ABC News. “These are old and its part of our culture.”

The theft looks even more ridiculous considering the relatively moderate price these artefacts could fetch on the black market. According to the local authorities the petroglyphs would probably be worth between about $500 and $1,500. However the damage made to the historic heritage of Native Americans can hardly be restored.

"We still use this sacred place as a kind of church to educate tribal members and children about our historical and spiritual connections," Andrews said. "So, our tribal elders are appalled by what happened here."

“It’s a very important spiritual and ceremonial artefact in history… It has a very religious value and it’s irreplaceable,”ABC News quotes Greg Haverstock, an archaeologist with the Bishop field office of the Bureau of Land Management.

The Bureau of Land Management is offering a $1,000 reward for any information leading to the criminals.

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