Cool shot and native artwork as well.
I'm not sure the "cross" meant the same thing to them as it does to us in modern times, the earliest use of a cross to my knowledge is the African sun wheel which is sort of like a calendar so they appeared to have used it as a way to measure time, this would also be in line with the zodiac which has a cross and is a sort of calendar or way to measure time.
The ladder ones on the other hand I think may certainly have some kind of afterlife meaning or "ascension" to a higher plane of understanding.
The way the guy is in between them is interesting, it does make one think he/she is going through some kind of spiritual process. Though the ladders almost sort of look like totems as well.
And the fox type of animal if that is indeed a fox or coyote in modern times is believed to be a teacher or a guide in between the physical and spirit worlds, so.. Hmm.. Yeah, maybe you're right! However a lot of times in my research I've found that in symbolism the process of going to the next work and dying and being reincarnated is often a metaphor for a process some go through while still alive in the sense that we have perhaps realized we are spiritual beings and that there is no death only the perception of it.
The death and Resurrection of Jesus for example might be a metaphor for this sort of understanding where one has an "ego death" and realizes there are a spiritual being that cannot truly die. The ancient Egyptians appeared to have a ceremony where they did this and laid in a coffin for 3 days and then were reborn into a new understanding of life.
Who knows if any of that is connected to the artwork in the picture, but.. Maybe it is and it sure is interesting to think about one way or the other! Nice find/capture!
That's so cool to hear all that history, you know a lot about the subject. I think our own beliefs may affect how we see others.