The Canadian province of Alberta has a long history of human habitation, and these First Nations people have left many of their stories craved on rock features throughout the area. The kind of rock carving Alberta can offer is rich in cultural tradition, and provides valuable insight into the traditions and world view of these native Canadians. By preserving and deciphering the images they left behind, we can study the culture of people who had no written language as it is now understood.
Academics and other scholars often group all of these images under the term 'rock art', but there are different kinds of art which uses a stone surface. While images painted onto stone using red ochre, animal fats and water are referred to as 'pictographs', a different terms is used for those images which are etched or carved into the surface of rocks. These are generally called 'petroglyphs', and were often made using stone or bone tools to carve the designs into the stone.
The petroglyphs in Alberta depict many different aspects of Native Canadian life, and often possess a clear narrative. Some examples depict a single, simple figure, perhaps engaged in a mundane activity. But others tell the story of great battles, with a full depiction of warriors in camp.
Some petroglyphs which depict human beings are very detailed indeed, whereas other examples are simpler and have a more stylised appearance. Some are merely stick figures, perhaps with a few basic adornments, such as weapons, depicted. Other images are much more complex, with warriors sometimes seen in full hunting or raiding regalia.
Animals are also featured in many petroglyphs, with mammals such as bison, elk and bear being relatively common, as well as dogs, wolves and deer. Reptiles like snakes and many kinds of bird are also used as images. These vary in the same way as the images of people do, with some very detailed, and others less so.
As well as the depictions of humans and animals, many petroglyphs feature abstract signs and geometric shapes. Much of the meaning of these images remains opaque. Many of those who have studied these have theorised that they could be some sort of visual representation of the spirit contained in the rocks.
There is also variation in terms of the cultures which were responsible for carving the rock. Of course, the petroglyphs also span many different eras of cultural development. Plains cultures visited and used many of the sites where rock art is found in Alberta, but so did tribes from further west in British Columbia, with both groups adopting identifiably different patterns and styles of petroglyph and pictogram.
The kind of First Nations rock carving Alberta can offer visitors is a long way from idle doodling or simple drawing. Native Americans still visit and use many of the sites with which this art is associated, and the elders of many nations have helped with providing commentary on and interpretation of the symbols which are used. The petroglyphs form an important cultural signpost on the way to gaining a much better understanding of and appreciation for Native American culture and life ways.
Academics and other scholars often group all of these images under the term 'rock art', but there are different kinds of art which uses a stone surface. While images painted onto stone using red ochre, animal fats and water are referred to as 'pictographs', a different terms is used for those images which are etched or carved into the surface of rocks. These are generally called 'petroglyphs', and were often made using stone or bone tools to carve the designs into the stone.
The petroglyphs in Alberta depict many different aspects of Native Canadian life, and often possess a clear narrative. Some examples depict a single, simple figure, perhaps engaged in a mundane activity. But others tell the story of great battles, with a full depiction of warriors in camp.
Some petroglyphs which depict human beings are very detailed indeed, whereas other examples are simpler and have a more stylised appearance. Some are merely stick figures, perhaps with a few basic adornments, such as weapons, depicted. Other images are much more complex, with warriors sometimes seen in full hunting or raiding regalia.
Animals are also featured in many petroglyphs, with mammals such as bison, elk and bear being relatively common, as well as dogs, wolves and deer. Reptiles like snakes and many kinds of bird are also used as images. These vary in the same way as the images of people do, with some very detailed, and others less so.
As well as the depictions of humans and animals, many petroglyphs feature abstract signs and geometric shapes. Much of the meaning of these images remains opaque. Many of those who have studied these have theorised that they could be some sort of visual representation of the spirit contained in the rocks.
There is also variation in terms of the cultures which were responsible for carving the rock. Of course, the petroglyphs also span many different eras of cultural development. Plains cultures visited and used many of the sites where rock art is found in Alberta, but so did tribes from further west in British Columbia, with both groups adopting identifiably different patterns and styles of petroglyph and pictogram.
The kind of First Nations rock carving Alberta can offer visitors is a long way from idle doodling or simple drawing. Native Americans still visit and use many of the sites with which this art is associated, and the elders of many nations have helped with providing commentary on and interpretation of the symbols which are used. The petroglyphs form an important cultural signpost on the way to gaining a much better understanding of and appreciation for Native American culture and life ways.
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