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Bradshaw Foundation Introduction |
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Rock art in Canada represents the oldest and most prevalent artistic tradition. It can be found throughout Canada, from the Maritimes in the east, the Canadian Shield, the Arctic, the Prairies, and to British Columbia. The Western Canadian Rock Art section, authored by Tyler Dixon and initiating the Canada Rock Art Archive, covers 13 sites found in the southern half of the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia.
The rock art sites contain a variety of both pictographs (paintings) and petroglyphs (carvings), and are thought to be linked to shamanism, vision quests, or the search for helping spirits.
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Geographical Region |
All of the rock art sites listed below are located in western Canada. More specifically, the sites can all be found in the southern half of the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia.
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Introduction |
Cochrane Ranche Historic Site, Cochrane, Alberta
Rock art can be classified in two ways; pictographs (paintings) and petroglyphs (carvings), both of which can be found in western Canada. It is believed that rock art is Canada's oldest and most prevalent artistic tradition even though accurately dating many of the sites has proven difficult. Much of the artwork found across the western Canadian provinces can be linked to shamanism, vision quests, or the search for helping spirits. In order to distinguish between different artistic styles, archaeologists have broken the country into broad regions or "style areas" based on geographic location. These include, the Maritimes, the Canadian Shield, the Arctic, the Prairies, and British Columbia. All of the sites listed in this section can be found within the Prairies and British Columbia style areas of the country.
Due to the destruction and slow deterioration of rock art sites, archaeologists with Parks Canada have been tirelessly working with various Aboriginal communities to preserve, protect, and interpret these culturally important sites. One of the project's stated goals is to protect sites using digital photography. The biggest challenge with this, however, is that many sites are disappearing to time, weather, vandalism, or some combination thereof. With the help of a digital enhancement technique known as decorrelation stretch, or DStretch, archaeologists are able to enhance images for better interpretation and understanding. DStretch is a free plugin for ImageJ software that was created by Jon Harman. Both ImageJ and DStretch are available for free download. Many of the photographs included in the section below have been enhanced using DStretch.
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Cochrane Ranche Historic Site, Cochrane, Alberta |
This site contains a single petroglyph and a single pictograph. The
petroglyph depicts the sun, while the pictograph is of a shield-bearing warrior (above). Unfortunately this is all the information I have about the history of this site.
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Grotto Canyon, Bow Valley Provincial Park, Alberta |
The pictographs found on the smooth canyon walls are estimated to be between 500 and 1,300 years old. There are many interpretations as to who painted them and how they arrived at this location. The most popular theory is that they were created by the Hopituh Shi-nu-mu People (Hopi for short) who visited the area. According to legend, the Hopi sent off members of their tribe in the four directions with the intention of meeting again at a common place, which ended up being present-day Arizona. The artwork depicts both human-like figures and animals. There is also one of the flute player, known as Kokopelli, which is a traditional symbol of the Hopi People. In the Hopi culture the Kokopelli represents the traveler and fertility. It is believed that these pictographs are linked to the ones found near Grassi Lakes (see next entry). Unfortunately most of the paintings have been damaged by weather, time, and people touching them. The oils on our skin will destroy rock art and it's also the reason why the paintings in the photographs look glossy or waxy.
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Grassi Lakes, Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park, Alberta |
As mentioned above the pictographs located near Grassi Lakes are thought to have been painted by the Hopi people. They are estimated to be more than 1,000 years old. One of the pictographs depicts a human figure holding a large ring. It is believed that this figure represents a Medicine Man, which happens to be one of the most famous Hopi legends. The Hopi People believe that Medicine Men were not only healers, but were also considered to be seers and philosophers within their own tribes. The artwork at this site is in better condition than Grotto Canyon, but does show signs of weathering.
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Okotoks Erratic, Okotoks, Alberta |
The paintings on the Big Rock near Okotoks are estimated to be anywhere from hundreds to thousands of years old. The Blackfoot People used the rock as a landmark for finding a crossing over the Sheep River before European settlers arrived. There are countless First Nation legends associated with the rock, some of which were relayed through pictographs painted onto its surface. According to local Elders, one such painting depicts a journey. The arrows point in the direction of travel (north), while the moons, or circles, tell the time it took to complete the journey. There are seventeen moons in total, meaning it likely took seventeen months to complete the trek. The symbols and figures at the top of this pictograph may indicate why the journey was made.
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Zephyr Creek, Highwood Provincial Recreation Area, Alberta |
Archaeologists believe these pictographs are over 300 years old and were painted by either the Kootenai or Salish First Nation People. Due to their isolated location it is believed that these pictographs are from a successful completion of a Vision Quest ceremony. The site was originally home to a large collection of artwork, but a rockslide in 1975 destroyed most of them. Today there are two very distinct paintings with a few more close-by that have been eroded by time and weather.
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