If a picture is worth a thousand words, the universal language of rock carving Alberta speaks volumes. Written in stone, an enduring pictorial journal brings the lifestyles of Canada's aboriginal inhabitants into 'up-close and personal' focus. The Canadian landscape is imprinted with the prehistoric passions and imaginings of the Blackfoot tribe, etched in stone imagery and cast on rock in primitive spiritual paintings, fossilized for posterity in time immemorial.
Etchings were embedded into abundant soft sandstone that comprised caves, cliffs and rugged, remote rock formations in Canada with primitive tools appropriated from stones, bones and metal resources. The soft rock provided the canvas for paints evolved from naturally occurring, pigmented minerals mixed with animal fat or water. Tribesmen gave credence to the elements, wind, rain and ice, for shape-shifting their artistic renderings via erosion, into the likeness of spirits they believed lived in the cliffs and crevices of the landscape.
Like the unfathomable mystery surrounding the arduous creation of the Great Pyramid of Giza, the endurance of native mineral paints that remain unscathed by the ravages of time, on the surfaces of rocks, in caves and overhanging inaccessible cliffs, offers a miraculous tribute to the spirits that the ancient tribe honored. The religious beliefs of the Blackfoot people ascribed the detailed formations as a tribute to the likeness of the spirits deemed to have lived within the cliffs, once revered as sacrosanct respites for contemplative thought and prayer.
With a purpose comparable to that of compiling a family photo album, daily rigors of prehistoric life in North America was recorded for posterity through etched and painted revelations. The Blackfoot tribe recorded local wildlife in carved, stone renderings that peppered the landscape of their shared environment. Later artwork depicted horses as a mode of transport for shield-bearing tribesmen.
Like many primitive cultures, the Blackfoot revered spirituality on a level equal to the respect held for physical nature. Animals were held in high esteem for the food, fur and skins they provided, which equated to tribal survival. Hunters felt a spiritual connection to wildlife that inspired myriad artistic renderings honoring the important life-force that animals represented in survival.
The oldest Blackfoot artifacts are determined, archaeologically, to have been created 3,000-years ago. Subsequent, sixteenth century tribal lineage upheld their ancestors storytelling tradition through paintings and etchings cast in stone, revealing gun weaponry and the use of horses for travel.
In the name of progress, the quest to meet the demands for prime real estate decimated forestry and obliterated many of the ancient, historically irreplaceable, tribal artifacts. This devastating loss renders an irrevocable void for tribal descendants and the coming generations, who will forever be deprived of a gift of ancient, lost treasures, created and generously left for the future by prehistoric Blackfoot people.
Recently, the Canadian government has implemented tightened laws that carry heavy penalties for defacement offenses in order to preserve the irreplaceable historic significance found in every ancient rock carving Alberta. Created at a time when the only methodology for recording history was with rudimentary tools, the Blackfoot tribe left their story imprinted on the painted walls and etched cliffs of their environment for the coming generations to share. The gift of aboriginal antiquity deserves the respect that inspired the Blackfoot tribe to leave their story for all time and all future generations.
Etchings were embedded into abundant soft sandstone that comprised caves, cliffs and rugged, remote rock formations in Canada with primitive tools appropriated from stones, bones and metal resources. The soft rock provided the canvas for paints evolved from naturally occurring, pigmented minerals mixed with animal fat or water. Tribesmen gave credence to the elements, wind, rain and ice, for shape-shifting their artistic renderings via erosion, into the likeness of spirits they believed lived in the cliffs and crevices of the landscape.
Like the unfathomable mystery surrounding the arduous creation of the Great Pyramid of Giza, the endurance of native mineral paints that remain unscathed by the ravages of time, on the surfaces of rocks, in caves and overhanging inaccessible cliffs, offers a miraculous tribute to the spirits that the ancient tribe honored. The religious beliefs of the Blackfoot people ascribed the detailed formations as a tribute to the likeness of the spirits deemed to have lived within the cliffs, once revered as sacrosanct respites for contemplative thought and prayer.
With a purpose comparable to that of compiling a family photo album, daily rigors of prehistoric life in North America was recorded for posterity through etched and painted revelations. The Blackfoot tribe recorded local wildlife in carved, stone renderings that peppered the landscape of their shared environment. Later artwork depicted horses as a mode of transport for shield-bearing tribesmen.
Like many primitive cultures, the Blackfoot revered spirituality on a level equal to the respect held for physical nature. Animals were held in high esteem for the food, fur and skins they provided, which equated to tribal survival. Hunters felt a spiritual connection to wildlife that inspired myriad artistic renderings honoring the important life-force that animals represented in survival.
The oldest Blackfoot artifacts are determined, archaeologically, to have been created 3,000-years ago. Subsequent, sixteenth century tribal lineage upheld their ancestors storytelling tradition through paintings and etchings cast in stone, revealing gun weaponry and the use of horses for travel.
In the name of progress, the quest to meet the demands for prime real estate decimated forestry and obliterated many of the ancient, historically irreplaceable, tribal artifacts. This devastating loss renders an irrevocable void for tribal descendants and the coming generations, who will forever be deprived of a gift of ancient, lost treasures, created and generously left for the future by prehistoric Blackfoot people.
Recently, the Canadian government has implemented tightened laws that carry heavy penalties for defacement offenses in order to preserve the irreplaceable historic significance found in every ancient rock carving Alberta. Created at a time when the only methodology for recording history was with rudimentary tools, the Blackfoot tribe left their story imprinted on the painted walls and etched cliffs of their environment for the coming generations to share. The gift of aboriginal antiquity deserves the respect that inspired the Blackfoot tribe to leave their story for all time and all future generations.
About the Author:
Read more about Rock Carving Alberta Paints A Picture Worth A Thousand Words visiting our website.
No comments:
Post a Comment