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.
Ingenuity and resourcefulness inspired the ancient Canadian tribe to render their history on abundant rock facades, comprised of soft sandstone, with early tools contrived of hard, sharp rocks, bones and metal. Ancients paints were concocted by mixing animal fat or water with natural mineral pigments. Though the engraved and painted artwork defied nature's elemental forces, wind, rain and ice served to embed character and distinction to the stone formations that held the ancient, artistic renderings for millenniums to come.
Though authenticity and age can be attributed through archeology, some aspects of the ancient stone artistry remains speculative. The fact that the elemental forces of nature weathered, re-cast and rendered the shapes of stone formations into the tribes revered spiritual representations, while sparing the primitive paints and detailed engravings, remains an unanswered mystery. Likewise, unanswered questions remain regarding the incomprehensibly labor-intensive, structural dynamics achieved in the construction of the ancient Egyptian Pyramids.
Many intricate carvings depict remnants of daily existence through animal renderings of buffalo, bears, wolves, deer, insects and reptiles. At a later date, when horses were utilized for travel, stylized artistry reflected tribesmen on horseback preceded by men carrying shields.
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.
Archaeologists have ascertained that many of the fossilized Blackfoot antiquities date back 3,000 years. Sixteenth century descendants continued the practice of recording history through artful carvings and paintings of travel by horseback and the implementation of more sophisticated weaponry.
Human thoughtlessness has resulted in denuding many forests for gaining real estate that once held irreplaceable treasures created by the hands of the ancient Blackfoot tribe. A one-of-a-kind, pictorial trail left by an ancient ancestry has been broken, leaving an irrevocable void in the historic passage of this prehistoric aboriginal clan, impacting descendants and future generations with a major loss.
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.
Ingenuity and resourcefulness inspired the ancient Canadian tribe to render their history on abundant rock facades, comprised of soft sandstone, with early tools contrived of hard, sharp rocks, bones and metal. Ancients paints were concocted by mixing animal fat or water with natural mineral pigments. Though the engraved and painted artwork defied nature's elemental forces, wind, rain and ice served to embed character and distinction to the stone formations that held the ancient, artistic renderings for millenniums to come.
Though authenticity and age can be attributed through archeology, some aspects of the ancient stone artistry remains speculative. The fact that the elemental forces of nature weathered, re-cast and rendered the shapes of stone formations into the tribes revered spiritual representations, while sparing the primitive paints and detailed engravings, remains an unanswered mystery. Likewise, unanswered questions remain regarding the incomprehensibly labor-intensive, structural dynamics achieved in the construction of the ancient Egyptian Pyramids.
Many intricate carvings depict remnants of daily existence through animal renderings of buffalo, bears, wolves, deer, insects and reptiles. At a later date, when horses were utilized for travel, stylized artistry reflected tribesmen on horseback preceded by men carrying shields.
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.
Archaeologists have ascertained that many of the fossilized Blackfoot antiquities date back 3,000 years. Sixteenth century descendants continued the practice of recording history through artful carvings and paintings of travel by horseback and the implementation of more sophisticated weaponry.
Human thoughtlessness has resulted in denuding many forests for gaining real estate that once held irreplaceable treasures created by the hands of the ancient Blackfoot tribe. A one-of-a-kind, pictorial trail left by an ancient ancestry has been broken, leaving an irrevocable void in the historic passage of this prehistoric aboriginal clan, impacting descendants and future generations with a major loss.
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.
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