The tribes of Canada, primarily the Blackfoot people, told their histories and stories through rock carving Alberta. Often these pieces of art work included animals such as bison, wolves, and bears. Other carvings include geometric shapes which the Blackfoot people regarded as sacred, and it is believed that these were places of meditation and worship.
Cave paintings are another art form which these ancient tribes used to tell their story. They created their paints by mixing a mineral called red ocher with the fat of animals they hunted. These pictoglyphs and carvings can still be seen on the sandstone cliffs, preserved for thousands of years.
These people etched the sandstone with other stones, bones, and in later years they even had metals. Sandstone was the medium of choice for many ancient peoples, as it is relatively soft and lends itself to being carved. In spite of the wind and rain eroding the etchings over the centuries, they have lasted for an amazingly long time, and tell the story of the people who lived in the region.
The tribes of North America had a strong belief in the spiritual world, and regarded it as being just as real as the physical realm. They also honored the spirits of animals. It is the opinion of many archaeologists that animals depicted on cave walls were their way of honoring the spirits of the animals they ate.
The offspring of these tribes still have a strong connection to the spiritual world, and they regard these carvings as a treasure. It keeps them connected spiritually to their ancestors. Most Westerners now do not have such an attachment.
It is believed that some of these carvings are as much as three thousand years old. However, there are some etchings which appear to be much more recent, perhaps being created around the Sixteenth century. There are carvings of guns, horses, and other more modern aspects of their history.
It is an unfortunate reality that many of these pieces of ancient art have been destroyed by careless individuals. Clear-cutting forests in order to build structures has destroyed more ancient artifacts than the world can ever really know. Anyone who finds items of archaeological significance on their property, or on a property they are working on, need to put a stop to any destruction in order to preserve the site.
Laws have been passed in Canada to preserve the artwork etched into the sandstone cliffs. Due to some episodes of vandalism which have occurred, one can now be fined up to $50,000.00 if they are caught defacing the art. Archaeologists are still studying these monuments in an attempt to fully translate the symbols in order to have a greater understanding of the history of the region.
Canadians of both native and European descent take the preservation of the rock carving Alberta very seriously. There is a strong desire to keep these areas pristine so they can be studied and appreciated by future generations. This is one of the greatest examples of tribal history in the world, and people of all races and heritage feel a connection to it.
Cave paintings are another art form which these ancient tribes used to tell their story. They created their paints by mixing a mineral called red ocher with the fat of animals they hunted. These pictoglyphs and carvings can still be seen on the sandstone cliffs, preserved for thousands of years.
These people etched the sandstone with other stones, bones, and in later years they even had metals. Sandstone was the medium of choice for many ancient peoples, as it is relatively soft and lends itself to being carved. In spite of the wind and rain eroding the etchings over the centuries, they have lasted for an amazingly long time, and tell the story of the people who lived in the region.
The tribes of North America had a strong belief in the spiritual world, and regarded it as being just as real as the physical realm. They also honored the spirits of animals. It is the opinion of many archaeologists that animals depicted on cave walls were their way of honoring the spirits of the animals they ate.
The offspring of these tribes still have a strong connection to the spiritual world, and they regard these carvings as a treasure. It keeps them connected spiritually to their ancestors. Most Westerners now do not have such an attachment.
It is believed that some of these carvings are as much as three thousand years old. However, there are some etchings which appear to be much more recent, perhaps being created around the Sixteenth century. There are carvings of guns, horses, and other more modern aspects of their history.
It is an unfortunate reality that many of these pieces of ancient art have been destroyed by careless individuals. Clear-cutting forests in order to build structures has destroyed more ancient artifacts than the world can ever really know. Anyone who finds items of archaeological significance on their property, or on a property they are working on, need to put a stop to any destruction in order to preserve the site.
Laws have been passed in Canada to preserve the artwork etched into the sandstone cliffs. Due to some episodes of vandalism which have occurred, one can now be fined up to $50,000.00 if they are caught defacing the art. Archaeologists are still studying these monuments in an attempt to fully translate the symbols in order to have a greater understanding of the history of the region.
Canadians of both native and European descent take the preservation of the rock carving Alberta very seriously. There is a strong desire to keep these areas pristine so they can be studied and appreciated by future generations. This is one of the greatest examples of tribal history in the world, and people of all races and heritage feel a connection to it.
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