If one wants to see a historical record of the events around the Blackfoot people in the mists of times, one might go and see a rock carving Alberta region has at their natural reserves. These people recorded special events, hunts and tributes to their gods on the cliffs surrounding the Milk River. There were two styles that were used the first being that they painted on the stone using a mixture of red ocher, which is sometimes considered as a sacred item, animal fat and water. This method of painting is called pictoglyphs.
Etchings embedded into the stone were not written words of any language. They were pictures of people and animals such as Bison, deer and horses. These pictures are called Petroglyphs. There are etchings with people holding hunting paraphernalia and these depict hunting stories and war stories. Of course as there was no written language, interpreting petroglyphs is the only way to preserve the history of the Blackfoot people of Canada.
The cliffs were made from sandstone which was because the area was a large inland sea right in the mists of time. When there was no longer a sea, sand was left which then fossilized into sandstone. It is easier to etch and carve sandstone because it is a softer stone which is similar to limestone.
Animals are depicted in different sizes and shapes. One can see animals in scenes that include bears, snakes, birds or bear and bison. There are abstract petroglyphs that are indecipherable however it is assumed that they could be the representations of the spirit world that the people worshiped at that time.
There are specific rocks that have been etched in a specific rib like pattern which has a distinctive name called buffalo rib stone. These are specifically done on boulders that were deposited on the prairie by the glaciers. The etchings themselves depicted various situations that could have told the story of wars between tribes or of hunts that took place.
Other images are depicted into the outcroppings that include animals such as bison, birds, snakes, bears and other animals. These were probably a tribute to the spirit that they believed were inside these creatures. Much of the lives of the Blackfoot people were around their beliefs in the spiritual world. There have been beliefs from other ancient peoples that when they hunted and killed an animal, they had to consign its spirit back to the spiritual world.
As it was unlikely that the language had a written aspect to it, these are the only way that one could have a glimpse of the past. These petroglyphs are thought to have been etched as far back as three thousand years in the past, but they are difficult to date. There are more recent petroglyphs which depict the use of guns, metal, horses and other traded things which could be dated to about 1790 AD when the frontier was being westernized.
Rock carving Alberta Canada hints at a heritage of the Blackfoot nation that spans for thousands of years. The sites that have these marvelous petroglyphs are situated in caves, inside shelters or even on exposed rock faces that are impossible to access. Stone erratic's which are boulders of stone that was deposited from the glaciers on the prairies have a distinctive rib pattern petroglyph. These are called Buffalo Rib stones.
Etchings embedded into the stone were not written words of any language. They were pictures of people and animals such as Bison, deer and horses. These pictures are called Petroglyphs. There are etchings with people holding hunting paraphernalia and these depict hunting stories and war stories. Of course as there was no written language, interpreting petroglyphs is the only way to preserve the history of the Blackfoot people of Canada.
The cliffs were made from sandstone which was because the area was a large inland sea right in the mists of time. When there was no longer a sea, sand was left which then fossilized into sandstone. It is easier to etch and carve sandstone because it is a softer stone which is similar to limestone.
Animals are depicted in different sizes and shapes. One can see animals in scenes that include bears, snakes, birds or bear and bison. There are abstract petroglyphs that are indecipherable however it is assumed that they could be the representations of the spirit world that the people worshiped at that time.
There are specific rocks that have been etched in a specific rib like pattern which has a distinctive name called buffalo rib stone. These are specifically done on boulders that were deposited on the prairie by the glaciers. The etchings themselves depicted various situations that could have told the story of wars between tribes or of hunts that took place.
Other images are depicted into the outcroppings that include animals such as bison, birds, snakes, bears and other animals. These were probably a tribute to the spirit that they believed were inside these creatures. Much of the lives of the Blackfoot people were around their beliefs in the spiritual world. There have been beliefs from other ancient peoples that when they hunted and killed an animal, they had to consign its spirit back to the spiritual world.
As it was unlikely that the language had a written aspect to it, these are the only way that one could have a glimpse of the past. These petroglyphs are thought to have been etched as far back as three thousand years in the past, but they are difficult to date. There are more recent petroglyphs which depict the use of guns, metal, horses and other traded things which could be dated to about 1790 AD when the frontier was being westernized.
Rock carving Alberta Canada hints at a heritage of the Blackfoot nation that spans for thousands of years. The sites that have these marvelous petroglyphs are situated in caves, inside shelters or even on exposed rock faces that are impossible to access. Stone erratic's which are boulders of stone that was deposited from the glaciers on the prairies have a distinctive rib pattern petroglyph. These are called Buffalo Rib stones.
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