The Aboriginal rock paintings of the Churchill River

Abstract

This study is a comparative examination of the age, authorship and interpretation of aboriginal rock painting sites situated on the shores of the Churchill River of northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The twenty presently known sites were recorded in the years 1965, 1966, 1967 and 1969 by the author.The study combines written descriptions of the sites and their settings with reproductions of the symbols found at each site. Techniques for recording and reproducing rock paintings, developed during the course of the field studies, are described. Geographical and stylistic relationships of the paintings to other rock painting occurrences in the Canadian Shield are examined. Data derived both directly and indirectly from native Indian residents of the area is incorporated, along with historical observations on the occurrence and interpretation of the paintings. Several sets of the Churchill River paintings are at least 150 to 200 years old, while others may be considerably more recent. Specific dates of origin cannot presently be assigned to most of the sites; the potential applicability of various dating techniques is discussed. Evidence given supports an Algonkian (undoubtedly Cree) inspiration and authorship for these rock paintings, with religious observance being the basic motivation for their creation.