Petroglyphs Provincial Park

For the provincial park near Nanaimo, British Columbia, see Petroglyph Provincial Park

Petroglyphs Provincial Park
IUCN category II (national park)
File:Peterborough-i sziklafigua.jpg A glyph in Petroglyphs Provincial Park.
Location	Ontario, Canada
Nearest city	Peterborough
Coordinates	44°36′55″N 78°02′27″W
Area	16.43 km²
Governing body	Ontario Parks

Petroglyphs Provincial Park is a historical-class provincial park situated in Woodview, Ontario, Canada, northeast of Peterborough. It has the largest collection of ancient First Nations petroglyphs (rock carvings) in Ontario. The carvings were created in the pre-Columbian era and represents aspects of First Nations spirituality, including images of shamans, animals, reptiles, and, possibly, the Great Spirit itself.

The location of the site was forgotten until 1954, when it was rediscovered accidentally by miners of the Industrial Minerals of Canada.

Petroglyph origins

The sacred stone is generally believed to have been carved by the Algonkian people between 900 and 1400 CE., if not somewhat earlier during the Archaic. Today, the First Nations people of Ontario call the carvings Kinomagewapkong, meaning "the rocks that teach" or "the Teaching Rocks".

The petroglyphs were first thoroughly recorded in 1967 and 1968 by Joan Vastokas of the University of Toronto and Ron Vastokas of Trent University in Peterborough. Their book, Sacred Art of the Algonkians, is considered by rock art scholars the most definitive study and interpretation to date.

A forest habitat of primarily Pine and Sarsaparilla.

Since that time, several controversial and improbable theories as to the origin of the Peterborough Petroglyphs have appeared:

The late biologist and amateur epigrapher Barry Fell believed the petroglyphs are inscriptions by a Norse king named Woden-lithi (Servant of Odin), who he claimed sailed from Norway up the St. Lawrence River in about 1700 BCE.

Archaeologist and retired Maya epigrapher, David H. Kelley, agreed in several respects with Fell and asserted that some of the symbols at the petroglyphs site were based upon a North African Berber script known as Tifinagh.

These theories are disputed by Professors Ron and Joan Vastokas who have published further studies indicating the pre-contact aboriginal Algonkian origins of the Peterborough Petroglyphs.

According to the Learning Center aboriginal tour guides and teachers, while the glyphs are important they are not the primary spiritual significance that make this site sacred. The rock site itself is a sacred place, today a place of pilgrimage for pious Ojibwa people in the neighborhood. The deep crevices in the rock are believed to lead to the spirit world, as there is an underground trickle of water that runs beneath the rock which produces sounds interpreted by Aboriginal people as those of the Spirits speaking to them.

Ecology

A forest habitat of primarily Pine and Sarsaparilla.

Although officially a Historical Class park, the Petroglyphs themselves are actually concentrated in a relatively small area of the 1643 hectare park. The rest consists of primarily woodland habitat home to several provincially rare species.

Facilities

Minow Lake

The park is open 10am to 5pm daily from the second Friday in May to Thanksgiving.

The park's visitor centre is known as the Learning Place, and opened in 2002. The centre is managed by Curve Lake First Nation, and features displays about the petroglyphs and their spiritual significance to the First Nations people. A movie The Teaching Rocks is shown daily, upon request and during evening programs. There is also a children's hands-on activity room and a gift shop.

The rock carvings are covered by a protective building, and there are interpretive plaques and guides at the site.

References

• Joan Vastokas and Ron Vastokas (1973), Sacred Art of the Algonkians: A Study of the Peterborough Petroglyphs, Mansard Press.

External links

• Petroglyphs Provincial Park Official Website