Pictograph Quest?

[rpg51]

My tripping mates and I are beginning to get pretty serious about a "pictograph quest" as we begin to drift into the "final phase" of our canoe tripping lives. It might turn into one trip - or maybe several trips -over the next few years. We all live in northern New England but we have done many trips in Canada, mostly in the arctic and sub-arctic, and so we are looking for a good pictograph oriented trip anywhere in the northern US and Canada.

Any suggestions?

 

[sweeper]

Rock Lake, Algonquin PP 2ea plus indian vision pits

 

[red langford]

Bloodvein, hands down the best. I also suggest getting a book called Reading Rock Art by Grace Rajnovich, this book was recommended to me because it was not just an anthropologist's perspective but was a more culturally enlightened approach to Pictographs. I came across one that was massive, like it was visited again and again, clear bold hand prints, caribou plus many other identifiable images. Blew my mind as I had never seen anything so extensive except the Agawa Rock on Lake Superior, but this was different, it was me and the canoe and these pictographs, not a pile of tourist clamouring along the rocks to take photos. It was 20+ feet long and when I went to the park office to talk to Claire about it she said that was only the third largest in the park. I'm not sure how many sites are in the park but I'm sure it's listed somewhere. Isolation, rugged beauty, northern lights, short portages, some of the best pictograph locations on the planet. Totally worth the drive.

 

[wjmc]

Couldn't go wrong with the northern Saskatchewan / Churchill River area. The Hickson - Maribelli pictographs are particularly well known. A link with good information on the site is here:
https://albinger.me/2013/07/07/native-pictograph-sites-of-saskatchewan/

a route description passing through the area is here:
http://pawistik.blogspot.ca/2009/10/trip-archives-2004-part-1.html

Lots of options in the area.

wjmc

 

[Marten]

+1 for the Murdock and Artery Lake sites on the Bloodvein RIver in Woodland Caribou Provincial Park. A few days travel downstream in Manitoba you can travel up to the Sasaginnigak Lake area for a large site between that lake and Kawaseecheewonk Lake.

 

[memaquay]

I second wjmc's recommendation in the first link. Rambling Boy has the best documented pictograph trip reports in existence. Check out hos trips, he has several devoted tot he topic. He also provides a lot of info from a variety of sources. The original bible for canoe trips was Selwyn Dewdney's work.

 

[rpg51]

Good ideas. Bloodvein is high on the list. I'm in touch with "Rambling Boy." He is active on the CCR forum.

 

[Odyssey]

What red and memequay said.
Agawa is worth the visit though, especially if you pick a moment when the parking lot is empty. I don't believe you're allowed access without a Park guide IIRC. Even then we were discouraged from walking all the way out along the rock face because the adjacent water was a bit rough; which we did anyway. Maybe someday they'll erect a fence, but those are invitations to fence climbers. The best vantage point would be from a canoe.
We passed by several pictos this summer where we paddled, but didn't stop to look. Just being there was enough.
If you internet search you'll find references for their locations. They're not secret, anymore. First Nations have honoured them as best they could, and are not keen to see them revealed too openly. Can't say as I blame them. They are still considered sacred. There's no guarantee every visitor will be lawful much less respectful. There has been vandalism and theft.
Whether your interests are scientifically driven or a cultural curiosity, they're a fascinating part of history.
Take only memories, leave only offerings.

 

[Iskweo]

Like Brad said, these are culturally significant works and not everyone is keen on them being commercialised. A few of us had a talk with my late father in law about them and he explained that they are visions that were seen by shamans and elders of the future. They didnt know what some of the things they saw were, but tried to represent them as best they could. I have seen one that for all the world looks like a float plane front on view.
Over the years there was a lack of respect for such works. This is no longer the case in most instances. Go, look, ponder the images. Perhaps the Grandfathers will be good to you and show you the meaning behind some of them. They may visit you in your dreams the way they did long ago with the original recipients.

Sounds like a good Quest

Christy