Here is the "scary face" carving at St. Victor Provincial Park, Saskatchewan, in context.

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Tags:   landscape rock carvings petroglyphs scary face archaeology prehistoric First Nations St. Victor Provincial Park Saskatchewan Canada

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Because they are extremely shallow due to age and erosion, the petroglyphs at St. Victor, Saskatchewan, are best viewed early or late in the day, when the low sun casts long shadows. I was one of several photographers invited to document the rock carvings one evening last week. We worked until well after dark, using lanterns toward the end, and it was fascinating to see the carvings change with the changing light. New pictures emerged as old ones faded, depending on the angle of the sun. Here is the famous "scary face" with surrounding cloven hoof prints.

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© James R. Page - all rights reserved.

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Here is the "scary face" petroglyph at St. Victor by lantern light. Is this mere anger? I don't think so. To me it looks like a vision of death, of some unspeakable horror, perhaps the inside of a grave. This would fit the shamanism aspect of the place, where one representation shows two hands, a grizzly track, and a penis, suggesting that the shaman would mate with the bear and assume some aspects of its strength and spiritual power. I am guessing that the "scary face" glyph was put there as a warning or a reminder: the shaman walks with spirits, he transcends worlds.

Pure speculation, of course:-)

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© James R. Page - all rights reserved.

Tags:   rock carvings petroglyphs scary face lantern light archaeology prehistoric First Nations St. Victor Provincial Park Saskatchewan Canada

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The now extinct plains grizzly is depicted frequently among the more than 300 rock carvings at St. Victor Provincial Park, Saskatchewan. There are also representations of black bear tracks, eagle, snake, turtle, and various cloven hooves belonging to elk, bison, etc.; also human hand and foot prints. All of the carvings were likely pounded by an artist or many artists, using stone tools.

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© James R. Page - all rights reserved.

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These petroglyphs, or rock carvings, at St. Victor, Saskatchewan, are a mystery. Quite faded due to erosion, damaged due to vandalism, they are one of only a handful of petroglyph sites in western Canada that were made on a horizontal, not vertical surface. Evidently pre-contact - there are no indications of the culture clash to come, eg. guns - they depict animal tracks, several human figures and faces, and perhaps religious or shamanistic ceremonies.

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© James R. Page - all rights reserved.

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