Writing-on-Stone/Áísínai’pi

• Official name: Writing-on-Stone/Áísínai’pi
• Location: Alberta, Canada
• Type: Cultural
• Year of inscription: 2019

Writing-on-Stone/Áísínai’pi park is one of the largest areas of protected prairie land in Alberta. Along with protecting the natural surroundings, the park acts to preserve the culturally important Indigenous First Nation rock carvings and paintings. The area is sacred to the Blackfoot people, or Siksikáíítsitapi, who inhabited the area for generations. The park is known as Áísínai’pi in the Blackfoot language, which means “it is pictured or written.” On July 6, 2019, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Convention designated the park as a World Heritage Site to protect it.

Writing-on-Stone is in Alberta, Canada, located about 60 miles (100 kilometers) to the southeast of Lethbridge, Alberta, and 30 miles (44 kilometers) to the east of Milk River in the Milk River Valley. The park has a visitor center with exhibits, a campground and picnic areas, as well as hiking trails. School programs and events also occur within the park. Although much of the archeological site where the petroglyphs and pictographs are off-limits to visitors, they can see them during guided tours and learn the historical and cultural significance of the artwork. Nearby on the Milk River, canoeing, kayaking, and other water sports are popular tourist attractions.

Writing-on-Stone is well known for the most concentrated area of Indigenous rock art, or petroglyphs and pictographs, found anywhere in the North American Great Plains region. More than fifty established sites in the park boast thousands of works of art carved into or painted on rocks. In addition to the petroglyphs and pictographs, the park is also home to a historic Northwest Mounted Police (NWMP) outpost reconstruction. The NWMP were a Canadian police force that served as a precursor to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The original structure burned down in the early twentieth century, so the reconstructed outpost was rebuilt to show what life was like as a member of the NWMP, or “Mountie,” in the late nineteenth century.

History

Eighty-five million years ago, sedimentary rocks were formed in the Milk River Valley on the coastal plains of a great inland sea. Erosion and melted water from the last ice age eroded the sandstone, exposing boulders, coulees, and hoodoo rock formations. This area became home to many diverse species of animals that were able to find shelter among the rocks. The Blackfoot believe that the spirit Náápi, who was given his powers from the Creator, formed this land, and the rock formations served as a special link between the people and the spirits.

The first human inhabitants of the Milk River Valley were First Nations Indigenous people about nine thousand years ago. It is believed that they were the Blackfoot people, and they are the ones who carved and painted art on the rocks. Archeological dating processes reveal that the art was made between 4,500 and 3,500 years ago during the Contact Period, which was when First Peoples had initial contact with Europeans. However, historians also agree that other nomadic Indigenous groups, such as the Shoshone or Cree, traveled through the valley and may have also created some of the petroglyphs and pictographs. Archeological evidence of both nomadic and permanent settlements of various First Nations peoples has been found in the valley.

The earlier carvings are thought to be etched into the rock surface using antlers or bones, and painting was done with red ocher and charcoal. However, in the mid-eighteenth century, horses, guns, and metal tools were introduced to the Indigenous peoples by European traders and settlers. This is reflected in the artwork found on the rocks, where hunters riding horses and warriors with guns in battle are depicted in many scenes. Also, from this point on, metal tools could have been used to carve the rocks.

In 1887, an isolated NWMP encampment was made in the valley to patrol the US border and prevent the smuggling of alcohol. The European introduction of alcohol was creating health problems in the Indigenous population, and the Canadian government also wanted to address reports of horse raids by First Peoples. Although the outpost was designed to patrol the area for illegal activity, it also fought wildfires and herded stray cattle.

At the turn of the twentieth century, European settlers arrived in the area to farm the land—rural ranches still operate in the areas surrounding the park in the twenty-first century. In 1918, the NWMP outpost was shut down due to a lack of illegal activity along the border, and Mounties were needed in the war effort of World War I. Not long after the outpost closed, it was burned down by an unknown person. Later, in the mid-1970s, after the formation of the park, the outpost was rebuilt to reflect its original appearance and serve as an exhibit of life in the NWMP. It was also constructed to celebrate the NWMP centennial anniversary.

In 1957, Writing-on-Stone was officially created by the province of Alberta as a provincial park, and in 1973, the petroglyphs and pictographs were surveyed and cataloged by archeologists from the Alberta Provincial Parks Department. In 1977, the park was designated as an archeological preserve to protect the Indigenous rock art found there. In 1981, the most historically significant part of the park was named a Provincial Historic Resource to protect the petroglyphs and pictographs from vandalism and graffiti, which was becoming a problem in the park. These sensitive areas have since been further protected and are only accessible to visitors on guided tours.

In 2004, Parks Canada nominated Writing-on-Stone, with its traditional name, Áísínai’pi, as a possible UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Blackfoot nation also requested that the sacred area of Sweet Grass Hill in Montana be included in the site, although this did not occur. In 2005, the park became a Canadian National Historic Site. A new visitor center was built that featured sweeping views of the valley from the north rim. In 2019, the park was officially inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Significance

Writing-on-Stone/Áísínai’pi is significant because the petroglyphs and pictographs on the rocks are thousands of years old. They serve as a record of the life and travels of the people who made them. The uniquely-shaped natural formations of rock, called hoodoos and coulees, were thought to be home to spirits, so the area has significant cultural importance in the heritage of First Nations peoples. In addition, the area is also home to plants and animals that were essential to the survival of these people during their seasonal migrations. Many game animals not found in surrounding areas were able to thrive under the protection of the unique rock formations. Archeological evidence also suggests that permanent settlements may have been in the area, including the remains of tepee rings and a medicine wheel.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites must meet at least one of ten established selection criteria. Writing-on-Stone meets criterion iii. This states that a site must “bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared.” The park meets criterion iii because of the exceptionally large quantity and high quality of petroglyphs and pictographs found on the rocks. These are an important part of the history of the Indigenous First Peoples and have considerable cultural significance to them as well. The Blackfoot people traditionally hold the area in high regard for its spiritual aspects, as they believe spirits inhabit Earth, and the art found on the rocks links their people to this spiritual world. In addition, the surrounding areas of the Milk River Valley and the grass prairie lands are considered sacred to the Blackfoot.

Writing-on-Stone also meets UNESCO’s conditions for integrity in the representation of rock art and its sacredness to Indigenous culture and tradition. Although rodeo grounds exist in the middle of the restricted access zone of the archeological reserve, it has been recommended that these grounds be relocated to further provide integrity to the park.

Traditional, ethnographic, and archeological evidence all support the authenticity of the rock art in the park. Although many of the meanings of carvings and paintings on the rocks are unknown, with assistance from historical records, archeology, and First Nation members and legends, some scenes have been interpreted. For example, one of the most complex and extensive carvings is called the Battle Scene and is thought to record an actual battle fought in the nineteenth century. Much of the other artwork is believed to be of a spiritual nature that is ceremonial or depicts vision quests. More can still be learned about the Indigenous people of the Milk River Valley through the artwork they left behind hundreds or thousands of years ago.

Bibliography

“Alberta’s Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park now a World Heritage Site.” CBC, 6 July 2019, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/writing-on-stone-provincial-park-unesco-site-1.5202644. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.

“The Criteria for Selection.” UNESCO World Heritage Centre, whc.unesco.org/en/criteria. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.

Klickenberg, Marty. “Writing-on-Stone’s Next Chapter: Inside One of Alberta’s Most Gorgeous Rodeos.” The Globe and Mail, 11 Aug. 2019, www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/alberta/article-writing-on-stones-next-chapter-inside-one-of-albertas-most-gorgeous. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.

“World Heritage Sites in Canada: Writing-on-Stone/Áísínai’pi, Alberta.” Parks Canada, 9 Sept. 2019, www.pc.gc.ca/en/culture/spm-whs/sites-canada/sec02t. Accessed 23 Juan. 2025.

“Writing-on-Stone/Áísínai’pi.” UNESCO World Heritage Centre, whc.unesco.org/en/list/1597. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.

“Writing-On-Stone/Áísínai'pi Provincial Park.” Bradshaw Foundation, www.bradshawfoundation.com/canada/writing‗on‗stone‗provincial‗park/index.php. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.

“Writing on Stone—Áísínai’pi—Recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Site.” Net News Ledger, 6 July 2019, www.netnewsledger.com/2019/07/06/writing-on-stone-aisinaipi-recognized-as-unesco-world-heritage-site. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025

“Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park: Natural & Cultural Heritage.” Alberta Parks, 2 Feb. 2022, www.albertaparks.ca/parks/south/writing-on-stone-pp/information-facilities/natural-cultural-heritage/. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.