In her book, Guide to Native Rock Carvings, Beth Hill examines these questions. She gives a fascinating introduction to the subject of Aboriginal Petroglyphs of the Northwest Coastal Region - BC, Washington, Oregon and Alaska. Beth Hill and her husband Ray have travelled the coast for close to 20 years, recording the known sites, and discovering others. Out of this came Indian Petroglyphs of the Pacific Northwest, with over 1,000 photos and illustrations. A truly comprehensive study.
As a fiction writer, I often read non-fiction works in the hope that something will inspire me. Having long had a fascination with prehistoric rock art, I picked up this book on a visit to Victoria, B.C. It is a concise and clearly written treatise on the topic. It explains the relationship between religion and art, cosmology and self-expression. Beth Hill's descriptions of rock carvings written in the context of their possible shamanistic meanings bring each engraved scene she describes to life. So much so in fact that the book inspired me to write a short story called "Petroglyphs" which was published by Fictionwise.com. For such a small book, it is one of the most complete treatments I have read. The black and white pictures are great, and she gives you the story behind each example. One seldom comes across a book that gives you so much information in so small a format. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in rock art.Deborah L. Cannon
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