In the limelight: Public rock art sites in the Temagami area (northeastern Ontario) - Dagmara Zawadzka

ARARA presents...

Rock art sites in the Canadian Shield have been largely interpreted as sacred places where various rituals and communication with the spirit world were undertaken. The images are believed to be a record of dream visions acquired by medicine men and vision questing youth. However, rock art, as an inextricable part of the landscape, also participated in the wider circle of social interactions, beyond the sacred realm, being implicated in the navigation of waterways and in maintaining social boundaries of territories. Rock art sites were diverse and some of them had various functions, especially public sites (more accessible in terms of locations and messages conveyed). The Temagami area in northeastern Ontario is home to one of the largest concentrations of rock art in the Canadian Shield. This talk will examine public sites in the Temagami area and advance possible interpretations for their functions.

Dagmara Zawadzka completed her Ph.D. in Art History at Université du Québec à Montréal. She holds an H.B.Sc. in Anthropology from University of Toronto, and an M.A. in Anthropology from Trent University. Dagmara studies Canadian Shield rock art and Indigenous arts. She has taught courses on Indigenous arts at Université du Québec à Montréal and University of Ottawa. She has published in the Canadian Journal of Archaeology, Time and Mind. The Journal of Archaeology, Consciousness and Culture and Ontario Archaeology. She has also collaborated on the first-ever virtual exhibit of rock art in Canada (2019) Images On Stone created by the Musée de la civilisation in Quebec City and Université du Québec à Montréal https://imagesdanslapierre.mcq.org/en/.