Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi

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Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi: A Cultural Landscape of Rock Art and Indigenous Tradition

Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019, lies on the border between Canada and the United States of America, within the semi-arid Great Plains of North America. The property is primarily situated within Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, a significant nature preserve and protectorate for indigenous rock art in Alberta, Canada. The site's official short description emphasizes its unique geographical features, rich cultural history, and ongoing significance to the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksikáíítsitapi).

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

The property is located on the northern edge of the semi-arid Great Plains of North America, on the border between Canada and the United States of America. The Milk River Valley dominates the topography of this cultural landscape, which is characterized by a concentration of pillars or hoodoos – columns of rock sculpted by erosion into spectacular shapes. The Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksikáíítsitapi) left engravings and paintings on the sandstone walls of the Milk River Valley, bearing testimony to messages from Sacred Beings. Dated in situ archaeological remains cover a period between ca. 4,500 BP - 3,500 years BP and the Contact Period. This landscape is considered sacred to the Blackfoot people, and their centuries-old traditions are perpetuated through ceremonies and in enduring respect for the places.

Encyclopedia Record: Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park

Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park is located about 100 kilometres (60 mi) southeast of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, or 44 kilometres (30 mi) east of the community of Milk River, and straddles the Milk River itself. It is one of the largest areas of protected prairie in the Alberta park system, and serves as both a nature preserve and protection for many First Nations (indigenous) rock carvings and paintings. The park is sacred to the Blackfoot and other Indigenous peoples.

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