Reading Rock Art: Interpreting the Indian Rock Paintings of the Canadian Shield is the second printing of the 1994 classic text on First Nations pictographs. The author spent fourteen years studying the meanings behind the pictographs and petroglyphs of the Canadian Shield. The archaeologist examined over 400 rock art images from Quebec to Saskatchewan using the "contextual' approach to understanding these sacred images produced by Ojibwe and Cree cultures. Rajnovich begins by describing the definitions of rock art; their prominent locations on rock faces; the culture of the Algonkian peoples; the importance of dreams, visions and medicine; and the Manitous. In the chapter on dating rock art images, she examines the techniques involved in attaching specific time periods to the creation of the images. Chapter three discusses the images in terms of symbols and designs used by Algonkian peoples in sacred and secular picture writing. The final chapters develop her thesis that the picture writing or rock art is directly connected to Algonkian spiritual power. This allows the reader to see the rock art images from a traditional First Nation's perspective. Using historical accounts, archaeological evidence, traditional stories, and metaphors, the author has produced a valuable contribution to the field of Native rock painting. The text includes reproductions of rock art images by Ojibwe artist Wayne Yerxa, as well as black and white photographs. A list of key pictograph sites is provided. This is an important text for anyone who wants to understand Ojibwe and Cree spiritual beliefs as represented through ancient rock art. The readable text should appeal to the layperson as well as an academic audience.
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