VISIONS CAST ON STONE: THE PETROGLYPHS OF GABRIOLA ISLAND By Amanda S. Adams Introduction sites, I highly recommend the phase art. Most examples of rock art ... Gabriola Island, located within the examination ofMary and Ted Bentley's fit comfortably within the stylistic Gulf of Georgia region, is home to an publication, Gabriola: Petroglyph parameters of Marpole phase art" extraordinarily rich collection of Island (Bentley 1998) for an illustrative (Holm 1990:314). This statement petroglyphs. To date, twelve petroglyph and useful inventory of motif types and provides an important point of sites on the island have been formally site layout. departure for my investigation into the registered with the province; several That being said, this article provides Gabriola Island petroglyphs: did .the more sites, located on private property, an overview of a pre-contact visual petroglyphs emerge out of the Marpole currently remain unregistered. The culture and builds upon on Margaret A. phase culture type and the ·general number of images at each site varies Holm's (1990) unpublished Master's artistic florescence evident 2400 to dramatically: some sites contain a thesis, Prehistoric Northwest Coast Art: 1000 years ago (Matson and Coupland single caiving while other sites display A Stylistic Analysis of the 1995:203 ; Thoro 1995:45)? And if so; over 70 separate images in tight Archaeological Record. Her data, which what is it about an image that makes it proximity (i.e., DgRw 192). And while derive predominantly from well-dated distinctly Marpole? Gabriola Island possesses many contexts within the Gulf of Georgia There are approximately 115 known petroglyph sites, nearby islands such as region, provide a comparative sample petroglyphs on Gabriola Island and they Valdes Island (McLay 1999) and the of design elements and motifs. Holm divide into surprisingly even groups Of northern end of Galiano Island have few (1990: ii) argues that by the end of the motif-type: a total of 3 5 known or none (despite heavy summer Locarno Beach phase or the beginning anthropomorphic carvings are found on populations and ample opportunity for of the Marpole phase, the "essential the island along with approximately 40 discovery). Surely, Gabriola Island character of the Northwest Coast art zoomorphic figures and 42 abstract/ stands as an area of extraordinary style had developed." Furthermore, she symbolic designs (Table 1). Most of interest to archaeologists while being observes that, "although [her] study had these sites are found inland and cluster a very sacred place for members of the not focused on rock art, a casual within a five-kilometer radius of the Snuneymuxw First Nation. examination of petroglyphs from the extensive False Narrows midden Ten of the more popular petroglyph Gulf of Georgia area reveals parallels located on the southeast portion of the images (i.e., the "kingfisher" and with the motifs, design elements, and island. AU petroglyphs found within 20 "dancing man") have been trademarked compositional principles of Marpole meters of the high tide mark are solitary · with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. This action was the result of Table 1: frustration, on behalf of the Motif Type Distribution For Gabriola Island Petroglyph Sites. Snuneymuxw Nation, over the fact that Site # Anthropomorph Zoomorph Abstract Total sacred petroglyph images produced by DhRw 2 1 0 0 1 their ancestors were--and still DhRw 5 2 0 0 2 sometimes are- used for commercial DhRw 13 1 1 0 2 gain (i.e., pasted on bags of coffee DgRw 2 0 1 0 1 beans, sold as tourist postcards, made DgRw 30 1 1 0 2 into jewelry, painted on boat hulls and DgRw 63 0 2 0 2 replicated in pieces cif artwork later sold DgRw 192 16 22 33 71 for profit). Many Snuneymuxw Elders DgRw 193 2 4 3 9 firmly believe that any reproduction of DgRw 194 1 3 0 4 a petroglyph image "steals its power" DgRw 198 1 3 3 7 away;· hence, just as use of the images DgRw 201 7 1 0 8 is prohibited in commercial contexts, DgRw 224 1 0 0 1 it has also been requested that Dgrw 225 0 1 0 1 photographs of petroglyph sites not be Unregistered #1 1 0 3 4 included in this article. I have abided Unregistered #2 1 0 0 1 by tha t request. And although no Unregistered #3 0 1 0 1 images are incorporated into this overview of Gabriola Island petroglyph Total 35 40 42 115 4 TheMidden carvings (with the exception being that example, are consistently portrayed. '0''0' 00 of the Lock Bay site, DhRw 13). The same is true of 'animal' depictions @ @ The majority of petroglyphs located and abstract forms. A stylistic toolkit 0'15' c. on Gabriola Island are distinguished by of techniques and aesthetic approaches • • their bold and curvilinear appearance. thus seems to be at work, one that is ,, ~ Q ~ The line quality of many of the carvings content specific and utilizes a D (usually the zoomorphic ones) is determinate repertoire offorms. Certain <:> C> ~ confident, fluid, consistent (in both design elements (such as eye-forms <:!:> <::> width· and depth), and masterful with secondary features rendered in ~@> @ (particularly with regard to use of profile) seem to have been reserved for B f. symmetry and negative space). Some of certain images and not used in others. the petroglyph motifs may have been And though one hesitates to rely too Figure 1: Eye-forms. A) Eyes with crescent painted. onto the rock surface prior to heavily on subjective judgments brows and/or unibrow; B) End-pointed eye~ engraving.1 ·Paints and pigments were regarding the ' quality' of a carving, with iris; C) Basic circle; D) Deep pitted eye; certainly known and used during the some petroglyphs do indeed exhibit a E) Eyes with secondary and tertiary features, time period spanning 4000 to 2500 BP remarkable application of skill (and i.e., 'elaborate. ' (Carlson 1993 :7) and--given 'the surely a larger investment of time and unforgiving nature of stone as a labour) while others appear to have between eye-shape and motif type in medium-it does not seem unlikely that been rendered in a rough and less both the Gabriola Island petroglyphs these complex images would be painted careful manner. Such differences should and Marpole period portable artifacts. before being carved and made be acknowledged as a marked point of Zoomorphic figures tend to have both permanent. 2 contrast. round and sharply pointed, down­ Another striking feature turned eyelids with secondary elements characteristic of many of the carvings Marpole Connections while anthropomorphic figures are is their ' signature' look. Other Comparisons based on style (i.e., portrayed with basic circle-shape eyes researchers have noted the same: with design elements, technique and sometimes accentuated with eyebrows regard to the carvings found at composition) between artifact but never with pinched ends, points, or Petroglyph Park in Nanaimo (rock assemblages collected from Gabriola large irises. Holm notes the same carvings which undoubtedly relate to Island (i.e., False Narrows), Holm's pattern in her study and concludes that those of Gabriola Island), Douglas comparative sample, and other Marpole during Marpole times an increasing Leechman states that " ... of the whole phase artifacts (Carlson and Hobler complexity in the way features are petroglyph[s] ... there is very little 1993 ), support assigning production of delineated begins to emerge and, in overlapping of figures. This fact and the the majority of Gabriola Island's close accordance with the Gabriola quite evident similarities in style petroglyph sites to the Marpole period Island petroglyphs, approximately 75% suggest that most of the figures shown (2400-1000 BPV Rationale for this of her sample contains eye-shapes with were made by the same artist" chronological placement is threefold: "secondary and tertiary elements" (Leechman 1952:267). Close (1) the striking and strong similarities (Holm 1990: 13 6). examination of the Gabriola Island found between petroglyph motifs and Marpole mobiliary objects also petroglyphs leads me to also suggest those found on portable artifacts display many of the same stylistic traits that an individual specialist or a small recovered from Marpole contexts; (2) seen in the Gabriola Island petroglyphs: group/family of trained carvers a generally bold and curvilinear style bold and curvilinear form-lines; the produced the bulk of well-crafted type not seen either before or after the distinctive 'sea-wolf' motif replete with petroglyph panels located on both Marpole period; and (3) the presence hunched limbs, open mouth and Gabriola Island and Vancouver Island of the expansive False Narrows village elaborate eye-forms with secondary (i.e. , in Snuneymuxw traditional site and cave burials which date largely features; zoomorphic figures that territory and possibly at the Sproat Lake to the Marpole time period (Burley contain lateral-sectioning and the site, DhSf 1). Given the ·strong stylistic 1989) points to an active Marpole peculiarly elongated, bulbous nose; and similarities found between the two and occupation on Gabriola Island, while anthropomorphic figures rendered with the fact that seasonal rounds the sheer density of sites ( 17 in a 3 heart-shaped heads, basic concentric encompassed both places, the theory is linear km area; Wilson 1987:57) eyes and limbs tipped with three to five a plausible one. located on the False Narrows bluffs digits (see Figure 2). Stylistic harmony and cohesion is underscores the clear importance of the Parallel distribution of motif types most evident within motif-type groups place. A host of radiocarbon dates (human, bird and ' sea-wolf' ) found (i.e., anthropomorph, zoomorph, (Curtin 2002) also demonstrates between portable objects and abstract). The extant · patterns of extensive occupation within the petroglyphs forms another point of similarity do not find substantial or Marpole phase timeframe.