Abstract

In 1887-1888, George Creed recorded a remarkable collection of petroglyphs on the shores of Kejimkujik Lake in Nova Scotia. Probably the first extensive recording of a Canadian rock art site, it was included in Garrick Mallery's 1893 publication, Picture Writing of the American Indians. Both Mallery and Creed misinterpreted the age and much of the meaning of the images. Yet their interpretations continue to influence our understanding of the petroglyphs today. The petroglyphs, numbering more than four hundred, include images of people, clothing and designs, fauna, commercial porpoise hunting, sailing ships and canoes, streetscapes, traditional faith and Christianity, and literacy. Since 1970, Parks Canada has produced an extensive new recording through photography, direct tracings, and moulding, with varying degrees of success. This paper will illustrate the variety of images, discuss issues of interpretation and misinterpretation, and outline measures that have been taken to preserve the record of this rapidly disappearing legacy for future generations of Mi'kmaq.