Rock Art Glossary

(c) 1997 Kevin L. Callahan

A GLOSSARY OF ROCK ART TERMS


Gif animation by Andrew Mills
from E. Muybridge"s (1913) 
The Human Figure in Motion
ASC - altered states of consciousness
Algonkian - the Native American language group that includes the Ojibwa, 
Cree, etc.
altered states of consciousness - an unusual state of mind which may 
include the experience of entoptic phenomena or hallucinations
anthropology - the holistic study of human beings, including their physical 
evolution and biology, culture and society, archaeology, and linguistics
anthropomorph - a rock art figure shaped like a human 
being or human-like
archaeoastronomy - the anthropology of astronomy; the reconstruction of past 
astronomical practices, celestial lore, mythologies, religions and world-views 
of ancient cultures related to the sky
archaeology - the reconstruction of the human past primarily 
through its material remains
Archaic - the Eastern Archaic tradition is an archaeological 
time period from about 6000 B.C. to 800 B.C. generally 
associated with the appearance of ground-stone and copper tools
atlatl - spearthrower; a stick with a hook on the end (that often 
looks like a large crochet hook) used to throw a spear or dart 2 and ½ times 
further
Au ge jak - Ojibwa word for the "little people" often associated 
with rock art
banner stone - a stone found in the archaeological record that 
may have been a component of Archaic atlatls
bas relief - a three dimensional carving still attached to the 
background wall
birch bark scroll - a form of pictographic writing (non-phonetic) 
often  used to remember songs or
shamanic rituals
bison - the  North American buffalo; a bovine ruminant 
blade - a stone tool that is at least two times as long as it is wide 
that may have been used as a projectile
point, knife, etc.
buffalo - North American bison (not "water buffalo")
chert - a type of stone favored for knapping stone tools and projectile 
points because of its structure and predictable fracturing characteristics
Cheyenne - a Native American cultural group and a tribal affiliation
Chippewa - an older name (currently less favored) for Ojibwa
copper age - an archaeological period during the Archaic when 
copper tools first appeared
culture - the non-biological characteristics unique to a particular 
society and the nongenetic means of
adaption e.g. learned behavior; culture is not unique to human beings
cup and rings - cupules surrounded by one or more concentric circles; 
the term favored in Europe
cupmark - cupule
cupule - a petroglyph in the shape of a "cup" (or the bottom half of a 
sphere) in stone usually about 2 inches (5cm) and about 5/8ths inch 
deep found all over the world
Dakota - a Native American cultural group and a tribal affiliation
effigy mound - a mound of dirt in the shape of a figure such as an a 
bird or snake that may have burials
en toto - the interior of an outlined figure has been pecked
entoptic- visual phenomena generated within vision (or more loosely 
within the nervous system); 
generally the images seen in the first stage of altered states of consciousness
excised - carving away the background around a figure in stone
fauna - animals
flint - a type of stone favored for making stone tools because of its 
ability to fracture (like glass) in predictable and controllable ways
flintknap - the technique of making stone tools by knocking flakes 
off of a stone to shape it
fluted points - a projectile point that has a flake or flakes removed 
from  the interior area or end  of the point to thin the point for hafting; 
usually seen in Clovis and Folsom points
geoglyph - images formed on the ground by scraping away surface 
material to form an image out of  the exposed underlying soil, or 
by arranging stones to form a figure such as a petroform
hafting - tying something  such as a stone tool or projectile point 
onto a handle or spear
heart line - a line in a petroglyph from the mouth or the chest that 
usually ends in a heart-shaped object
historic - during a period when written history existed
incised - carving figures into rock by cutting lines to outline a figure
intaglio - incised rock carving with a sunken design
Jessakid - one of the three types of Ojibwa shamen; usually solo 
practioners associated with contacting the dead e.g. with a "shaking tent"
Lewis, Theodore H. - the first archaeologist to systematically survey and
record the petroglyphs, cave art, incised boulders, and burial mounds of
Minnesota and many other states during the late 19th century. Much of Lewis'
work was financed by Alfred J. Hill.
lilliputian hallucination - the medical term for seeing "little people" 
while hallucinating; often associated with atropine, alcohol withdrawal, 
and DMT hallucinations
lithics - artifacts like projectile points made of stone
lunate - lunar or moon shaped
mammoth - a large cold adapted elephant-like extinct animal with a 
domed head, large tusks, and long thick fur
manido - a spirit
manitou - a spirit
maymaygwayshi - the Ah ge jaks or "little people" associated by some 
Ojibwa with rock art
medicine bag - a bag carried by Native Americans containing spiritually 
important objects usually made from the skin of an animal
megafauna - large animals such as now extinct North American 
mammoths, mastodons, camels, giant ground sloths, giant beaver, giant bison 
Mide - one of the three types of Ojibwa shamen; a male or female 
shaman initiated into the organized Midewiwin or "Grand Medicine Society" 
which practiced medicine, healing, naming of children and other 
spiritual practices
Midewiwin - the Ojibwa organized shamanic society, sometimes 
referred to as the "Grand Medicine Society"
Minnesota - Dakota for "Land of Sky-Tinted Waters" - more popularly translated as "Land of Sky-Blue Waters." The state is named after the Minnesota River.
 Mississippi- "Mee-zee-see-pee" in Ojibwa means "Father of Waters" or "Big River"
Mississippian - an archaeological time period from about 900 A.D. 
to 1700 A.D. generally associated with the appearance of organized agriculture
mobiliary art - portable, mobile or movable art such as small objects 
that can be transported
neuropsychological model - a theory of rock art related to the representation 
of figures and shapes commonly perceived during altered states of consciousness 
obsidian - a form of natural volcanic glass used to make projectile 
points and other tools
Ojibwa - the largest Native American culture or tribal affiliation 
in North America
Paleo-Indian - the earliest archaeological time period in North America 
before 6000 B.C. associated with the culture of mammoth and giant bison hunters
parietal art - art on the walls of caves and rock shelters
patination - the thin layer of material that forms on a rock surface 
after weathering that can change its 
color
pecked - a dimpled appearance on stone when a hammer stone is 
used to shape or roughen a surface
petroform - a representational figure laid out on the ground with 
stones or boulders
petroglyph - an image carved or pecked into a rock face using 
tone tools.  
pictoglyph - a less used general term for a petroglyph or pictograph
pictograph - an image that is painted or drawn on to a surface; it 
may also reference a form of symbolic imagery used as a mnemonic 
device that is usually not phonetic but is representational 
pitted boulder - a boulder (usually a glacial erratic) with cupmarks on it
pipestone - a type of stone (Catlinite) reddish in color, used to make 
ceremonial pipes and traded across North America
pit and grooves - cup shaped petroglyphs with incised lines
prehistory - before written history
projectile point - a more neutral and general term that encompasses 
arrowheads, spear points, dart points, etc. which may or may not have 
been thrown, thrown with an atlatl, or shot with a bow
quartzite - a fine grained extremely hard metamorphic rock (or bedrock)
rock art - a general term for petroglyphs, pictoglyphs, pictographs, 
mobiliary art, etc.; "art" as we think of it in a modern sense may not 
have been the motivation for the creation of these cultural artifacts; 
"rock art" is the term more frequently used in Europe rather than 
the more North American term "petroglyph" 
rock shelter - an overhang such as on a cliff face used as protection 
or shelter from the elements; often a temporary camp or permanent 
living area; favored because a fire in a true cave can suffocate  the occupants
sculpture - three dimensional representation of a figure
shaman - a person skilled in contacting the otherworld who may be 
specialized in medicine, contacting
the dead, love magic, hunting magic, etc.
Sioux - an older less favored term for the Dakota
solar marker - petroglyphs designed so that sunlight or shadow interacts
in a distinctive way with the rock art. These interactions may occur on 
astronomically significant days.
Sheyenne - older spelling of Cheyenne; also the name of a river in 
North Dakota that flows into the Red River
St. Croix - the name of a river on the Minnesota, Wisconsin border; 
also the name of a type of projectile point
style - a distinctive manner or way of doing something e.g. a unique 
decoration or expressive shape
tanged projectile point - a projectile point with a very long  slender 
tongue or shank projecting from it for
inserting into a shaft or dart
totem - the symbolic association of animals with clans, family groups, 
and individuals in Ojibwa society
tutelary spirit - a guardian spirit or spirit helper
vision quest - the attempt to obtain a vision, contact spirits, obtain a 
guardian spirit or gain spiritual knowledge 
Wabeno - one of the three types of Ojibwa shamen who often worked 
alone and performed love magic, hunting magic, etc.
Wakan - the Dakota organized medicine society of shamen
Woodland - an archaeological time period from about 800 B.C. to 
1700 A.D. generally associated with the appearance of pottery and 
burial mounds
UMRARA - Upper Midwest Rock Art Association
Winnebago - a Native American cultural group (they prefer the name Hochunk)
zoomorph - a rock art figure that is animal-like