Petroglyphs Provincial Park

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For the provincial park near Nanaimo, British Columbia, see Petroglyph Provincial Park

A glyph in Petroglyphs Provincial Park.

Petroglyphs Provincial Park is situated northeast of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. It has the largest collection of ancient First Nations petroglyphs (rock carvings). The carvings were created in the pre-Columbian era and represents aspects of First Nations mysticism, including shamans, animals, and the Great Spirit.

The location of the site was forgotten until 1924, when it was rediscovered by historian Charles Kingam.

The sacred stone is generally believed to have been carved by the Algonkian people between 900 and 1400 CE. Today, the First Nations people of Ontario call the carvings Kinomagewapkong, meaning "the rocks that teach" or "the Teaching Rocks".

There are several other theories of the date and authors of the petroglyphs, some of which may reflect the now-waning racist theories of European interference in American cultural development:

- Retired Harvard professor Barry Fell believes the Petroglyphs are inscriptions by a Norse king named Woden-lithi (Servant of Odin), who was said to have sailed from Norway up the St. Lawrence River in about 1700 BCE.

- Archaeologist David H. Kelley viewed the Petroglyphs and declared that some of the symbols were European, dating perhaps to c. 1000 CE.

- According to Andis Kaulins, the Petroglyphs are a sky map of the heavens from c. 3117 BCE based on European tradition; they have nothing to do with Native American traditions.

However, according to the Learning Center tour guides and teachers, while the glyphs are important they're not the primary spiritual significance that make this site sacred. The cracks in the rock are believed to lead to the spirit world, as there is a river that runs underneath the rock approximately 6 metres below. When the river becomes full it produces a noise that sounds like human voices. The Aboriginal people believe these are Spirits speaking to them. When the water levels are at that level, the normally dry forest near the site becomes marshy.

The park 10am to 5pm daily from the second Friday in May to Thanksgiving.