The Aboriginal Rock Paintings of the Churchill River by Tim E.H. Jones Published by Saskatchewan Archaeological Society Review by Keith Foster $21.00 ISBN 9780969142065 When Tim Jones saw his first rock paintings on Kipahigan Lake in northern Saskatchewan in 1964, he was both puzzled and fascinated by them. The subject of his Master’s thesis, studying these paintings became his lifelong passion. The Aboriginal Rock Paintings of the Churchill River is the second printing of a book originally published in 1981 based on Jones’s thesis. By the time it went out of print in 2005, it had become a “best seller,” having sold more copies than any other book dealing with Saskatchewan’s archeological past. According to Jeff Baldwin, President of the Saskatchewan Archaeological Society, the book remains “the main published resource on the ancient rock art of Saskatchewan’s north.” In his preface, Jones points out the importance of this study. “Rock art is the most widely spread, diverse and ancient of all human creative endeavours.” In learning about past artists and their worlds, we learn more about our own world and our current culture. These rock paintings depict a variety of subjects, primarily human-like figures, thunderbirds, and snakes. Tobacco pipes, rings,…

St. Victor Petroglyphs: The Place of the Living Stone by Tim E.H. Jones and S. Louise Jones Published by The Friends of St. Victor Petroglyphs Review by Keith Foster $22.95 ISBN 978-0-9917298-0-7 As Saskatchewan is the “Land of Living Skies,” so too St. Victor is “The Place of the Living Stone,” a reference to the carvings etched into stone there. These petroglyphs, though hundreds of years old, are still evolving and thus very much alive in the minds of archaeologists. Located in a provincial park near St. Victor, SK, about 35 km south of Assiniboia, the site offers a spectacular view of the surrounding countryside. Among the 340 sandstone carvings are etchings of bison, grizzly bear tracks, hand prints, and human faces. St. Victor Petroglyphs: The Place of the Living Stone contains fascinating facts and details in its 215 pages, with 156 illustrations, mostly black and white photos and sketches, plus 34 in colour. Appendices and references run another 38 pages. In spite of this wealth of information, the authors contend that more research is required even to determine the age of the petroglyphs. Best estimates date their origin from 250 to 1,800 years ago. The authors also surmise that…