Indigenous Artists Reviving Ancient Rock Art Themes

Many 21st century Indigenous groups are descended from peoples who decorated the walls of caves, cliffs, and rocky outcroppings with impressive collections of rock art. These ancient peoples used drawings, engravings, and illustrations for the purposes of intergenerational communication, as they wanted to make sure the memories of their beliefs and experiences would be preserved indefinitely.
In a new research project, a rock art expert from Poland looked more closely at the work of modern Indigenous artists from Central Asia (Siberia and Kazakhstan) and Canada, to discover how much they have been influenced by ancient artistic traditions.
Ancient Themes by Modern Hands

According to archaeologist Andrzej Rozwadowski from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland, rock art explores themes that should resonate with Indigenous groups still today. The purpose of his research was to find out how frequently Indigenous artists incorporate such themes into their work and to what extent they did so intentionally, as a way to help modern peoples reclaim their deeply historical cultural identities.

Works by Alexander Domozhakov, influenced by ancient rock art. (Andrzej Rozwadowski/Antiquity Publications Ltd)

Surprisingly, there hasn’t been much research into this question before now. It seems that most archaeologists remain fixated on studying the past as the past, and consequently they don’t make much of an effort to find out if their discoveries have relevance to modern practices.

“The contemporary re-use of rock art is a growing phenomenon,” Professor Rozwadowski said. “However, to date, very little attention has been paid to how rock art inspires contemporary Indigenous artists, especially in such little-known areas as Siberia or Central Asia.”

Rozwadowski’s new study, which is entitled ‘Rock art as a source of contemporary cultural identity,’ is designed to fill in this knowledge gap.

Unique petroglyphs in the Tanbaly Valley Kazakhstan, which inspired local artists. (Andrzej Rozwadowski/Antiquity Publications Ltd)

“The main focus of this research is the work of contemporary Indigenous artists and assessing to what extent references to rock art, and sometimes more widely to prehistoric art, constitute a source of cultural identity in their work,” Rozwadowski explained in a new article about his research appearing in Antiquity.

“What kind of imagery do artists use, what factors determine the choice of particular motifs, to what extent are those choices inspired by archaeological interpretations or cooperation with archaeologists and how is rock art inscribed in the narratives construed by the artists? These questions lie at the heart of the research, which aims to demonstrate how important rock art is today and to show that archaeology is dealing with a socially sensitive heritage.”

Modern Indigenous art inspired by rock art. Left; Abdrashit Sydykhanov Planet Moon, 1996 (collection of Zauresh Sydykhanova); right) the petroglyphs from the Tanbaly—the anthropomorph standing on the bull. (Zauresh Sydykhanova / Andrzej Rozwadowski/Antiquity Publications Ltd)

Preserving Ancient Traditions that Remain Relevant in the Modern Age

Professor Rozwadowski has identified two ways that modern interest in ancient rock art reflects the needs of Indigenous groups. One is that it helps to reinforce a sense of a shared cultural and communal identity that unites modern peoples with their ancestors, and with each other. This is especially essential now, since most Indigenous groups are small in population and not guaranteed to survive as a culturally identifiable group well into the future.

A second essential element in the current interest in ancient Indigenous art is that the latter explores themes related to the sacred connection between the people and the lands they occupy. This topic remains a concern for Indigenous groups, who must constantly fight to preserve and protect the land they still have left. The work of the modern artist reflects this concern, and as such it explores a vital theme that is of interest to all Indigenous people everywhere.

A notable aspect of Professor Rozwadowski’s project is that it has been carried out with the full cooperation of living artists associated with Indigenous cultures in Siberia, Kazakhstan, and Canada. In addition to closely examining their works, to compare it to the ancient creations, he has also been interviewing these artists to get a sense of how they conceive of their artistic mission.

What he has discovered confirms that the modern rock artists are intentionally including ancient themes or motifs in their work. They are constantly updating or adapting those themes, however, to make sure their creations are relevant to the problems Indigenous peoples have faced trying to preserve their cultural identities in the face of oppression and discrimination by modern colonizers.

In Central Asia, for example, Indigenous cultural traditions were actively suppressed by the communist government of the Soviet Union, which autocratically ruled this region until the fall of the Soviet Empire in 1989. Artists connected with the oppressed groups report that their efforts to take inspiration from ancient rock art has generated great support and enthusiasm among their audiences, as modern Indigenous people are eager to explore and celebrate traditions that they were forced to deny not that long ago.

Left: Spirit of the Night by Khakas artist Alexander Domozhakov,1991 (collection of Olga Akhrimchik); right: the Bronze Age stela of the Okunevo culture (Khakas National Museum of Local Lore) (Andrzej Rozwadowski/Antiquity Publications Ltd)

Likewise, among Canadian Indigenous groups there is still bitterness over the way European colonizers sought to assimilate First Nations peoples into their cultures, while simultaneously attempting to destroy cherished Indigenous cultural memories.

Many Indigenous artists in Canada have intentionally linked rock art traditions with condemnations of 20th century colonial injustices, including the residential schools system that abused so many First Nations children who were forced to attend these oppressive institutions. The idea is to repurpose the older rock art themes as symbols for opposition to colonialism in all its forms, to assist First Nations peoples attempting to heal the remaining emotional wounds that haunt their cultures.

Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, southern Alberta, and its petroglyphs. (Andrzej Rozwadowski/Antiquity Publications Ltd)

Indigenous Artist Sources: Universal Themes from Across Time and Space

The One of Professor Rozwadowski’s more fascinating discoveries is that modern Indigenous artists from different parts of the world have been incorporating similar rock art motifs into their work, despite their lack of any direct contact.

“It turned out that both Asian and Canadian artists see a lot of similarities in the art they create,” he said. “The most memorable thing for me was what Canadian artist from the Cree Nation Jane Ash Poitras said when I met her in Edmonton. When I showed her the work of the Khakass artist Alexander Domozhakov, from southern Siberia, she said: ‘Isn’t it Norval Morrisseau?!’ (Canada’s most prominent Indigenous artist).”

What this shows is that both the ancient rock artists and their modern equivalents explored themes with universal meaning and significance. This creates a cultural continuity that connects the past with the present, and peoples from all times and places with peoples from other parts of the globe.

Most significantly, the reuse of rock art themes in the 21st century is a deliberate act designed to ensure that cultural identities are preserved and that modern Indigenous peoples ever forget their roots.

“Rock art is a source of both aesthetic and identity inspiration for contemporary artists,” Professor Rozwadowski stated, summing up the findings of his research.  “It demonstrates how rock art is important to many Indigenous artists as a source for rediscovering their cultural identities, especially now in post-colonial times.”

Top image:  The late Grigori Krasnov with his work in his atelier in Abakan, Republic of Khakassia, Siberia. Source: Andrzej Rozwadowski/Antiquity Publications Ltd

By Nathan Falde