Autumn has arrived in Southern Ontario with a skein of glorious days, sunny and, well, autumnal. This morning we decided to "carpe diem" and head northward to Bon Echo Provincial Park, a gem in our region, There was evidence of Fall colour along the way and we arrived at the park before many campers had stirred.
We unloaded our kayaks and headed toward the towering cliff (100+ metres in height, maybe 1.5 km in length) which is Mazinaw Rock. There was virtually no breeze and the morning light was idea for viewing the Indigenous pictographs painted just above the water line along the cliff face. The red ochre images depict human and animal figures, as well as a number of abstract and geometric symbols.
We have paddled along this cliff a number of times through the years and I've written about doing so in this blog. Today's calm allowed us to take our time and see more of the pictographs than we have on any other occasion. There were no other people around, unlike the Summer when it borders on chaotic. We made our leisurely and contemplative way along the cliff and back.
Ruth commented that looking for the images was not unlike birding. The invisible becomes visible with attention and spaciousness in terms of time. We found that our breathing slowed and we could simply take in the grandeur of the cliff and the mystery of the unexplained images.
Who were these artists, probably Algonkian, and what was the purpose of their work? Some of the Group of Seven along with other painters came to the lodge which once stood at the water's edge, before Bon Echo was a provincial park. Some of the regular guests at that lodge were clergy who came to enjoy the marvelous view of Creation. While I appreciate these paintings and the sensibilities of the pastors who spent time there I have a reverence for these mysterious and deeply meaningful pictographs. Once again we were moved by what we experienced.
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