Video
Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park's sacred roots
When Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park / Áísínai’pi was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019, it was an opportunity for the world to learn about the sacred Indigenous roots of this special place. Writing-on-Stone gets its name from the ancient rock art among its sandstone cliffs (the Blackfoot name of Áísínai’pi means “where the writings are”). For generations, the park was a sacred place for the region’s Indigenous Blackfoot people, and other Indigenous groups of North America. For at least 4,000 years, Indigenous people have come here to pray, perform ceremonies and go on vision quests. The petroglyphs carved into the rock and the pictographs painted there are a testament to the place’s importance. The carvings depict sacred people, spirits, battles, journeys and moments. This is the story of one of those families and their connection to the place: Alvin Manychief, his daughter Camina Weasel Moccassin and his grandson Dragen.