Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi World Heritage Site

Official name

Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi | UNESCO

Country

Canada | Map

Continent

North America

Location

49.7500° Lat, -111.6333° Lon | Map

Code

1597

Time Zone

America/Toronto (EST, -0500)

Current Time

Category

Cultural

Description

Inscribed 2019. The property is located on the northern edge of the semi-arid Great Plains of North America, on the border between Canada and the United States of America. The Milk River Valley dominates the topography of this cultural landscape, which is characterized by a concentration of pillars or hoodoos – columns of rock sculpted by erosion into spectacular shapes. The Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksikáíítsitapi) left engravings and paintings on the sandstone walls of the Milk River Valley, bearing testimony to messages from Sacred Beings. Dated in situ archaeological remains cover a period between ca. 4,500 BP - 3,500 years BP and the Contact Period. This landscape is considered sacred to the Blackfoot people, and their centuries-old traditions are perpetuated through ceremonies and in enduring respect for the places.