Petroglyph

Object: Jack Point Petroglyph, associated with archaeological site DgRx-7

Use: is associated with a salmon run ritual in the Nanaimo River

Era: unknown, pre-contact. Petroglyphs cannot be dated, unless they are found in the context of an excavated archaeological site. In 1992, a Snuneymuxw Elder stated that this petroglyph had been used in rituals by Snuneymuxw people up until the coming of the missionaries in the middle to late 1800s.

Materials: sandstone

Size/ Dimensions: large boulder; height: 2 metres (6 feet 8 inches) width: 1.5 metres (5 feet ). The boulder weighs 4 to 8 tons.

Collection site: The petroglyph was situated southwest of the first small bay at the west side of Jack Point at the entrance to Nanaimo Harbour. Jack Point is not far from Duke Point and the B.C. Ferry Terminal.

Current Location/Museum: Nanaimo District Museum

Accession Number: never accessioned

Display Technique: currently situated outside of the entrance to the Nanaimo District Museum

Description: zoomorphic or animal figures are engraved onto one face of the boulder, including five fish and one bird