Canada - Qajartalik

Qajartalik is a unique Arctic rock site that includes countless petroglyphs made from a single motif, that of the face, which is found engraved in shapes and sizes varied on steatite rocks. This singular graphic manifestation reflects the spiritual and magico-religious world of the Dorset, who inhabited the shores of Nunavik from 2,200 - 1,000 years before today (AA) and disappeared before the arrival of the Thule-Inuit (to 800 years before today). This site corresponds to a granitic crevice where a large vein of steatite was used as support for petroglyphs by the Dorset. At various points on its surface, this same vein of soapstone contains traces of extraction which confirm that it also served as a quarry during the Paleoeskimo (Dorset), Neo-Eskimo (Thule-Inuit) and recent Inuit periods for the acquisition of material. first necessary for the manufacture, among others, cooking pots and oil lamps. The site is divided into five sectors, four of which correspond to blocks of steatite with petroglyphs and some extractions while a fifth sector aligned with the ensemble forms a built-in rock shelter. The dorset petroglyphs, with more than 180 stylized faces sometimes displaying zoomorphic elements, make up a convincing example of the Dorset creative genius, whose meaning probably relates to the worldview and the shamanic complex. This set is a unique testimony and offers a new perspective on a missing cultural tradition, that of the Dorset. The large number of representations of faces with varied shapes engraved on large expanses of steatite offers an unusual and striking sight to those who visit the site.