These faces are still looking at us, but are they laughing at us?...Stylistic and Proxemic Analysis of the Dorset Petroglyphs of Qajartalik, Nunavik

Conference Paper

Abstract

The Kangirsujuaq region, Nunavik, is a unique area where prehistoric rock-art sites can be found in the Canadian Arctic. In fact only four petroglyph sites have been identified so far, all located along the north-east coast of Ungava peninsula. One of those sites, Qajartalik (JhEv-1), was first studied during the 1960's by the anthropologist B. Saladin-d'Anglure, who counted 94 different petroglyphs and interpreted them as being a Dorset production. Comparing their formal elements, Saladin-d'Anglure identified two distinct types, and a few sub-types. Neither this typology nor the methodology applied were ever critically re-examined thereafter (e.g. Taçon 1993), leaving some discrepancies in the archaeological interpretation of the site. Recent research has led to a reassessment these petroglyphs, and also to the discovery of more than 80 new motifs. At first sight, all depict human-like heads facing on. However, a close examination allows to distinguish at least seven different types of faces. Moreover facial details are sometimes explicit enough that one can interpret some distinct expressions - suggesting astonishment, sorrowness and so on - from one engraved figure to another. Without doing any psychological interpretation, this paper will present a proxemic analysis, along with a typological one, which could help to get better insights into the mimicry that Dorset people could have used for non-verbal communications in some specific contexts.