To date, only 55 prehistoric to protohistoric American Indian
rock art sites have been identified in the state and many of
these, since destroyed, were first identified at the turn of the
century. Reported rock art sites in Minnesota include
petroglyphs and pictographs appearing on exposed outcrops or in
caves, as well as open-air petroforms. Minnesota's aboriginal
rock art appears to have been produced from Archaic through
Protohistoric times and was probably produced in Paleoindian
times as well. The iconography of rock art has a unique
potential to yield insights into the character and evolution of
prehistoric and protohistoric American Indian ideation,
subsistence practices, technology, aesthetics and other cultural
elements, which are difficult or impossible to elucidate by
other means. Statewide, these generally unprotected sites are
increasingly vulnerable to destruction as a consequence of
vandalism, natural processes, and construction. At the same
time, the potential for identifying numerous other, u