Abstract:
The Keep River region has a complex body of engraved and painted rock-art, distinct from but with links to regions
to the east, west and south. At least four major periods of figurative rock-art have been identified with differing subject
matters and ages. Significant changes in depictions of human figures and animals are evident, reflecting shifts
in emphasis associated with ecological concerns and environmental change. We flesh out the relative rock-art
chronology by highlighting these changes, from worlds dominated by humans to those dominated by mammals
and birds, and finally to a recent world of reptiles and humans. Symbolic aspects of the imagery are also considered
within a larger ecological approach.
