Angela Varga: Prehistoric Culture and Wilderness

We can’t look at more modern religions without looking at prehistoric religions. In an article titled "Religion in Prehistoric and Primal Cultures" the author writes about cave paintings and their significance in prehistoric religion. The cave paintings of prehistoric peoples often depict great mammals that the tribesmen hunted. They are found in the deep recesses of caves often in nooks that are difficult to get to. It is amazing to think that these people had such determination in order to fulfill whatever type of religious ritual they were celebrating. In class we talked about submission to wilderness and nature and I think these cave paintings are an example of that. The prehistoric people submit to the difficulties of finding these secluded cave spaces so they may isolate themselves and receive their spiritual “visions” which they then painted on the cave walls in order to appease whatever they believed in, maybe even to immortalize their wishes. It’s interesting to see that veneration of the wilderness has been important since the times when people couldn’t even write.