Shoshone Map Rock (approx. 12,000 ya)

Wayfinding was an important part of early Indigenous Peoples' cultures, as it has been with various cultures through time and space. However, pre-contact Indigenous "maps" were often ephemeral, created on tusks, rocks, birch bark, and other available natural materials, and did not last much beyond the time at which they were made. One exception is the Shoshone Map Rock, located in Idaho, which is a large basalt rock with a petroglyph that is believed to be a map of the Snake and Salmon rivers and animals that existed during the time it was created. Map Rock is one of few pre-contact Indigenous maps still in existence. It is a good example of Indigenous cartography and their use of symbolism to communicate location and direction.