* Pictographs are pictures or symbols that represent words or ideas. They were often painted or drawn on surfaces like rock walls, cave ceilings, or animal hides.
* Petroglyphs are carvings made into rock surfaces. These carvings could also depict symbols or scenes, much like pictographs.
Many Native American cultures, across diverse regions of North and South America, used these forms of visual communication. Here are some examples:
* The Anasazi (Southwest United States) used pictographs on rock walls, often depicting hunting scenes, ceremonies, and astronomical events.
* The Chumash (California) used pictographs and petroglyphs to tell stories, record history, and guide future generations.
* The Ojibwe (Great Lakes region) used birch bark scrolls with pictographs to record their history and spiritual beliefs.
It's important to note that these visual forms of communication were not always a direct replacement for written language. In many cases, they were used alongside spoken language and were often used for specific purposes like recording stories, keeping track of history, or conveying important information.