Cairns in My Collage for LMAC #223

When I looked at this week's template photo for the LMAC Collage Contest (#223), by @fotobrina, I noticed the small cairn in the foreground. I thought it was an odd location for a cairn, perched on the top of a rock. Maybe it was a landmark to guide hikers, and maybe it marked a place that had significance for someone, somewhere.

#223 Template by @fotobrina

For this blog, I focused on the memorial and spiritual aspects of cairns. This for me is much more interesting than a pile of stones left as a marker for hikers, or as a pile of stones left to indicate where a cache of supplies may be found. The memorial cairn is history.

For example, in Argyll, Scotland chamber cairns are quite common. These may be 5,000 years old.

_{Richard Sutclliffe. CC 2.0 license (attribution share and share alike)}

Chamber cairns were burial sites, and were spread throughout Scotland and Ireland. They were more common in Scotland and could have complex interiors, different chambers in which burials could take place.

These chambers do not offer up remains of a corpse, but parts of bodies with the bones rearranged and sometimes with the flesh removed (excarnation).

Here's an image that shows the inside of a complex chambered cairn.

_{Islandhopper. CC license 3.0 Attribution share and share alike}

This chamber is part of what is known as the Maeshowe Group, in Orkney, Scotland. Pictured is the entrance. From this entrance chambers were accessed. Burials occurred in the different chambers.

Inuksuk Point, Foxe Peninsula (Baffin Island), Nunavut, Canada

_{Ansgar Walk. License 2.5 attribute share alike.}

The cairns on Inuksuk Point (alternately, Enukso Point) may be 2000 years old. There may be 100 still standing today. These cairns, called Inuksuk by the Inuit people, serve different functions. Some of these may be spiritual, and some Inuksuk may be used as memorials.

Apachetas (Cairns) of the Andes

_{Sonia Barboza. Used under CC 4.0 attribution, share-alike international license.}

Cairns in the Andes are considered sacred. They occur along mountain passages. As travelers pass they leave a stone and in doing so leave behind their weariness. The stone monuments are considered a homage to Mother Earth and to mountain spirits. It is considered disrespectful to remove one of the stones.

The Apachetas date back to the Incan Empire.

Apacheta in the 7 Lakes of Ausangate, Peru

_{Sarithurdado. CC 4.0 Attribution share and share-alike license}

Cairns in Korea (Seonangdang) are considered holy. They are dedicated to the deity that is patron of a village. The rock cairns in Korea are common in mountain communities.

Guksabong cairn, Korea

_{사랑. Public domain}

My Collage

I used the template as a base, but wanted to emphasize the spiritual aspect of the image. I chose a yeti to occupy a major place in the collage, because yetis have a mystical aspect. In the trees you will note winged sprites, creatures of the spirit. And in the foreground is a dove, symbolic messenger of peace. The footprints (from one of my own photos) in the snow suggest perhaps a mourner come to pay respects, or perhaps a spirit that has passed through the forest. The snow for me is both purifying, and a reminder of the coldness of death.

In the background you can see the cairns that reach, it is implied, into the forest. This is a burial ground, a sacred place. It is a place of remembrance, reverence, and peace.

Here is a process GIF that shows many stages of the collage development.

This may be the first time ever that I didn't use an element from the LIL library. Still, I am adding two LMAC legacy participants as beneficiaries: @yaziris and @muelli.

These are the public domain elements I used:
Snow scene
Pixabay

Yeti
Pixabay

Snow Dove
Pixabay

Sprites in Trees
Pixabay

Applications used in making the collage: GIMP, Paint, and Paint 3D. I also used Lunapic filters to enhance the snow effect and create a fantasy impression.

LMAC and LIL
LMAC now has two monthly contests: A Themed Contest, and the Traditional Collage Contest. The traditional collage contest is currently in progress. I highly recommend this creative exercise to everyone. I don't compete in the contest because I am on the jury that selects finalists.

LMAC is a welcoming community. We offer handsome monthly prizes, and curation for every collage submitted (must follow the rules spelled out in our announcement blog). Become a part of this community, especially if you are not an artist. You may be surprised at finding the artist in you.

Also, please note that our image library welcomes contributions from everyone on Hive, and anyone on Hive may borrow from the library. Procedures for borrowing and contribution are described in @shaka's blog, here.

Peace and health to everyone. Hive on!