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{{about|human-made stone mounds|the Australian city|Cairns|other uses|Cairn (disambiguation)}} | {{about|human-made stone mounds|the Australian city|Cairns|other uses|Cairn (disambiguation)}} | ||
{{redirect|Rock pile|other uses|rockpile (disambiguation)}} | {{redirect|Rock pile|other uses|rockpile (disambiguation)}} | ||
[[File:Sunset near Nine Standards Rigg.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|A cairn a mile east of Nine Standards Rigg in the Yorkshire Dales.]] | |||
{{use dmy|date=April 2024}} | {{use dmy|date=April 2024}} | ||
A '''cairn''' is a human-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a [[burial mound]]. The word ''cairn'' comes from the {{langx|ga|carn}} {{IPA|gd|ˈkʰaːrˠn̪ˠ||}} (plural {{lang|gd|cairn}} {{IPA|gd|ˈkʰaːrˠɲ||}}).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Drummond |first1=Peter |title=Scottish hill names: The origin and meaning of the names of Scotland's hills and mountains |date=2007 |publisher=Scottish Mountaineering Trust; Distributed by Cordee |location=Glasgow; Leicester |isbn=978-0-907521-95-2 |page=25 |edition=2nd}} | A '''cairn''' is a human-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a [[burial mound]]. The word ''cairn'' comes from the {{langx|ga|carn}} {{IPA|gd|ˈkʰaːrˠn̪ˠ||}} (plural {{lang|gd|cairn}} {{IPA|gd|ˈkʰaːrˠɲ||}}).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Drummond |first1=Peter |title=Scottish hill names: The origin and meaning of the names of Scotland's hills and mountains |date=2007 |publisher=Scottish Mountaineering Trust; Distributed by Cordee |location=Glasgow; Leicester |isbn=978-0-907521-95-2 |page=25 |edition=2nd}} | ||
* See also: {{cite book |last1=Drummond |first1=Peter |title=Scottish hill and mountain names: The origin and meaning of the names of Scotland's hills and mountains |date=1991 |publisher=Scottish Mountaineering Trust; Distributed by Cordee |location=Glasgow; Leicester |isbn=978-0-907521-30-3 |pages=26–27 |edition=first |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/scottishhillmoun0000drum/page/26/mode/2up}}</ref> | *See also: {{cite book |last1=Drummond |first1=Peter |title=Scottish hill and mountain names: The origin and meaning of the names of Scotland's hills and mountains |date=1991 |publisher=Scottish Mountaineering Trust; Distributed by Cordee |location=Glasgow; Leicester |isbn=978-0-907521-30-3 |pages=26–27 |edition=first |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/scottishhillmoun0000drum/page/26/mode/2up}}</ref> | ||
Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In [[prehistory]], they were raised as markers, as memorials and as burial monuments | Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In [[prehistory]], they were raised as markers, as memorials and as burial monuments, some of which [[Chambered cairn|contained chambers]]. | ||
In the [[modern era]], cairns are often raised as landmarks, especially to mark the summits of mountains, and as [[Trail blazing|trail markers]]. They vary in size from small piles of stones to entire artificial hills, and in complexity from loose conical rock piles to elaborate [[megalith]]ic structures. Cairns may be painted or otherwise decorated, whether for increased visibility or for religious reasons. | In the [[modern era]], cairns are often raised as landmarks, especially to mark the summits of mountains, and as [[Trail blazing|trail markers]]. They vary in size from small piles of stones to entire artificial hills, and in complexity from loose conical rock piles to elaborate [[megalith]]ic structures. Cairns may be painted or otherwise decorated, whether for increased visibility or for religious reasons. | ||
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===Europe=== | ===Europe=== | ||
[[File:Carrowkeel Passage Tomb - geograph.org.uk - 1929464.jpg|thumb|One of the cairns at [[Carrowkeel Megalithic Cemetery]] in Ireland, which covers a [[passage tomb]].]] | [[File:Carrowkeel Passage Tomb - geograph.org.uk - 1929464.jpg|thumb|One of the cairns at [[Carrowkeel Megalithic Cemetery]] in Ireland, which covers a [[passage tomb]].]] | ||
The building of cairns for various purposes goes back into [[prehistory]] in [[Eurasia]], ranging in size from small rock sculptures to substantial human-made hills of stone | The building of cairns for various purposes goes back into [[prehistory]] in [[Eurasia]], ranging in size from small rock sculptures to substantial human-made hills of stone, some built on top of larger, natural hills.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last1=Kay |first1=Mike |author2=((The Frederick County Forestry Board)) |title=Building of cairns has long history |url=https://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/environment/building-of-cairns-has-long-history/article_f6753a77-b84a-5c69-b851-32d5e76f4dc5.html |access-date=2022-09-20 |work=The Frederick News-Post |date=17 January 2016 |language=en}}</ref> The human made hills are often relatively massive [[Bronze Age]] or earlier structures which, like [[Kistvaen|kistvaens]] and [[dolmen]]s, frequently contain burials. They are comparable to [[tumuli]] ([[kurgan]]s), but of stone construction instead of [[Earthworks (engineering)|earthworks]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mark |first=Joshua J. |title=Clava Cairns |url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Clava_Cairns/ |access-date=2022-09-20 |website=World History Encyclopedia |date=21 October 2012 |language=en}}</ref> ''Cairn'' originally could more broadly refer to types of hills and natural stone piles, but today is used exclusively for artificial ones. | ||
[[File:Gavrinis cairn.jpg|thumb| | [[File:Gavrinis cairn.jpg|thumb|A cairn of the [[Neolithic]]-era [[passage tomb]] on [[Gavrinis]] island, [[Brittany]]]] | ||
==== Ireland and Britain ==== | ==== Ireland and Britain ==== | ||
The word ''cairn'' derives from [[Irish language|Irish]] (with the same meaning), which is essentially the same as the corresponding words in other native [[Celtic language]]s of [[Ireland]], [[Brittany]] and [[Great Britain|Britain]] | The word ''cairn'' derives from [[Irish language|Irish]] (with the same meaning), which is essentially the same as the corresponding words in other native [[Celtic language]]s of [[Ireland]], [[Brittany]] and [[Great Britain|Britain]], including [[Welsh language|Welsh]] {{lang|cy|carn}} (and {{lang|cy|carnedd}}), [[Breton language|Breton]] {{lang|br|karn}}, [[Irish language|Irish]] {{lang|ga|carn}}, and [[Cornish language|Cornish]] {{lang|kw|karn}} or {{lang|kw|carn}}.<ref name=":0" /> Cornwall ({{lang|kw|Kernow}}) itself may actually be named after the cairns that dot its landscape, such as Cornwall's highest point, [[Brown Willy Cairns|Brown Willy Summit Cairn]], a 5 m (16 ft) high and 24 m (79 ft) diameter mound atop [[Brown Willy]] hill in [[Bodmin Moor]], an area with many ancient cairns. | ||
Burial cairns and other [[megalith]]s are the subject of legends and folklore throughout Ireland and Britain. In Ireland, it is traditional to carry a stone up from the bottom of a hill to place on a cairn at its top. In such a fashion, cairns would grow ever larger. An old Scottish Gaelic blessing is {{lang|gd|Cuiridh mi clach air do chàrn}}, "I'll put a stone on your cairn".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cairns of Scotland |url=https://www.scotland.com/blog/cairns-of-scotland/ |access-date=2022-09-20 |website=Scotland.com |language=en-US}}</ref> In Highland folklore it is recounted that before Highland clans fought in a battle, each man would place a stone in a pile. Those who survived the battle returned and removed a stone from the pile. The stones that remained were built into a cairn to honour the dead.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}} | |||
Cairns in the region were also put to vital practical use. For example, [[Dún Aonghasa]], an all-stone [[Iron Age]] Irish [[hill fort]] on [[Inishmore]] in the [[Aran Islands]], is still surrounded by small cairns and strategically placed jutting rocks, used collectively as an alternative to [[Defensive wall|defensive earthworks]] because of the [[karst]] landscape's lack of soil.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}} | |||
In February 2020, ancient cairns dated back to 4,500 year-old used to bury the leaders or chieftains of [[Neolithic]] tribes people were revealed in the Cwmcelyn in [[Blaenau Gwent]] by the Aberystruth Archaeological Society.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Smith|first=Lewis|date=2020-03-29|title=The new Neolithic site that's been discovered in Blaenau Gwent|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/new-neolithic-site-thats-been-17986546|access-date=2020-09-09|website=WalesOnline}}</ref>{{clear|left}} | |||
==== Scandinavia and Iceland ==== | ==== Scandinavia and Iceland ==== | ||
[[File:Maeve's Grave - geograph.org.uk - 254449.jpg|thumb|The biggest cairn in Ireland, [[Maeve's Cairn]] on [[Knocknarea]].]] | |||
In [[Scandinavia]], cairns have been used for centuries as trail and sea marks, among other purposes, the most notable being the [[Three-Country Cairn]]. In [[Iceland]], cairns were often used as markers along the numerous single-file roads or paths that crisscrossed the island; many of these ancient cairns are still standing, although the paths have disappeared. In [[Norse Greenland]], cairns were used as a hunting implement, a game-driving "lane", used to direct reindeer towards a [[game jump]].<ref>Arneborg 2004{{fcn|date=April 2024}}</ref>{{fcn|date=April 2024}} | In [[Scandinavia]], cairns have been used for centuries as trail and sea marks, among other purposes, the most notable being the [[Three-Country Cairn]]. In [[Iceland]], cairns were often used as markers along the numerous single-file roads or paths that crisscrossed the island; many of these ancient cairns are still standing, although the paths have disappeared. In [[Norse Greenland]], cairns were used as a hunting implement, a game-driving "lane", used to direct reindeer towards a [[game jump]].<ref>Arneborg 2004{{fcn|date=April 2024}}</ref>{{fcn|date=April 2024}} | ||
==== Greece and the Balkans ==== | ==== Greece and the Balkans ==== | ||
[[File:Corda de Resciesa Mont de dite Plose Putia Odles Gherdëina.jpg|thumb|alt=Cairn out of porphyr rocks on the alpine pasture Resciesa in Gherdëina, an Unesco World Heritage.|Cairn out of [[Porphyry (geology)|porphyr rocks]] on the alpine pasture Resciesa in [[Val Gardena|Gherdëina]], an Unesco World Heritage.]] | |||
In the mythology of ancient Greece, cairns were associated with [[Hermes]], the god of overland travel.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Doyle |first1=Jessica |editor1=Gabriel Cooney |editor2=Bernard Gilhooly |editor3=Niamh Kelly |editor4=Sol Mallía-Guest |title=Cultures of stone: An interdisciplinary approach to the materiality of stone |date=2020 |publisher=Sidestone Press |location=Leiden |isbn=978-90-8890-893-4 |pages=261–274 |chapter=All of a Heap: Hermes and the stone cairn in Greek antiquity|url=https://www.academia.edu/43289833}}</ref> According to one legend, Hermes was put on trial by [[Hera]] for slaying her favorite servant, the monster [[Argus Panoptes|Argus]]. All of the other gods acted as a jury, and as a way of declaring their verdict they were given pebbles, and told to throw them at whichever person they deemed to be in the right, Hermes or Hera. Hermes argued so skillfully that he ended up buried under a heap of pebbles, and this was the first cairn. | In the mythology of ancient Greece, cairns were associated with [[Hermes]], the god of overland travel.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Doyle |first1=Jessica |editor1=Gabriel Cooney |editor2=Bernard Gilhooly |editor3=Niamh Kelly |editor4=Sol Mallía-Guest |title=Cultures of stone: An interdisciplinary approach to the materiality of stone |date=2020 |publisher=Sidestone Press |location=Leiden |isbn=978-90-8890-893-4 |pages=261–274 |chapter=All of a Heap: Hermes and the stone cairn in Greek antiquity|url=https://www.academia.edu/43289833}}</ref> According to one legend, Hermes was put on trial by [[Hera]] for slaying her favorite servant, the monster [[Argus Panoptes|Argus]]. All of the other gods acted as a jury, and as a way of declaring their verdict they were given pebbles, and told to throw them at whichever person they deemed to be in the right, Hermes or Hera. Hermes argued so skillfully that he ended up buried under a heap of pebbles, and this was the first cairn. | ||
In [[Croatia]], in areas of ancient [[Dalmatia]], such as [[Herzegovina]] and the [[Krajina]], they are known as ''gromila''.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}} | In [[Croatia]], in areas of ancient [[Dalmatia]], such as [[Herzegovina]] and the [[Krajina]], they are known as ''gromila''.{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}} | ||
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===North and northeast Africa=== | ===North and northeast Africa=== | ||
[[File:Qableh3.JPG|thumb | [[File:Qableh3.JPG|thumb|Ancient cairns in [[Qa'ableh]], [[Somalia]]]] | ||
Cairns (''taalo'') are a common feature at [[El Ayo]], [[Haylan]], [[Qa'ableh]], [[Qombo'ul]], [[Heis (town)|Heis]], [[Salweyn]] and [[Gelweita]], among other places. [[Somalia]] in general is home to a lot of such historical settlements and [[archaeological site]]s wherein are found numerous ancient ruins and buildings, many of obscure origins.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Davies |first1=Matthew I. J. |title=Stone cairns across eastern Africa: a critical review |journal=Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa |date=June 2013 |volume=48 |issue=2: ''Monumentality in Africa'' |pages=218–240 |doi=10.1080/0067270X.2013.789207 |url=https://www.academia.edu/3047342}}</ref> | Cairns (''taalo'') are a common feature at [[El Ayo]], [[Haylan]], [[Qa'ableh]], [[Qombo'ul]], [[Heis (town)|Heis]], [[Salweyn]] and [[Gelweita]], among other places. [[Somalia]] in general is home to a lot of such historical settlements and [[archaeological site]]s wherein are found numerous ancient ruins and buildings, many of obscure origins.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Davies |first1=Matthew I. J. |title=Stone cairns across eastern Africa: a critical review |journal=Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa |date=June 2013 |volume=48 |issue=2: ''Monumentality in Africa'' |pages=218–240 |doi=10.1080/0067270X.2013.789207 |url=https://www.academia.edu/3047342}}</ref> Many of these old structures have yet to be properly explored, a process which would help shed further light on local history and facilitate their preservation for posterity.<ref name="Hodd">{{cite book |editor1-last=Hodd |editor1-first=Michael |others=Cartographer: Sebastian Ballard |title=1995 East African Handbook (with Mauritius, Madagascar and Seychelles) |date=September 1994 |publisher=Trade & Travel Publications |location=Bath, England |isbn=978-0-900751-59-2 |page=640 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/eastafricanhandb0000unse_n3k5/page/640/mode/2up}}</ref> | ||
Since [[Neolithic]] times, the climate of [[North Africa]] has become drier. A reminder of the [[desertification]] of the area is provided by [[megalith]]ic remains, which occur in a great variety of forms and in vast numbers in presently arid and uninhabitable wastelands: cairns (''kerkour''), [[dolmen]]s and circles like [[Stonehenge]], underground cells excavated in rock, [[Long barrow|barrows]] topped with huge slabs, and step [[pyramid]]-like mounds.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Belmonte |first1=Juan Antonio |last2=Betancort |first2=M. A. Perera |last3=Marrero |first3=Rita |last4=Gaspar |first4=Antonio Tejera |title=The dolmens and 'Hawanat' of Africa Proconsularis revisited |date=2003 |volume=34 |issue=116 |page=305 |url=https://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/2003JHA....34..305B |access-date=2022-09-20 |journal=Journal for the History of Astronomy |bibcode=2003JHA....34..305B |doi=10.1177/002182860303400304 |s2cid=125239058 |issn=0021-8286}}</ref> | Since [[Neolithic]] times, the climate of [[North Africa]] has become drier. A reminder of the [[desertification]] of the area is provided by [[megalith]]ic remains, which occur in a great variety of forms and in vast numbers in presently arid and uninhabitable wastelands: cairns (''kerkour''), [[dolmen]]s and circles like [[Stonehenge]], underground cells excavated in rock, [[Long barrow|barrows]] topped with huge slabs, and step [[pyramid]]-like mounds.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Belmonte |first1=Juan Antonio |last2=Betancort |first2=M. A. Perera |last3=Marrero |first3=Rita |last4=Gaspar |first4=Antonio Tejera |title=The dolmens and 'Hawanat' of Africa Proconsularis revisited |date=2003 |volume=34 |issue=116 |page=305 |url=https://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/2003JHA....34..305B |access-date=2022-09-20 |journal=Journal for the History of Astronomy |bibcode=2003JHA....34..305B |doi=10.1177/002182860303400304 |s2cid=125239058 |issn=0021-8286}}</ref> | ||
===Middle East=== | ===Middle East=== | ||
[[File:Rock Cairn.jpg|thumb| | [[File:Rock Cairn.jpg|thumb|A cairn in the Judean mountains]] | ||
The Biblical place name [[Gilead]] (mentioned in the Old Testament books of [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]], [[Numbers 32|Numbers]], [[Book of Judges|Judges]] and elsewhere) means literally 'a heap of testimony (or evidence)' as does its Aramaic translation ''[[s:A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature/יגל - יד|Yegar]] [[s:A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature/סדרא - סהר|Sahaduta]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title = Bible Map: Gilead |website=Bible Hub – Bible Atlas |url=https://bibleatlas.org/gilead.htm}}</ref> In modern Hebrew, ''gal-'ed'' ([[:he: גל-עד|גל-עד]]) is the actual word for "cairn". In [[s: Bible (King James)/Genesis#31|Genesis 31]] the cairn of Gilead was set up as a border demarcation between [[Jacob]] and his father-in-law [[Laban (Bible)|Laban]] at their last meeting.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bible Map: Galeed (Ramoth-gilead) |url=https://bibleatlas.org/galeed.htm |access-date=2022-09-21 |website=Bible Hub – Bible Atlas}}</ref> | The Biblical place name [[Gilead]] (mentioned in the Old Testament books of [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]], [[Numbers 32|Numbers]], [[Book of Judges|Judges]] and elsewhere) means literally 'a heap of testimony (or evidence)' as does its Aramaic translation ''[[s:A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature/יגל - יד|Yegar]] [[s:A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature/סדרא - סהר|Sahaduta]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title = Bible Map: Gilead |website=Bible Hub – Bible Atlas |url=https://bibleatlas.org/gilead.htm}}</ref> In modern Hebrew, ''gal-'ed'' ([[:he: גל-עד|גל-עד]]) is the actual word for "cairn". In [[s: Bible (King James)/Genesis#31|Genesis 31]] the cairn of Gilead was set up as a border demarcation between [[Jacob]] and his father-in-law [[Laban (Bible)|Laban]] at their last meeting.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bible Map: Galeed (Ramoth-gilead) |url=https://bibleatlas.org/galeed.htm |access-date=2022-09-21 |website=Bible Hub – Bible Atlas}}</ref> | ||
===Asia and the Pacific=== | ===Asia and the Pacific=== | ||
[[File:TallOvoo.JPG|thumb | [[File:TallOvoo.JPG|thumb|A Mongolian ceremonial cairn (''[[ovoo]]'')]] | ||
Starting in the [[Bronze Age]], burial [[cist]]s were sometimes interred into cairns, which would be situated in conspicuous positions, often on the skyline above the village of the deceased. Though most often found in the British Isles, evidence of Bronze Age cists have been found in [[Mongolia]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Houle |first1=Jean-Luc |chapter=Bronze Age Mongolia |editor1=((Oxford Handbooks Editorial Board)) |title=The Oxford Handbook of Topics in Archaeology |date=2016 |publisher=Oxford University Press |edition=Online|doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199935413.013.20 |chapter-url= https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199935413.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199935413-e-20 |isbn=978-0-19-993541-3}}</ref> The stones may have been thought to deter grave robbers and scavengers. Another explanation is that they were to [[Revenant (folklore)|stop the dead from rising]]. There remains a [[Judaism|Jewish]] tradition of placing small stones on a person's grave as a token of respect, known as [[visitation stones]], though this is generally to relate the longevity of stone to the eternal nature of the soul and is not usually done in a cairn fashion.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Why Do Jews Put Pebbles on Tombstones? |url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3002484/jewish/Why-Do-Jews-Put-Pebbles-on-Tombstones.htm |website=chabad.org}}</ref> [[Stupa]]s in India and [[Tibet]] probably started out in a similar fashion, although they now generally contain the ashes of a [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] saint or [[lama]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}} | Starting in the [[Bronze Age]], burial [[cist]]s were sometimes interred into cairns, which would be situated in conspicuous positions, often on the skyline above the village of the deceased. Though most often found in the British Isles, evidence of Bronze Age cists have been found in [[Mongolia]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Houle |first1=Jean-Luc |chapter=Bronze Age Mongolia |editor1=((Oxford Handbooks Editorial Board)) |title=The Oxford Handbook of Topics in Archaeology |date=2016 |publisher=Oxford University Press |edition=Online|doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199935413.013.20 |chapter-url= https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199935413.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199935413-e-20 |isbn=978-0-19-993541-3}}</ref> The stones may have been thought to deter grave robbers and scavengers. Another explanation is that they were to [[Revenant (folklore)|stop the dead from rising]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Houle |first1=Jean-Luc |chapter=Bronze Age Mongolia |editor1=((Oxford Handbooks Editorial Board)) |title=The Oxford Handbook of Topics in Archaeology |date=2016 |publisher=Oxford University Press |edition=Online|doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199935413.013.20 |chapter-url= https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199935413.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199935413-e-20 |isbn=978-0-19-993541-3}}</ref> | ||
There remains a [[Judaism|Jewish]] tradition of placing small stones on a person's grave as a token of respect, known as [[visitation stones]], though this is generally to relate the longevity of stone to the eternal nature of the soul and is not usually done in a cairn fashion.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Why Do Jews Put Pebbles on Tombstones? |url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3002484/jewish/Why-Do-Jews-Put-Pebbles-on-Tombstones.htm |website=chabad.org}}</ref> [[Stupa]]s in India and [[Tibet]] probably started out in a similar fashion, although they now generally contain the ashes of a [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] saint or [[lama]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2022}} | |||
A traditional and often decorated, heap-formed cairn called an ''[[ovoo]]'' is made in Mongolia. It primarily serves religious purposes, and finds use in both [[Tengriism|Tengriist]] and Buddhist ceremonies. Ovoos were also often used as landmarks and meeting points in traditional nomadic [[Culture of Mongolia|Mongolian culture]]. Traditional ceremonies still take place at ovoos today, and in a survey conducted, 75 participants out of 144 participants stated that they believe in ovoo ceremonies. However, mining and other industrial operations today threaten the ovoos<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dilemma of the Sacred Lands: Preserving Mongolia's Ovoos |url=https://thediplomat.com/2022/05/dilemma-of-the-sacred-lands-preserving-mongolias-ovoos/ |access-date=2022-09-21 |website=thediplomat.com |language=en-US}}</ref> | A traditional and often decorated, heap-formed cairn called an ''[[ovoo]]'' is made in Mongolia. It primarily serves religious purposes, and finds use in both [[Tengriism|Tengriist]] and Buddhist ceremonies. Ovoos were also often used as landmarks and meeting points in traditional nomadic [[Culture of Mongolia|Mongolian culture]]. Traditional ceremonies still take place at ovoos today, and in a survey conducted, 75 participants out of 144 participants stated that they believe in ovoo ceremonies. However, mining and other industrial operations today threaten the ovoos<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dilemma of the Sacred Lands: Preserving Mongolia's Ovoos |url=https://thediplomat.com/2022/05/dilemma-of-the-sacred-lands-preserving-mongolias-ovoos/ |access-date=2022-09-21 |website=thediplomat.com |language=en-US}}</ref> | ||
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==Today== | ==Today== | ||
[[File:Cairn Northumberland and Durham.jpg|thumb| | [[File:Cairn Northumberland and Durham.jpg|thumb|A cairn at the boundary of Counties Durham and Northumberland, England]] | ||
Cairns can be used to mark hiking trails, especially in mountain regions at or above the [[tree line]]. Placed at regular intervals, a series of cairns can be used to indicate a path across stony or barren terrain. | Cairns can be used to mark hiking trails, especially in mountain regions at or above the [[tree line]]. Placed at regular intervals, a series of cairns can be used to indicate a path across stony or barren terrain. | ||
===Sea cairns=== | ===Sea cairns=== | ||
[[File:Kummel Korpo 2009.jpg|thumb| | [[File:Kummel Korpo 2009.jpg|thumb|A [[sea mark]] in Finnish coastal waters]] | ||
Coastal cairns called [[sea mark]]s are also common in the northern latitudes, especially in the island-strewn waters of [[Scandinavia]] and eastern Canada. They are placed along shores and on islands and islets. Usually painted white for improved offshore visibility, they serve as [[Navigational aid|navigation aid]]s. In Swedish, they are called {{lang|sv|kummel}}, in Finnish {{lang|fi|kummeli}}, in Norwegian {{lang|no|varde}}, and are indicated in navigation charts and maintained as part of the nautical marking system.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |url=http://portal.fma.fi/portal/page/portal/589032C37AAC7314E040B40A0A016368 |title=Legend (INT Symbology) |format=PDF |location=[[Helsinki]] |publisher=Finnish Transport Agency and Finnish Transport Safety Agency (TraFi) |work=Merenkulku.fi |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126004546/http://portal.fma.fi/portal/page/portal/589032C37AAC7314E040B40A0A016368 |archive-date=2012-01-26 }} Three-language key to reading Finnish navigation charts.</ref> | Coastal cairns called [[sea mark]]s are also common in the northern latitudes, especially in the island-strewn waters of [[Scandinavia]] and eastern Canada. They are placed along shores and on islands and islets. Usually painted white for improved offshore visibility, they serve as [[Navigational aid|navigation aid]]s. In Swedish, they are called {{lang|sv|kummel}}, in Finnish {{lang|fi|kummeli}}, in Norwegian {{lang|no|varde}}, and are indicated in navigation charts and maintained as part of the nautical marking system.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |url=http://portal.fma.fi/portal/page/portal/589032C37AAC7314E040B40A0A016368 |title=Legend (INT Symbology) |format=PDF |location=[[Helsinki]] |publisher=Finnish Transport Agency and Finnish Transport Safety Agency (TraFi) |work=Merenkulku.fi |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126004546/http://portal.fma.fi/portal/page/portal/589032C37AAC7314E040B40A0A016368 |archive-date=2012-01-26 }} Three-language key to reading Finnish navigation charts.</ref> | ||
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== Concerns == | == Concerns == | ||
Concerns have been raised over the construction of needless cairns.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Olstad |first=Tyra A. |date=2019 |title=Cairns: An Invitation |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2618439017 |journal=Focus on Geography |volume=62 |issue=1 |doi=10.21690/foge/2019.62.6f |id={{ProQuest|2618439017}} |url-access=subscription }}</ref> | Concerns have been raised over the construction of [[Rock balancing|needless cairns]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Olstad |first=Tyra A. |date=2019 |title=Cairns: An Invitation |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2618439017 |journal=Focus on Geography |volume=62 |issue=1 |doi=10.21690/foge/2019.62.6f |id={{ProQuest|2618439017}} |url-access=subscription }}</ref> | ||
The [[Hawaiian Volcano Observatory]] asks visitors to say “no” to rock piles after a surge in the creation of cairns by visitors. The construction of these rock formations comes at the cost of important geological features that visitors pry rocks off of. The practice is viewed as an act of graffiti on the landscape of the park.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Robyn |date=2015-07-07 |title=Stop the rock-stacking |url=https://www.hcn.org/articles/a-call-for-an-end-to-cairns-leave-the-stones-alone/ |access-date=2024-10-18 |website=High Country News |language=en-US}}</ref> | The [[Hawaiian Volcano Observatory]] asks visitors to say “no” to rock piles after a surge in the creation of cairns by visitors. The construction of these rock formations comes at the cost of important geological features that visitors pry rocks off of. The practice is viewed as an act of graffiti on the landscape of the park.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Robyn |date=2015-07-07 |title=Stop the rock-stacking |url=https://www.hcn.org/articles/a-call-for-an-end-to-cairns-leave-the-stones-alone/ |access-date=2024-10-18 |website=High Country News |language=en-US}}</ref> | ||
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[[Category:Burial monuments and structures]] | [[Category:Burial monuments and structures]] | ||
[[Category:Death customs]] | [[Category:Death customs]] | ||
[[Category:Landscape history]] | [[Category:Landscape history]] | ||
[[Category:Navigational aids]] | [[Category:Navigational aids]] | ||
[[Category:Types of monuments and memorials]] | [[Category:Types of monuments and memorials]] | ||
[[Category:Trail markers]] | [[Category:Trail markers]] | ||
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Cornwall]] | |||
[[Category:Monuments and memorials in Cornwall]] | |||
[[Category:Burials in Cornwall]] | |||
[[Category:Celtic archaeological sites]] | |||
[[Category:Prehistoric burials in the United Kingdom]] | |||
[[Category:Prehistoric burials in Ireland]] | |||
[[Category:Archaeology of Northern Europe]] | |||