ABSTRACT
The Crow Indians of Montana recognise the power possessed by a variety of animals, among them grizzly bears, eagles, and bison, but the power of the American elk to control human love and passion exceeds that of any other species. Elk power was also used extensively by the Crow Indians of Montana. Pictographs and petro glyphs of elk are relatively common throughout the former territory of the Crow Indians in Montana and Wyoming, and some are quite clearly associated with elk love-medicine. The use of the Castle Butte site by contemporary Crow Indians for love-magic is strong evidence for a direct association between the rock art and elk love medicine. Other examples may represent the work of individuals trying to practise elk magic by using an older rock art elk figure as a potential source of power. Indeed, the elk figures at Crow Indian rock art sites share some of the characteristics of animal species depicted in Bushman rock paintings.
