The human hand is probably the most universal symbol throughout
the globe in rock art and cave art. Humans seem to have an innate desire to
say, "This is me, I was here." Modern Indians consider the handprint to
be a signature of the individual. Sacred spots were marked by handprints so that
the supernatural beings would know who had made the offerings. They are also expressions
of "sympathetic magic", that the individual desires to bring forth whatever is
pictured such as rain, a good hunt or bountiful crop.
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